Everything Nac

The Cole Art Center @ The Old Opera House has been a long-time participant in the annual Downtown Nacogdoches Artwalk, which is scheduled this year from 4 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 8, along the historic streets of downtown Nacogdoches.

This year, The Cole Art Center plans to highlight select Stephen F. Austin State University artists/authors during a book signing from 4 to 6 p.m. at the art center the day of the event. They include Corinne Jones, retired SFA art instructor; John Handley, director of SFA art galleries; Richard Orton, Friends of the Visual Arts member; and Christopher Talbot, director of the SFA School of Art.

“We would like to shine a light on our talented authors and give the public a chance to buy books for holiday gift giving,” said Alisa Steed, events coordinator for SFA art galleries.

Jones will sign copies of her book “13 Ways of Looking at a Blackbird” published by SFA Press. Her husband, Charles D. Jones, who is also a published author/artist and director and master printer for SFA’s LaNana Creek Press, is unable to attend, but Jones will have available copies of the book “My Black Angel, Blues Poems and Portraits,” with poems by Kim Addonizio and illustration by Charles D. Jones.

Handley will sign copies of his new book, “The Religious Art of Pablo Picasso,” co-written with Jane Dillenberger and published by the University of California Press.

Orton will sign copies of his new book, “The Upshaws of County Line: An American Family,” published by the University of North Texas Press.

Talbot will sign “Diedrich Rulfs: Designing Modern Nacogdoches,” written by Dr. Jere Jackson, SFA’s official historian and director of the Center for East Texas Studies, with photos by Talbot, published by the SFA Press. Jackson is unavailable that day but plans to sign some books ahead of time, Steed said.

Other Artwalk participants include The Art Exchange, Creative Photography, Glass Castles, Church Street Gallery, Rachel’s Antiques and Uniques and Rees Jewelry.

The Cole Art Center is located at 329 E. Main St. For more information, call (936) 468-1131.

Future college students will have the opportunity to experience a taste of campus life during three free, action-packed open-house Saturdays at Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches on Nov. 15, Feb. 28 and March 28.

Prospective students will get to visit with university faculty and staff, tour the campus and residence halls, and preview academic programs during the three SFA Showcase Saturday events.

“There is no better time than Showcase Saturday to visit the beautiful SFA campus and enjoy the Lumberjack Experience,” said Ryan Horne, assistant director of the Office of Admissions.

“Guests are encouraged to visit one-on-one with our faculty to learn more about our quality, personalized academic programs, and our staff will be available to answer questions about everything from admission requirements to financial aid to residence life.”

SFA is a comprehensive, residential university located in the heart of Texas Forest Country in Nacogdoches. Approximately 13,000 students attend SFA, which is within a few hours’ drive of Texas’ major metropolitan areas.

Showcase Saturday event registration will begin at noon on the first floor of the Baker Pattillo Student Center and will remain open until 1 p.m. Each person who registers will receive an information packet. The opening program begins at 1 p.m. and will provide an overview of the day’s events.

Guests will then be able to visit with representatives of the academic departments until 4 p.m. at the Academic and Student Services Fair in the Student Recreation Center. Student service department representatives also will be on hand to provide information on campus life until 4:30 p.m. in the student center.

Campus and residence hall tours will begin at 1:45 p.m. and continue until 5 p.m. Campus tours will take students on a guided walk of the SFA campus, while the residence hall tour will showcase several halls on both the north and south ends of campus.

Admissions counselors will be available to discuss admission procedures and requirements in the Rusk Building, Room 206, from 1:45 to 5 p.m.

Financial aid information sessions will be held at 2:30, 3:15 and 4 p.m. in the Kennedy Auditorium, Room 101. Residence Life information sessions will be held at 2:30, 3:15 and 4 p.m. in the Baker Pattillo Student Center movie theater on the second floor.

Participating students will receive a free SFA T-shirt after turning in a completed evaluation form in the Grand Ballroom of the student center from 4 to 5 p.m.

For more information about SFA’s Showcase Saturday, contact the SFA Office of Admissions at (936) 468-2504, or admissions@sfasu.edu.

The Stephen F. Austin State University College of Fine Arts and School of Music will present the Cello Club with Evgeni Raychev in a recital at 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 15, in Cole Concert Hall on the SFA campus.

Performers will include active Cello Club members playing with Raychev, School of Music faculty member, and his students.

The objective of the program is to promote and provide opportunities for cello ensemble playing, according to Raychev.

“Our goals are to establish connections between musicians, develop an awareness of ensemble techniques and provide competitive opportunities and collaborations with professional musicians,” he said. “We hope to help build one’s creativity and imagination and to promote the esthetics of art.”

Raychev described the project as “educational,” and all participants have been prepared online for the joint ensemble performance.

This first concert of the Cello Club will feature works by J.S. Bach, Edward Grieg and Gabriel Faure, among others.

Tickets for this Cole Performing Arts Series event are $8 for adults, $6 for seniors and $3 for students and youth. For tickets or more information, call the SFA Fine Arts Box Office at (936) 468-6407 or visit www.finearts.sfasu.edu.

The Stephen F. Austin State University College of Fine Arts and School of Music will present the Madrigal Singers in concert at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 11, in Cole Concert Hall on the SFA campus.

The Madrigal Singers is a select group of upperclassmen and graduate music majors, according to Tim King, director of choral activities at SFA.

“The music they sing is both entertaining and highly challenging,” King said.

The concert will open with “Dance Clarion” by Michael Tippett.

“This is a festive opening to the concert,” King said. “The piece was composed for Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation and is a highly technical piece of rhythm and harmony.”

SFA’s Madrigal Singers will perform at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 11, in Cole Concert Hall on the university campus.

“This is a most interesting piece,” King said. “This piece is written for 16 solo voices, and there are 16 members of the Madrigal Singers. Caldara, known for his operas and cantatas, chooses the most dramatic portion of the Credo, or Creed, from the mass.”

Concluding the concert will be a vocal arrangement of “Ouverture” from “Die Zauberflöte,” or “The Magic Flute,” by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

Tickets are $8 for adults, $6 for seniors and $3 for students and youth. For tickets or more information, call the SFA Fine Arts Box Office at (936) 468-6407 or visit www.finearts.sfasu.edu.