Everything Nac

Join Stephen F. Austin State University’s Nacogdoches Naturally staff, students, volunteers and partner organizations as they kick off a new year of Family Fun Day adventures from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Sept. 6, at the Pineywoods Native Plant Center, 2900 Raguet St.

A variety of stations providing opportunities for families to learn outdoor skills, increase awareness of natural resources and promote connections with nature will be set up around the center. Activities will include archery, outdoor cooking, garden activities, orienteering, Backyard Bass, bird watching, nature hikes and more.

Sponsored by SFA Gardens, Nacogdoches Naturally provides enriching outdoor education experiences for families and youth.

“We are pleased to provide outdoor programs for children and families that promote connections with the natural world through weekend family activities, after-school programs and other community environmental education events,” said Kerry Lemon, assistant education coordinator. “This is our kick-off event to start the new season.”

Supporting partners include SFA’s Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture and Department of Agriculture, Boys and Girls Club of Nacogdoches, City of Nacogdoches Parks and Recreation Department, Nacogdoches Independent School District, Pineywoods Audubon Society, SFA Gardens Volunteers, SFA Outdoor Pursuits, Boyette Consulting, Friends of the National Forests and Grasslands in Texas, Texas A&M Forest Service, and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

Family outdoor programs will be offered throughout the year. The schedule of upcoming educational programs and outdoor skill learning opportunities will be available for families at the event.

This Family Fun Day kick off is free with no pre-registration required. For more information about the kick off or future events, call Kerry Lemon at (936) 468-5586 or email lemonkb@sfasu.edu.

The Stephen F. Austin State University College of Fine Arts and School of Music will present The Four Hornsmen of the Apocalypse in concert at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 6, in Cole Concert Hall on the SFA campus.

For more than 15 years, The Four Hornsmen of the Apocalypse have captivated and excited audiences with their musicianship, technique and comical repartee, according to Charles Gavin, professor of horn and chamber music at SFA. Over the years, The Hornsmen have performed throughout the United States for audiences at the symphony, college campuses, horn workshops, churches, arts festivals, public schools and other venues.

The Hornsmen not only entertain, but also educate. They have been called upon to teach masterclasses to students of all ages, present educational outreach programs in schools, and perform side-by-side with students and other world class performers across the country, Gavin said.

“They pride themselves in their ability to connect with the audience and break the traditional barrier between the musicians and the listener,” he said.

The group features Paul Blackstone, who is pursuing a Doctorate of Musical Arts degree in horn from the University of Texas; Audrey Good, second horn of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra; Tony Licata, a founding member of the Four Hornsmen and stationed at Fort Hood, Texas, where he performs with 1st Cavalry Division Band; and Gerald “Gerry” Wood, a freelance musician and private instructor in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

Cole Concert Hall is located in the Tom and Peggy Wright Music Building, 2210 Alumni Drive.

Tickets for this 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’ 2014-2014 University Series “Connect” opens with a performance by Eugenia Zukerman & Friends at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 11, in W.M. Turner Auditorium on the SFA campus.

“This is our first show of the new season,” said John W. Goodall, associate dean of the College of Fine Arts, “and we think it is a great way to begin what promises to be another exciting and diverse series of quality fine arts performances.”

Joining renowned flutist Zukerman are friends and fellow musicians Milana Strezeva on piano, Sophie Shao on cello and Hye-Jin Kim on violin in a new collaborative performance.

Often described as a Renaissance woman, Zukerman not only maintains an international concert calendar with more than 30 performances annually, her multi-faceted career also includes distinguished work as an arts administrator, author, educator, Internet entrepreneur and journalist, according to Goodall.

“She has performed as soloist with many of the world’s finest orchestras,” he said.

Zukerman’s numerous guest appearances have included engagements with the Tokyo Philharmonic, the Royal Philharmonic, the China Philharmonic and the Israel, Moscow, Prague and Scottish chamber orchestras, among others. Among the more than 80 orchestras in North America with which she has performed are the Los Angeles Philharmonic, National Symphony in Washington, D.C., the Montreal and Vancouver symphonies and the National Symphony Orchestra of Mexico.

Recognized with an Emmy nomination as an important broadcast journalist, Zukerman interviewed and created more than 300 portraits as an arts correspondent for CBS Sunday Morning. The author of the New York Public Library’s Award-winning non-fiction book “In My Mother’s Closet,” and also “Coping with Prednisone” (which she co-authored with her sister, Dr. Julie R. Ingelfinger), she has enjoyed success in the humanities as well as the arts. She is an adjunct faculty member at New York University’s Steinhardt School of Music and a frequent guest teacher at conservatories nationwide.

Moldovan-American pianist Strezeva is a founding member of the Manhattan Piano Trio. She is the daughter of renowned soprano Svetlana Strezeva, and the two have given recitals across the U.S., Europe and Asia.

Cellist Shao, a Houston native, has performed with orchestras across the nation and is a frequent guest at leading music festivals. She is on the faculty of Vassar College and the Bard Conservatory of Music.

Violinist Kim, winner of the 2009 Concert Artists Guild International Competition, has appeared in major venues across North America, Europe and Asia and performed at the U.N. Headquarters in both Geneva and New York.

Prior to the concert, there will be a 7 p.m. informative talk about the artists and their music to be presented by Dr. Christina Guenther, associate professor of flute at SFA, in Griffith Gallery located across the hall from Turner Auditorium. The audience is invited back to the gallery for a post-performance reception to meet the performers and to honor the event’s corporate sponsor, Cataract, Glaucoma & Retina Consultants of East Texas/Benchmark Optical.

Griffith Gallery and Turner Auditorium are located in the Griffith Fine Arts Building, 2222 Alumni Drive.

Tickets range from $20 to $40, with discounts available for seniors, SFA faculty/staff, students and youth. For tickets or more information, visit www.finearts.sfasu.edu or call (936) 468-6406 or (888) 240-ARTS.