Everything Nac

The SFA Friends of Music will accept reservations through noon Friday, April 26, for Extravaganza 26, the Stephen F. Austin State University School of Music’s annual gala banquet. The event is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 30, in the Grand Ballroom of SFA’s Baker Pattillo Student Center.

Danny Prado

Additionally, Danny Prado, a 1972 graduate of SFA who received his Master’s in Music from Texas Women’s University, will be honored as the Outstanding Music Alumnus.

Prado retired from public school education in 2005 after 33 years in music education, including Jacksonville ISD and 17 years at Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD. Most recently he spent 15 years with the Grapevine-Colleyville ISD. Prado is an adjunct professor with SFA serving as a university supervisor for student teachers. He has served on numerous occasions as a guest clinician for percussion workshops, honor concerts, jazz bands, and is an active adjudicator for invitational and UIL contests.

Prado is a member of the Texas Music Educators Association, Texas Music Adjudicators Association, Texas Bandmasters Association, Percussive Arts Society, and is currently serving as a past president of the Alpha Chapter of Phi Beta Mu International Band Fraternity. He was also a member of the University Interscholastic League Prescribed Music Committee serving a nine-year term and chaired the committee for the 2007 through 2011 years.

Extravaganza 26 will be presented by the SFA School of Music and Dr. Scott Harris, interim director of the school.

Tickets are $35 each, and scholarship donor table options are available. For tickets or more information, call the Fine Arts Box Office at (936) 468-6407 or (888) 240-ARTS.

Students in the harp studio of Emily Mitchell, adjunct faculty in the Stephen F. Austin State University School of Music and harp teacher for the Music Preparatory Division, will perform in concert at 6 p.m. Monday, April 22, in the Judy B. McDonald Public Library.

The harpists include Hannah Arnold, a Music Prep student, and collegiate students Susanna Campbell, Martha De Luna Mateo, Victoria Oakes and Elizabeth Rowland. As an ensemble, the collegiate students will perform “Sheep May Safely Graze” by J.S. Bach, arranged for harp ensemble by Daniel Burton; and “Over the Rainbow” from “The Wizard of Oz” by Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg, arranged for harp ensemble by RoJean Loucks. Arnold will join the collegiate ensemble on “Let There Be Peace On Earth” by Jill Jackson and Sy Miller arranged for harp ensemble by RoJean Loucks.

Susanna Campbell will perform harp solos, including Louis Spohr’s “Fantasie for Harp” and Nino Rota’s “Sarabanda e Toccata.” Martha de Luna Mateo will perform harp solo “Viejo Zortzico” by Jesús Guridi.

“Martha and Susanna are performing as a harp duo the “Spanish Dance No. 5” by Enrique Granados arranged for two harps by Carlos Salzedo,” Mitchell said.

Mitchell has earned critical acclaim as “a marvelous harpist” (The New York Times) who captivates her audiences with “playing of the utmost delicacy, beauty and subtlety.” (Records and Recording) In the words of The Washington Post, “Mitchell commands a vivid palette of colors and uses them with imagination.”

Mitchell has been heard worldwide as a concerto soloist, recitalist, and chamber musician. Performances have taken her to the United Kingdom, France, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Brazil, Israel, and Canada. She continues to tour the United States. Ms. Mitchell has been profiled on The Today Show, Good Morning America, Live with Regis and Kathie Lee, CNN, CNBC, Arts & Entertainment, the BBC, DRS-Swiss TV, the New York Times WQXR, Radio France, National Public Radio’s Performance Today and in People Magazine. Most memorable performances include the Mozart Concerto for Flute and Harp at Carnegie Hall with Sir James Galway and the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, being presented in concert before British Royalty both in England and at the British Embassy in Washington, D.C., and also performing for First Lady Rosalynn Carter at The White House.

For those interested in learning to play the harp, Mitchell will teach ensemble classes each Wednesday, Thursday and Friday in June for 12 one-hour classes. “Harp for Fun” is for children, and “Harp for Joy” is for adults. Class size is limited to four students per class. Harp ensemble classes are for beginners and will be held at the Music Prep House, 3028 Raguet St. Private harp classes will also be available on those days. Harps will be provided and available for practice on non-class days. Tuition is $120 for the 12 classes.

For additional information, call the SFA Music Preparatory Division at (936) 468-1291 or contact division director Pat Barnett at pbarnett@sfasu.edu.

In celebration of the spring season, the SFA Wind Symphony will present “Soleil!” A Sun Celebration at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 23, in the Grand Ballroom of the Baker Pattillo Student Center on the campus of Stephen F. Austin State University.

“Throughout history, composers have been writing music in homage to the sun, and modern wind band composers are no different,” said David W. Campo, associate director of bands at SFA and the Wind Symphony’s conductor.

“Fanfare for the Sun,” by Danish composer Carl Wittrock, opens the concert and features “brilliant brass and stunning woodwork flourishes,” according to Campo. The opening piece is followed by John Mackey’s “Sheltering Sky.”

“Mackey’s lushly beautiful ‘Sheltering Sky’ creates a sense of repose and calm after the energetic concert opening,” Campo said. Of the composition, Mackey writes, “The work itself has a folksong-like quality, and, through this, an immediate sense of familiarity arises.”

Conducted by graduate assistant conductor Justin Allen, “Sheltering Sky” is one of Mackey’s newest and most popular compositions.

Commissioned in 2000 by Col. Finley Hamilton, conductor of the United States Army Field Band, “Sunrise at Angel’s Gate,” another work to be performed by the Wind Symphony, is the musical recollection of composer Philip Sparke’s visit to the rock formation Angel’s Gate in the Grand Canyon.

“Sunrise and sunset are the best times to view the canyon,” Sparke is quoted as saying, “as a sun low in the sky casts shadows that give depth and form to the vast panorama. I have tried to depict the sights and sounds of dawn there, birdsong in the early morning sky and the gradual revelation of the canyon itself as sunlight reaches into its rocky depths.”

The second half of the concert begins with Frank Ticheli’s “Sundance,” which the composer says depicts “a town festival on a warm, sun-washed day.”

Another piece, “Dusk,” by composer Steven Bryant, is part of a three-work “night cycle” that also contains the works “Marbled Midnight Mile” and “First Light.”

“‘Dusk’ captures the reflective calm of dusk, paradoxically illuminated by the fiery hues of sunset,” Campo said.

Rusty Banks composed “Coronal Loops” in response to a commission from a consortium of universities, including SFA.

“‘Coronal Loops’ is the composer’s take on the interaction between the magnetic phenomena of the same name with man-made satellites,” Campo explained.

The final piece on the concert features “a uniquely American contribution to the wind band genre: the circus march,” according to Campo.

“Typically very fast and exciting in character and featuring exuberant melodies and virtuosic woodwind lines, these marches are intended to evoke images of all the thrills and excitement of a big top circus,” he said.

One of the best-known additions to the genre is J.C. Heed’s “In Storm and Sunshine,” composed in 1885.

“Legend from Heed’s hometown of Hackettstown, N.J., claims that Heed was actually the composer of ‘Stars and Stripes,’ credited to the march king, John Philip Sousa,” Campo said.

The concert is a presentation of the SFA College of Fine Arts and School of Music and is a featured event of the Concert Series.

Tickets are $5 for adults, $4 for seniors and $2 for students and youth. For tickets or more information, call the Fine Arts Box Office at (936) 468-6407 or visit www.finearts.sfasu.edu.

Purchase tickets today to attend the Barn Burner Old Town Jam, an all-day (rain or shine), outdoor live music festival benefitting SFA Alumni scholarships, from noon to 11 p.m. on Saturday, April 20, at The Barn Bar & Grill, 2304 North St.

The line-up includes some of Texas and Nashville’s country music stars like Cory Morrow, Steel Magnolia, Rich O’Toole, Johnny Cooper, Lincoln Durham, Folk Family Revival, Mark McKinney and The Bigsbys.

General admission tickets are $25 pre-sale and $30 at the door, and limited VIP tickets are $100. Regular tickets can be purchased in person at The Barn and online at www.outhousetickets.com. 100% of ticket sales will go toward the SFA Alumni Scholarship Fund. Barn Burner t-shirts will also be for sale at the concert for $10.

Ticket holders will have access to the outdoor portion of the event, which will be in the fenced in parking lot of The Barn. Bar service will be available outside, for those 21& up with a wristband. Fuzzy’s Tacos and Raising Cane’s, the official food vendors of the Barn Burner, will have food available for purchase outside.

Parking will be available at SFA’s Early Childhood Lab and at the northwest lot of the Homer Bryce Stadium. Carpooling is highly encouraged and towing will be enforced. Event organizers politely ask that all attendees not park on the side streets due to right-of-way of emergency vehicles.

Out of town guests can stay at the Hampton Inn & Suites, the official hotel of the Barn Burner, on South Hwy-59. Call (936) 560-9901 to reserve your room today.

Barn Burner sponsors include: Kicks 105.5, Rex Perry Autoplex, Harry’s Building Materials, Austin Bank, Tipton Ford/Lincoln, Custom Colors, Commercial Bank of Texas, East Texas Music, CJ Baxter Group, Hampton Inn, Herman Power, Bancorp South, Citizens First Bank, Heritage Title, The Daily Sentinel, First Bank & Trust, and Regions Bank.

Please contact The Barn at (936) 569-9092 or visit www.sfaalumni.com for more information.

Four original short films by Stephen F. Austin State University student filmmakers will be shown during “An Evening of Short Films” beginning at 6 p.m. Friday, April 26, at The Cole Art Center @ The Old Opera House in downtown Nacogdoches.

Each graduate student will introduce his film, screen it and then take questions from the audience, according to Brad Maule, acting and directing lecturer in the SFA School of Theatre and a lecturer in the School of Art’s cinematography program.

“Filmmaking is a creation from the ground up,” Maule said. “These students must write the story, cast the actors, film the script, find the crew and locations, buy or make the costumes, edit the footage, add the sound, correct the color, and on and on.

“By having these students explain the filmmaking experience, I believe it will help the audience understand the extreme difficulty of the students’ chosen occupation,” he said.

The original works are creations of Peyton Paulette of Lufkin, who will screen his film, “Hollywood Ending,” Ricky Kennedy of Alto, who will screen his film, “In The Original Geek,” Justin Herring of Granbury, who will screen his film, “Leave Me With a Smile,” and Dudley May of Nacogdoches, who will screen his film, “Same Odds.”

“This gives the students a chance to explain the filmmaking process before a live audience,” Maule said. “It also gives the students feedback from a neutral platform. Anyone interested in films and filmmaking will enjoy this evening.”

Cinematography has been taught at SFA for more than 20 years. The program has graduated hundreds of students who are working in all aspects of the professional field throughout the country.

The Cole Art Center is located at 329 E. Main St. For more information about “An Evening of Short Films,” call (936) 468-6239.

The Swingin’ Axes and Swingin’ Aces jazz bands at Stephen F. Austin State University will perform an exciting evening of music for the final joint concert of the 2012-13 season beginning at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 25, in Cole Concert Hall on the SFA campus.

Allen Vizzutti

Vizzutti’s performance will mark his third trip to the SFA campus, having first appeared with the Swingin’ Axes in November 1999 and then returning the following year as a featured soloist with the SFA Wind Ensemble.

“After our last concert, I thought this particular group of students needed to perform with a great artist,” said Wurtz, who has been director of the Swingin’ Axes since 1993. “I called Allen over spring break and asked if he was available. As it turned out, our concert week was between dates for him, and he was immediately agreeable to the invitation. I was thrilled, but the students were taken aback that they were going to get this opportunity.

“We have hosted a large number of world-class guests over the years,” Wurtz continued, “but Allen is always an easy invite because, musically, he’s as good as anyone in the world with the resumé to back it up, and he’s great with the students and patrons. He is as nice a guy as you could ever meet, and I love to introduce my students to guys like him.”

Equally at home in a multitude of musical idioms, Vizzutti has visited 40 countries and every state in the union to perform with artists and ensembles such as Chick Corea, ‘Doc’ Severinsen, the NBC Tonight Show Band, the Airmen of Note, Chuck Mangione, Woody Herman, the New Tokyo Philharmonic, the Budapest Radio Orchestra and others. Performing as a classical and jazz artist, often in the same evening, he has appeared as guest soloist with symphony orchestras in Germany, St. Louis, Seattle, Rochester, Syracuse, Milwaukee, Buffalo, Phoenix, Croatia, Slovenia, Edmonton, Vancouver and Winnipeg, to name a few.

As an artist in residence, Vizzutti has taught at the Eastman School of Music, the Banff Center for Performing Arts, Kansas State University, Ohio State University, the Skidmore Jazz Institute and the Trompeten Akademie in Bremen, Germany. He is currently artist in residency at the University of South Carolina.

While living in Los Angeles during the 1980s, Vizzutti performed on more than 100 motion picture sound tracks, including “Back To the Future” and “Star Trek,” as well as on countless TV shows, commercials and recordings with such artists as Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, Neil Diamond, the Commodores and Prince. His sounds can be heard on recent projects, including the movies “Furry Vengeance,” “40 Days and 40 Nights” and “Scary Movie Four” and on video games.

In addition to accompanying Vizzutti, the Swingin’ Axes will perform Willie Maiden’s “A Little Minor Booze” and Pat Metheny’s “Minuano.”

For its portion of the concert, the Swingin’s Aces, under the direction of Deb Scott, associate professor of trombone and jazz studies at SFA, will perform “Cajun Cookin’” by Denis Diblasio, “Live and Let Die” by Paul and Linda McCartney, “Invitation” by Bronislau Kaper, “Cut ’N Run” by Gordon Goodwin and “Chelsea Bridge” by Billy Strayhorn, featuring the band’s lead trumpet player, Wylie sophomore Chris Jordan.

The joint concert is a presentation of the SFA College of Fine Arts and School of Music. Tickets are $5 for adults, $4 for seniors and $2 for students and youth. For tickets or more information, call the Fine Arts Box Office at (936) 468-6407 or visit www.finearts.sfasu.edu.