Everything Nac

The SFA Steel Band, also known as the “Jacks of Steel,” will perform an exciting and diverse concert of music under the direction of Brad Meyer, director of percussion studies, at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 26, in Cole Concert Hall in the Wright Music Building on the Stephen F. Austin State University campus.

One of the most popular and requested ensembles in the SFA School of Music, the group is comprised of 13 members playing steel pan, ethnic percussion, drumset and bass guitar, according to Meyer.

The concert will feature various music styles, including socas, sambas, funk and rock, Meyer said. Notable pieces include several new compositions by Iowa-based composer Tyler Swick, such as “Ra Ra Ra” and “Las’s Lap.” Additionally, Meyer has arranged the pop tune “Locked Out of Heaven” by Bruno Mars for the performance, and Plano junior Jason Dupree has composed an original composition titled “Amnesai from Anesthesia.”

“This concert is sure to get you in the mood for warmer weather with the uptempo, vivacious sounds of the steel band,” Meyers said.

The concert is a joint presentation of the SFA College of Fine Arts and School of Music.

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

The Stephen F. Austin State University School of Theatre will present a student production of Marina Carr’s “Woman and Scarecrow” at 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 22, and at 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 23. All performances will be in the Downstage Theatre, located on the first floor of the Griffith Fine Arts Building on the SFA campus.

Irving senior Kat Edwards is directing the full-length play.

“On her deathbed, Woman questions the choices she made in life with her ‘life guide’ and friend, Scarecrow,” Edwards said in describing the play. “As the two women wonder what could have been, we become aware of a dark presence in the wardrobe. In the end, Woman and Scarecrow are forced to say goodbye as Woman’s time runs out.”

Edwards served as assistant director for the SFA production of “Little Shop of Horrors” last fall and assistant director for “Three Sisters.” She was also assistant director for “Tom & Jerry.” She directed “For Whom the Southern Belle Tolls” and “The Goblins Plot to Murder God.” She served as assistant director and choreographer for “The Saga of Cuchulain.”

The cast features Spring Branch junior Allison Day as Woman; Longview junior Valarie McKleckie as Scarecrow; Fairfield junior Eric Gibson as Him; and Center junior Hannah Johnson as Auntie Ah.

The technical team includes Virginia Arteaga, Houston senior, as stage manager; Sarah Chavez, Nacogdoches sophomore, assistant director; Landy Trapp, Crystal City junior, scenic designer; Megan Thomas, Houston senior, costume designer; Chelsae Sliger, Yorktown senior, lighting designer; Whitney Daniel, Terrell senior, sound designer; Kaiti Turney, Jacksonville senior, props designer; and Ashe Vernon, The Woodlands sophomore, makeup designer.

“Woman and Scarecrow” is recommended for mature audiences.

Tickets are $5. For tickets or more information, call the Fine Arts Box Office at (936) 468-6407 or visit www.finearts.sfasu.edu.

A first for Nacogdoches will take place when the Stephen F. Austin State University College of Fine Arts and School of Music present a full performance of G.F. Handel’s great oratorio, “Messiah,” at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 23, in Kennedy Auditorium on the SFA campus.

The SFA A Cappella Choir, under the direction of Tim King, director of choral activities at SFA, and Baroque chamber orchestra will perform “one of the most well-known masterworks in all of music’s history,” according to King. The performance is part of the 2012-2013 University Series, “Expressions.”

“Nacogdoches’ concert-goers know the first act of ‘Messiah’ from our Christmas concerts,” he said. “In fact, many have sung as part of our community chorus. But to my knowledge, the ‘Messiah’ in its entirety has never been performed in Nacogdoches. Performing the complete ‘Messiah’ is a grand event and certainly worthy of our University Series.”

The performance will feature soloists Debbie Berry, soprano; Charlotte Davis, soprano; Jeremy Bruns, countertenor; Ric Berry, tenor; and Scott LaGraff, bass.

The greatest challenge in performing the complete ‘Messiah’ will be to put all of the details for such a large masterwork together, King said.

“I won’t say how old I am, but I have never sung or conducted the complete ‘Messiah,’” he said. “I have conducted many masterworks during my tenure at SFA, but to be able to conduct the ‘Messiah’ in its entirety fills a huge void in my musical experience. And what a great opportunity for our students – a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”

The decision to perform “Messiah” in Kennedy Auditorium as opposed to W.M. Turner Auditorium, where other University Series events take place, had to do, in part, with the timing of the upcoming SFA opera performance and theatre productions in Turner, King said. But he also wanted a “more intimate setting” for the performance.

“When I first came to SFA in 1983, I performed my choir concerts in Kennedy,” he said. “It is a fantastic place to sing – good acoustics with a more intimate setting. Now, with the fairly recent renovation, it is most comfortable for the listener, as well.”

The three-act oratorio is told in the prophecy and birth; the suffering, the passion; and the promise of eternal life, King explained.

“There are no ‘characters’ or action scenes,” he said, “yet, the story lives in the listener through Handel’s wonderful and familiar music … a genius!

“I hope the audience experiences the grandeur of this Baroque masterpiece,” King said, “and that the music and story have meaning for those who attend.”

Corporate sponsor for the performance of “Messiah” is Nacogdoches Memorial Hospital.

Tickets for “Messiah” are $18 for adults, $12 for seniors and $6 for students and youth. For tickets or more information, contact the Fine Arts Box Office at (936) 468-6407 or visit www.finearts.sfasu.edu.