Everything Nac

The Stephen F. Austin State University College of Fine Arts will present internationally known pianist Anton Kuerti in a performance at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 24, in W.M. Turner Auditorium as part of its University Series, “Expressions.”

Kuerti, who was born in Austria, grew up in the United States and now lives in Canada, has enjoyed a distinguished performing career that has included tours in 40 countries. He has performed with most major U.S. orchestras and conductors, including the Boston Symphony, the New York Philharmonic, the National Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra and the orchestras of Atlanta, Denver, Detroit, Pittsburg, St. Louis and San Francisco.

“Mr. Kuerti maintains a busy performance schedule in North America and abroad,” said John W. Goodall, associate dean of the SFA College of Fine Arts. “In addition to his demanding concert schedule, he is one of today’s most recorded artists. We’re pleased to bring a performer of this caliber to Nacogdoches. Anyone who attends this concert is certainly in for a delightful evening.”

As a recording artist, Kuerti has put on disc all the Beethoven Concertos and Sonatas, the Schubert Sonatas, the Brahms Concertos and works by many other composers. His recordings are heard almost daily on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. A critic for the U.S. magazine Fanfare wrote “Kuerti is the best pianist currently playing.”

Kuerti is represented by Jonathan Wentworth Associates, Ltd. Mt. Vernon, N.Y.

Before the performance, there will be a 7 p.m. informative talk presented by Ann Saslov, concert artist and a longtime friend of Kuerti, in Griffith Gallery, located across the hall from Turner Auditorium. The audience is invited back to the gallery for a post-performance reception to honor the event’s corporate sponsor, Cataract, Glaucoma & Retina Consultants of East Texas – Benchmark Optical.

Tickets range from $17.50 to $35, with discounts available for seniors, SFA faculty and staff, students and youth. For tickets or information, visit www.finearts.sfasu.edu or call (936) 468-6407 or (888) 240-ARTS.

The East Texas Research Center at Stephen F. Austin State University is sponsoring the third annual “I Found it in the Archives” essay and video contest showcasing archived materials that have positively impacted people’s lives.

“We’re seeking entrants who have found something special in our collections – records, documents, photos, recordings, a meaningful item or treasure,” said ETRC Director Linda Reynolds. “If it has meaning to you, it has meaning to us and is a wonderful basis for your entry.”

Visitors to the ETRC are encouraged to write about the information they have found and what it means to them. Entrants should submit either a 400-word essay or a video describing their quest for information and explaining how finding it has made a difference. Those submitting an essay also should include a color photo of themselves. Videos should be no more than two minutes long. Contest submissions will be accepted through Feb. 3.

”It does not have to be some extremely significant discovery; you may have unearthed a clue to an unsolved mystery, discovered a long-lost relative, found the missing element in a critical paper trail or simply had an outstanding experience working with the archives staff while learning more about something important to you,” Reynolds said.

The entries of the top three finalists will be posted online for a public vote. All finalists will receive a gift bag, and the winner will receive a prize package of gifts from local businesses and will be entered into the national competition sponsored by the Society of American Archivists. National winners will be hosted at the August Society of American Archivists Annual Awards Ceremony in New Orleans.

The entry form and a complete list of contest rules can be found online at http://library.sfasu.edu/etrc/found-it

For additional information, email asketrc@sfasu.edu or call (936) 468-4100.

Dr. Gerald Harp, assistant professor of horticulture at Texas A&M University-Commerce, will present “Landscape Soils – Growing from the Ground Up” at the upcoming Theresa and Les Reeves Lecture Series hosted by SFA Gardens.

The lecture will take place at 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 17, in Room 110 of the Agriculture Building located on Wilson Drive on the SFA campus.

Harp was born and raised in Everman, just south of Fort Worth. He earned a Bachelor of Science in horticulture and landscape management and a Master of Science in general agriculture from Tarleton State University, as well as a Ph.D. in horticulture from Texas A&M University, where he worked on plant responses to urban microclimates.

Harp has been in the landscape industry since 1986, working in greenhouses, wholesale and retail nurseries, and landscape installation and maintenance. He spent several years as a landscape manager for various companies in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, where he worked on multi-million dollar commercial and residential landscape projects, primarily in the University Park area of Dallas. Prior to entering academia, Harp managed approximately $3.5 million worth of commercial and residential landscape maintenance contracts across the Metroplex.

In 2000, he accepted a position at Southeast Missouri State University, teaching plant and soil science courses. In 2003, he was asked to come to Texas A&M University-Commerce to help rebuild the horticulture program. In addition to teaching, he currently serves the Department of Agricultural Sciences as graduate coordinator, undergraduate faculty mentor and undergraduate adviser, and he teaches numerous horticulture, soils, and freshman and senior seminar courses. He also serves the university as president of the faculty senate and Southern Association of Colleges and Schools liaison and is a member of numerous other committees.

Harp’s research focuses primarily on sustainable urban landscapes, including the use of ornamental plants on building roofs. These “green roofs” absorb incoming sunlight, reducing the heat being transferred into a building, decreasing cooling costs and making the building more energy efficient. He also is working with AgriLife Extension to identify landscape plants that are capable of thriving in minimum-input landscapes, evaluating landscape plants that thrive with little irrigation and no supplemental application of fertilizers and pesticides.

The Theresa and Les Reeves Lecture Series is normally held the third Thursday of each month at the Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture’s SFA Mast Arboretum. A rare plant raffle will be held after the program. The lecture is free and open to the public, but donations to the Theresa and Les Reeves Lecture Series endowed fund always are appreciated. For more information, call (936) 468-1832 or email grantdamon@sfasu.edu.