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NACOGDOCHES, TEXAS – An early work of modern English composer John Rutter will be the centerpiece of the Stephen F. Austin State University A Cappella Choir’s fall concert at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 25, in Cole Concert Hall.

The performance – the choir’s first of the academic year – is part of the SFA College of Fine Arts and the School of Music’s Concert Series.

“This is not only the first concert of the year for A Cappella,” SFA Director of Choral Activities Tim King said, “but it is also the first concert after our return from a most successful tour of Austria and the Czech Republic.”

Rutter’s “The Falcon” will be the focal point of the concert, according to King.

“The text for this three-movement work is based on Biblical and medieval sources that form a progression from the implied violence of the opening Psalm to the hope of peace from the book of Revelation,” he said. “This work will feature members of the SFA voice faculty and a children’s choir comprised of students from McMichael Middle School and our own SFA Preparatory Choir.”

A recently composed unpublished piece by German composer Wolfram Buchenberg entitled “Klangfelder,” or “Sound Fields,” will also be featured.

“This song is an experiment in spatial sound effects,” King said.

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

NACOGDOCHES, TEXAS – The Piney Woods Camerata, a conductorless string ensemble led by Stephen F. Austin State University music faculty, will present its fall concert at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 21, in Cole Concert Hall on the SFA campus.

The string ensemble specializes in the performance of music from the baroque and classical periods, according to Evgeni Raychev, an SFA adjunct cello professor.

“The ensemble strives to provide an opportunity for students to excel in their musical abilities through dynamic collaboration with professional musicians,” Raychev said.

The program will feature music by Charles Avison, Edvard Grieg and Arcangello Corelli.

The concert, which is a joint presentation of the SFA College of Fine Arts and School of Music, is part of the 2012-2013 Cole Performing Arts Series. Cole Concert Hall is located in the Tom and Peggy Wright Music Building, 2210 Alumni Dr.

Tickets are $5 for adults, $4 for seniors and $2 for students. For tickets or more information, visit www.finearts.sfasu.edu or call (936) 468-6407 or (888) 240-ARTS.

NACOGDOCHES, TEXAS – The work of contemporary American composers will be highlighted when the Stephen F. Austin State University Wind Symphony and Symphonic Band perform a joint concert at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 23, in W.M. Turner Auditorium as part of the SFA College of Fine Arts and School of Music’s Concert Series.

“Earth and Sky” will showcase American composers John Gibson, John Stevens and Frank Ticheli, among others, as well as a standard march by venerable British composer Kenneth Alford.

Under the direction of SFA Assistant Director of Bands Tamey Anglley, the Symphonic Band will open the first half of the concert with “Burma Patrol” Oriental March by American march composer Karl King. Hugh Stuart’s “A Hymn for Band” will be conducted by graduate student Jay Weems.

“Written in 1985, Stuart composed the original tune designed to be reminiscent of old church melodies,” Anglley said.

The Symphonic Band will also perform Vincent Persichetti’s “Serenade No. 11 for Band, Op. 85” and Ticheli’s “Cajun Folk Songs 2.”

The second half of the concert, featuring the Wind Symphony, will begin with Gibson’s “Pegasus,” the first movement of his three-movement work “The Spirit Sleeping.”

“Commissioned by the Dallas Wind Symphony, this work is based on three mythological creatures, all blessed with the gift of flight,” said SFA Associate Director of Bands David W. Campo, the Wind Symphony’s conductor.

The Wind Symphony will also perform Stevens’ moving “Benediction,” Alford’s poetic march “The Vanished Army” and Ticheli’s “Gaian Visions.”

“‘Gaian Visions’ was commissioned by the Gamma Phi chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi in honor of Dr. Donald Bowen, fifth president of Stephen F. Austin State University,” Campo said.

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

NACOGDOCHES, TEXAS –The Stephen F. Austin State University School of Theatre will present a student production of Josephina Niggli’s “Miracle at Blaise” at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 19, and at 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 20. All performances are in the Downstage Theatre, located in the first floor of the Griffith Fine Arts Building.

Mesquite senior Emily Gibson will direct the one-act play, which takes place in Blaise, France, a village occupied by the Nazis during World War II.

“This miracle play, composed of an all-female cast,” Gibson said, “is set during Christmas Eve of 1941 and surrounds the theme of redemption as the lead character, Madeleine Giraud, is reminded of her ruthless past by a stranger named Tabitha and is given the chance to redeem herself and atone for the mistakes she has made.”

The play’s cast includes Aledo freshman Andee Rooney as Madeleine Giraud; Tyler freshman Maddison Myers as Berthe; Whitehouse senior Mary Creath as Gabrielle Mortier; Edgewood junior Jennifer Bush as Nicole Lacroix; Richmond sophomore Katy Rutherford as Tabitha; and Frisco freshman Shelby Gilliland as Véronie Videau.

Mission senior Crystal Villarreal serves as stage manager; Mesquite sophomore Tony DiBernardo is scenic designer; Marshall senior Christopher Dawson is costume designer; Longview senior Chelsae Sliger is lighting designer; Garland senior Barbara Grimes is sound designer; and The Woodlands sophomore Ashe Vernon is hair and make-up designer.

Gibson is a senior theatre major at SFA. She has previously directed a School of Theatre studio hour, “While the Auto Waits,” assistant directed “The Uninvited” and directed high school and elementary students in the SFA School of Theatre’s high school workshops and Junior Jacks summer programs. While at SFA, she has performed in “Women and Wallace,” “The Bathroom Door” and “The Ugly Duckling.”

Tickets are $3. For tickets or more information, call (936) 468-6407 or (888) 240-ARTS.

NACOGDOCHES, TEXAS – The music of Leonard Bernstein and Bela Bartók will be spotlighted in “West Side Story to Bartók,” a concert presented by the Stephen F. Austin State University School of Music at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 19, in Cole Concert Hall on the SFA campus.

Guest percussionist Marcus Reddick will join pianists John and Jean Roberts and percussionist Brad Meyers, SFA College of Music faculty members, in the performance, which is a feature of the Cole Performing Arts Series.

Reddick is director of percussion studies in the Townsend School of Music at Mercer University in Macon, Ga., where he teaches applied percussion, percussion ensemble, percussion techniques and courses in music theory, orchestration, musicianship and jazz appreciation as well as assisting with the Mercer Wind and Jazz Ensembles. He has toured extensively and performed around the world as a solo artist, a chamber musician and as a member of numerous ensembles.

Compositions featured on the program include Bartók’s “Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion” and Bernstein’s “Symphonic Dances” from “West Side Story.”

“The Hungarian composer Bela Bartók wrote this significant composition in 1938,” said John Roberts, professor of piano at SFA. “Bartok’s music infuses the infectious rhythms, melodic types, phrase patterns and instrumental colors of Hungarian folk music.

“The Bartok sonata is a major work for two pianists and two percussionists,” he added. “We are pleased to be able to present this performance with our special guest percussionist, Marcus Reddick.”

The arrangement of Bernstein’s ever-popular “West Side Story” is a medley of some of the top selections from the Broadway musical, such as “Somewhere,” “Cha-Cha,” “Cool,” “Maria” and “Mambo.”

Reddick will perform both the Bartok and the Bernstein pieces with John and Jean Roberts, while Meyer will provide a second percussion part for the Bartok sonata.

Tickets are $5 for adults, $4 for seniors and $2 for students. For tickets or more information, call (936) 468-6407.

The festivities for the annual Homecoming at Stephen F. Austin State University will be off to an exciting start Oct. 19 with the 2012 Legacy Dinner.

The Legacy Dinner will honor three former SFA Alumni Association staff members and their dedication and service to the SFA alumni family. This year’s honorees are Bob Sitton, Betty Ford and Mitzi Blackburn. In addition, the Legacy Dinner will also specially recognize the Class of 1962.

The Legacy reception will begin at 6:30 p.m. with cocktails at The Vault Wine Bar in the Hotel Fredonia. The Legacy Dinner will begin at 7 p.m. in the Banita Ballroom of the Fredonia. The dinner will feature a live auction, beginning at 8 p.m. and the Benefit Drawing, where the winning ticket will be drawn. The Benefit Drawing tickets are $100 each and if drawn as the winning ticket, $10,000 will be added to the scholarship of the winner’s choice or to the SFA Alumni Association Endowment Fund.

Tickets for the Legacy dinner are $50 per person, $90 per couple and $350 for a table of eight. Seating is limited; please make your reservation by October 12.

Unique to this year’s Homecoming events is an online auction. The online auction will feature highly rated items and activities. The online auction will run from October 6th until October 21st. Please visit www.biddingforgood.com/SFAHomecoming to view the online auction items.

The SFA Alumni Association encourages you to participate in an effort to increase the scholarship endowment that serves as a valuable resource for future generation of Lumberjacks. All proceeds from the live auction, online auction and Benefit Drawing go toward the SFA Alumni Association Scholarship Fund.

To purchase tickets and make a reservation or for more information about Homecoming events, please contact the SFA Alumni Association at (936) 468-3407 or visit www.sfaalumni.com.

NACOGDOCHES, Texas – The Stephen F. Austin State University Lumberjack Marching Band is selling tickets for its “Band Aid” fundraiser benefiting the group’s upcoming trip abroad.

Tickets for Cajun-themed to-go dinners will be sold for $10 each through Thursday, Nov 1, and will be available for drive-through pick up from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 9, on Vista Drive west of the student center. The meals will be prepared by ARAMARK, SFA’s food-service partner, and will consist of Cajun chicken and sausage jambalaya, green beans, cornbread, hot sauce and a chocolate chip cookie.

Proceeds from the fundraiser will be used to support the band’s upcoming trip to the United Kingdom, where the group will lead the 2013 London New Year’s Day Parade. Approximately 150 SFA band members are expected to participate in the 27th annual parade, which is watched by more than 600,000 spectators and televised to 280 million people around the world. More than 20 different countries will be represented in the parade and associated concert performances.

To purchase tickets for the fundraising dinner, please contact the band office at (936) 468-4702.