Everything Nac

    The Stephen F. Austin State University College of Fine Arts, School of Music and School of Theatre will present Giuseppe Verdi’s opera “La Traviata” at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 19, through Saturday, April 21, in W.M. Turner Auditorium, located in the Griffith Fine Arts Building.

Mesquite freshman Tony Dibernardo, assistant scenic designer for SFA’s production of Giuseppe Verdi’s “La Traviata,” applies Art Nouveau elements to the scenic drops. The Schools of Music and Theatre will present the opera at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 19, through Saturday, April 21, in W.M. Turner Auditorium.

    “La Traviata,” which is literally translated as “The Fallen Woman,” centers on Violetta, a Parisian courtesan who suffers from consumption, and Alfredo Germont, a young gentleman who has long admired her.

    The cast consists of more than 40 vocal students, with most of the principal roles double cast to maximize the performance opportunities for the students, explained Deborah Dalton, SFA associate professor of voice and the production’s stage director.

    For the Thursday and Saturday performances, graduate students Tiffanny Hamilton of Longview and Joshua Dennis of McKinney will sing the principal roles.

    On Friday night, senior Page Madison of Carterville, Ill., will portray Violetta, and Dallas senior PJ Lopez will play Alfredo.

    To make the opera more accessible, SFA’s production will be sung in English. Additionally, supertitles will be projected above the stage for the audience members who would like to read the lyrics while they are being sung.

    The production will be conducted by Gene H. Moon, director of orchestral studies at SFA, and will feature SFA orchestral students. SFA theatre faculty, staff and students are designing and/or providing the sets, lights and costumes.

    The opera is part of the SFA College of Fine Arts’ 2011-2012 University Series.

    Prior to the April 19 performance, Dalton will give an informative talk at 7 p.m. in Griffith Gallery, directly across the hall from Turner Auditorium. The audience is invited back to the gallery after the performance for a reception and an opportunity to meet the cast.

    The Griffith Fine Arts Building is located at 2222 Alumni Drive on the SFA campus.

    Tickets are $18 for adults, $12 for seniors and $6 for students. For tickets or more information, please go to www.sfasu.edu/finearts or call (936) 468-6407 or (888) 240-ARTS.

    The School of Art at Stephen F. Austin State University has announced that works by four artists associated with the university will be included in “TEXAS NATIONAL 2012,” which will open with a 6 to 8:30 p.m. reception Saturday, April 14, in the Ledbetter Gallery of The Cole Art Center @ The Old Opera House, located at 329 E. Main St. in downtown Nacogdoches. The show will run through Saturday, May 26.

    Among the 109 pieces selected for the national juried exhibition are “Nautilus” and “Impulso,” two ceramics pieces by graduate student Kira Kalondy of Mexico; and “Pearls Before the Hind,” an oil painting by Cat Springs senior Heather Wobbe.

    Also included in the show are “Through a glass darkly, the wonderful world of color: #86,” a digital photo by SFA librarian Wade Carter; and “Untitled,” an acrylic painting by Pearland resident Hannah Zuniga-Murasko, who earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts at SFA in 2007.

    Created by the SFA School of Art, “TEXAS NATIONAL” is celebrating its 18th year on the national scene, said Charlene Rathburn, the university’s director of galleries. The competition is open to all artists living and working in the United States and is juried each year by an internationally acclaimed artist or critic.

    Works by 84 artists from 23 states were chosen from among the 1,600 entries for this year’s exhibition, and cash prizes totaling $3,500 will be awarded to three artists during the show’s opening from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Saturday, April 14.

    World-renowned art critic Dave Hickey is serving as the juror for this year’s event. He will announce the winners of the competition during the opening reception. Hickey will also give a lecture presentation from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Friday, April 13, in the Music Recital Hall of the Wright Music Building on the SFA campus.

    Running concurrently with “TEXAS NATIONAL 2012” upstairs in the Reavley Gallery will be an exhibition curated by Hickey, “Stephen Mueller (1947-2011): In Memoriam.”

    Regular hours for The Cole Art Center are 12:30 to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday. Both “TEXAS NATIONAL 2012” and “Stephen Mueller (1947-2011): In Memoriam” are sponsored in part by SFA Friends of the Visual Arts and Nacogdoches Junior Forum.

    For more information, please call (936) 468-1131.

    The 2012 Bright Ideas Conference highlighting faculty research, scholarship and artistry at Stephen F. Austin State University will be held Wednesday, April 11, in the Baker Pattillo Student Center.

    More than 80 research posters and scholarly exhibits will be on display from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Grand Ballroom. Spotlight exhibits will be featured in the Twilight Ballroom. A reception honoring the spotlight exhibitors will begin at 4 p.m. in the Twilight Ballroom, followed by the awards ceremony.

    The biennial Bright Ideas Conference is sponsored by the Office of the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, the Teaching Excellence Center and the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs.

    “It is essential that the faculty of a teaching institution such as SFA remain active in research and creative work,” said Dr. Richard Berry, SFA provost and vice president for academic affairs.

    “Many of our faculty members have an extraordinary record of achievement in these areas, and I believe it is important to provide an opportunity to showcase these achievements so that, at the very least, we can become aware of the very impressive scholarly work of our colleagues and the ways in which this work informs and strengthens our teaching.”

    One spotlight exhibit was chosen to represent each of the six SFA colleges, as well as the Ralph W. Steen Library. The winners include:

·Marie Kelly, Nelson Rusche College of Business, “Financial Statement Racing;”
·Dr. Nagalapura Viswanath, James I. Perkins College of Education, “Part-word Repetitions are not Created Equal – Clinical & Theoretical Significance”;
·Lauren B. Selden, College of Fine Arts, “The Gault Project: Incorporating New & Old Artifacts;”
·Dr. Warren C. Conway, Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture, “Floristic Composition of a Bottomland Hardwood Forest in East Texas;”
·Dr. Dianne Dentice, College of Liberal and Applied Arts, “White Revolutionaries: Keepin’ it White, Right and Tight,” a research project concerning extremist groups and racialist ideology in contemporary American society;
·Marthea Turnage, Ann Ellis and Kayce Halstead, Ralph W. Steen Library, “Texas State Department of Education Bulletins 1918-1946 Digitization Project;” and
·Dr. Robert K. Henderson, College of Sciences and Mathematics, “Bounded Monte Carlo Simulation of Critical Information Related to Retirement Planning.”

    For additional information about the Bright Ideas Conference, contact the SFA Office of Research and Sponsored Programs at (936) 468-6606 or saldanagrace@sfasu.edu.