Everything Nac

    “Going off to War: An Exhibit at the Nacogdoches Historic Depot” presented by The Center for Regional Heritage Research at Stephen F. Austin State University will open Friday, March 30, with a special presentation by Lt. Col. Todd Reichert, SFA professor of military science.

    The exhibit chronicles the lives of American soldiers during wartime. It includes personal and historic artifacts and documents from the research center, an assortment of military uniforms and other memorabilia from the private collection of Thomas H. Derby, and a variety of World War I and World War II artifacts on loan from the Stone Fort Museum.

    The exhibit’s opening reception will begin at 6:30 p.m. with welcoming remarks by Dr. Mark Barringer, director of the research center and associate dean of SFA’s College of Liberal and Applied Arts. Reichert’s presentation, “Going Over There,” will begin at 7 p.m.

    Reichert has served in various units of the U.S. Army and as an ROTC instructor at Texas A&M University. He has completed two tours in Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, and his decorations include two Bronze Star Medals, two Meritorious Service Medals, and the Master Parachutist, Pathfinder, and Expert Infantryman badges.

    The exhibit will remain on display through the month of April and is free and open to the public. The Nacogdoches Railroad Depot is open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday. For more information, contact the Center for Regional Heritage Research at (936) 468-2089.

    Ying Fu, winner of the 2011 Schmidbauer International Young Artist Competition at Stephen F. Austin State University, will be the featured soloist during the Orchestra of the Pines concert, “And the Winner Is!,” at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 3, in Cole Concert Hall.

Ying Fu, winner of the 2011 Schmidbauer International Young Artist Competition, will perform Jean Sibelius’ Violin Concerto in D minor, Op. 47 with the Orchestra of the Pines at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 3, in Cole Concert Hall.

    Fu and the orchestra will perform Jean Sibelius’ Violin Concerto in D minor, Op. 47, which Gene H. Moon, the ensemble’s music director, calls “a stoic work that demands maturity, technique and sensitivity by both the soloist and orchestra.”

    Born in Shanghai, China, Fu is currently a doctoral student of Professor Cho-Liang Lin and Sergiu Luca at the Shepherd School of Music, Rice University, where he also earned his master’s degree. He earned his Bachelor of Music from the Shanghai Conservatory of Music in China.

    In 2011, in addition to winning the Schmidbauer competition, Fu swept the 27th Young Texas Artists Music Competition by winning the violin division, the Audience Choice Award and the Grand Prize. He has also won the Shepherd School concerto competition and the 2007 Tuesday Musical Club Young Artist Competition.

    Fu joined the Cleveland Orchestra as a first violin this past fall.

    The Orchestra of the Pines will also present Claude Debussy’s L’Aprés-midi d’un Faune (“Prelude to the Afternoon of the Faun”), one of the most well-regarded musical works of the Impressionistic period, according to Moon.

    Rounding out the program is Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 8 in F major, Op. 93.

    “Of all nine symphonies by Beethoven, his eighth stands out as a strong representation of his classical roots and traditional adherence to form and harmony,” Moon said.

    The concert is a joint presentation of the SFA College of Fine Arts, School of Music and the Orchestra Series. It is sponsored in part by Nacogdoches Memorial Hospital and the Wedgeworth-Wright Endowment for the Arts.

    Cole Concert Hall is located in the Wright Music Building, 2210 Alumni Drive.

    Tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for seniors and $5 for students. For tickets or more information, please go to www.finearts.sfasu.edu or call (936) 468-6407 or (888) 240-ARTS.

    Nathan Nabb, associate professor of saxophone at Stephen F. Austin State University, will present a faculty recital, “The French Connection,” at 7:30 p.m. Monday, April 2, in Cole Concert Hall.

SFA Associate Professor Nathan Nabb will present a faculty recital at 7:30 p.m. Monday, April 2, in Cole Concert Hall on the SFA campus.

    While explaining the recital’s title, Nabb pointed out that the roots of the saxophone are French. “Adolphe Sax, though a native Belgian, promoted and manufactured this instrument after relocating to Paris. A great deal of the instrument’s repertoire is by French composers or commissioned from foreign composers by French saxophonists. This program will highlight examples of both,” Nabb continued.

    Pianist Chia-Ling Hsieh, faculty accompanist at Morehead State University, will join Nabb in presenting pieces from the traditional French repertoire, including Denis Bédard’s “Fantasie,” Pierre Sancan’s “Lamento et Rondo,” Fenande Decruck’s “Sonate” and Alfred Desenclos’ “Prelude, Cadence et Finale.”

    Nabb said the Desenclos is particularly dear to him because his teacher, Frederick Hemke, won the Premiere Prix at the Paris Conservatoire with the piece. Hemke will be retiring at the end of this year after teaching at Northwestern University for 50 years.

    Nabb and Hsieh will also perform Edison Denisov’s “Sonate,” which was written for legendary performer and pedagogue Jean-Marie Londeix, Nabb explained. “It is considered a milestone work because it is the first piece to command extended techniques such as slap-tongue, glissandi and multiphonics.”

    A member of the SFA music faculty since 2010, Nabb has performed across the United States and in Asia and Europe in solo, chamber and large ensemble settings with groups such as the St. Louis Symphony, New World Symphony and IRIS Chamber Orchestra. Most recently, he appeared with the Houston Symphony Orchestra.

    His recording credits include his solo 2009 “Tangled Loops,” a 2011 release by the Oasis Quartet for whom Nabb plays soprano saxophone, and the 2012 “LigAlien” by the Northshore Trio.

    After receiving his undergraduate degree from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Nabb earned his Master of Music and Doctor of Music from Northwestern University. His teaching and performance career is featured in an interview in the March/April 2010 issue of the Saxophone Journal.

    The recital is a joint presentation of the SFA College of Fine Arts and School of Music and a part of the 2011-2012 Cole Performing Arts Series.

    Cole Concert Hall is located in the Wright Music Building, 2210 Alumni Drive.

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