Everything Nac

    Four Stephen F. Austin State University saxophone students will be traveling to Tempe, Ariz., March 15 through 18 to compete in the North American Saxophone Alliance quartet and/or solo competitions.

Four SFA saxophone students will compete against other top quartets and/or soloists at the North American Saxophone Alliance competitions in Tempe, Ariz. March 15 through 18. Pictured, from left, are Brownsville graduate student Robert Palermo; Lufkin graduate student Matt Mahaffey; Lake Mary, Fla., senior Elena Pedersen; and Harker Heights graduate student Alvin Eclavea.

    Graduate students Alvin Eclavea of Harker Heights, Matt Mahaffey of Lufkin, Robert Palermo of Brownsville, and senior Elena Pedersen of Lake Mary, Fla., will compete against 19 other quartets from across the nation for a total of $4,800 in cash prizes and an opportunity to perform in the winner’s recital at the conference.

    The Amaranthine Saxophone Quartet, as the group calls themselves, was chosen from the 49 quartets who initially entered the competition via recorded audio auditions.

    Palermo and Pedersen will also be vying as soloists in the Classical Saxophone Competition as two of the 20 students chosen from 89 national competitors. The top three winners will receive a total of $3,250.

    The students all study under Dr. Nathan Nabb, SFA associate professor of saxophone.

    Art galleries operated by the Stephen F. Austin State University School of Art will be closed during the university’s spring break.

    “Frank Dituri: Of Things Not Seen,” a photograph series currently on display in the on-campus Griffith Gallery, will close at 5 p.m. Friday, March 9. The gallery will not re-open until 6 p.m. Wednesday, March 21, with the opening reception of “Pen, Pigment and Metal,” a collaborative exhibition of artwork and fiction writing by SFA art and creative writing students.

    Griffith Gallery is located in Room 208 of the Griffith Fine Arts Building, 2222 Alumni Drive. Regular gallery hours are 12:30 to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Friday.

    The exhibitions at The Cole Art Center, “Refined VII: Inspiration” in the Reavley Gallery and “Silent Transmissions” in the Ledbetter Gallery, are available for viewing through 5 p.m. Saturday, March 10. The Art Center will re-open at 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 20.

    “Refined VII,” SFA’s biennial art metals and jewelry exhibition that contains work by international artists, will run through Saturday, March 24. The sculptures, paintings and installations included in “Silent Transmissions” will be on view through Saturday, March 31.

    The Cole Art Center is located at 329 E. Main St. in downtown Nacogdoches. Its regular hours are 12:30 to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday.

    Admission to all galleries is free. For more information, please call (936) 468-1131.