Everything Nac

    As an expansion of the exhibition “John Heliker: Drawing on the New Deal 1932-1948,” the Stephen F. Austin State University School of Art will host a panel discussion on the famed American artist and his work at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 17, at The Cole Art Center @ The Old Opera House in downtown Nacogdoches.

    The exhibition, on view in the Reavley Gallery of the Cole Art Center through Saturday, Nov. 26, features a relatively unknown body of work by Heliker (1909-2000), who achieved early fame for his expressionistic work. The majority of the works are on loan from the Heliker-LaHotan Foundation.

    Panel members are Patricia Bailey, president of the Heliker-LaHotan Foundation; Dr. David A. Lewis, SFA professor of art history and curator of the exhibition; and Michael T. Ricker, independent scholar and art collector from the Dallas area. Each of the panelists will discuss a different aspect of Heliker and his work.

    Bailey, who knew Heliker for many years, will speak about the work the artist created during the second half of his life. She will also offer information about the organization and function of the foundation, which operates an artists residency program at Heliker’s summer home on Cranberry Island, Maine.

    Lewis, who was awarded a 2009 residency, will speak about the extensive research he has completed on the artist. Lewis wrote the essay and edited the supporting materials for the 96-page, fully illustrated catalog for the exhibition recently published by the SFA University Press. Copies will be available for purchase at the panel discussion.

    Ricker, who designed the catalog, has considerable expertise in the field of American drawings from the 1930s to 1940s, said Lewis. “He will offer insights into Heliker’s place within the larger movements of American drawing during that period.”

    Panel members will allow time for audience participation. Admission is free.

    The Cole Art Center is located at 329 E. Main St. For more information, please call (936) 468-1131.

    The A Cappella Choir, Stephen F. Austin State University’s premier vocal ensemble, will present its annual fall concert at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 17, in Cole Concert Hall on the SFA campus.

The SFA A Cappella Choir will present its fall concert at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 17, in Cole Concert Hall.

    The 52-voice mixed choir is composed almost entirely of resident voice majors at SFA and performs a repertoire of a cappella and concerted works spanning 600 years.

    The program, which includes works by J.S. Bach, Johannes Brahms, Ko Matsushita and Michael Ostrzyga, is, in part, a preview of the works the choir will be performing at a regional conference in March and on its European tour in May.

    “Through our guest appearances at state and national conventions, the A Cappella Choir has gained a reputation as one of the finest choral ensembles in the United States,” said Dr. Tim King, director of choral activities at SFA and the ensemble’s director.

    “This year, we accepted an invitation to open the annual conference of the Southwestern Division of the American Choral Directors Association in Dallas on Thursday, March 1.”

    The choir’s reputation also reaches beyond the borders of the United States. In 2006, the choir accepted an invitation of the Salzburg Choral Society to join in the celebration of W.A. Mozart’s 250th birthday. Three years later, the ensemble toured Italy, performing at the International Music Festival and concerts in Florence, Rome, Venice and Vatican City.

    This May, during its 11-day tour of Austria and the Czech Republic, the choir will present concerts at St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna and the Dom Cathedral in Salzburg.

    “To be granted permission to perform in either of these famed venues is quite significant,” said King.

    The Nov. 17 concert is a joint presentation of the SFA College of Fine Arts and School of Music. 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.

    The Stephen F. Austin State University Orchestra of the Pines will present music from the romantic era during its concert at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 14, in Cole Concert Hall on the SFA campus.

SFA Associate Professor Deb Scott will be the featured trombone soloist during the Orchestra of the Pines concert at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 14, in Cole Concert Hall on the SFA campus.

    Included on the program are the prelude to Engelbert Humperdinck’s “Hansel and Gretel” and Antonín Dvorák’s Symphony No. 9 in E minor, “From the New World.”

    Deb Scott, SFA associate professor of music, will join the orchestra on its performance of Launy Grondahl’s Concerto for Trombone and Orchestra.

    An active performer and clinician in classical and jazz styles, Scott teaches trombone and bass trombone at SFA and is the director of the university’s jazz band, The Swingin’ Aces.

    Currently, she is a member of the SFA Faculty Brass Quintet and the Longview Symphony.

    She has also performed with the International Trombone Festival’s Cramer Trombone Choir, the Twentieth Century Unlimited Orchestra in Santa Fe, the New Mexico Music Festival in Taos, the Arkansas Symphony, the Lubbock Symphony Orchestra, the Greeley (Colo.) Philharmonic and the Barnum and Bailey Greatest Show on Earth Circus Band.

    Scott earned her doctorate in trombone performance from the University of North Texas, her master’s from the University of Northern Colorado and her two bachelor’s degrees from Texas Tech University.

    The concert is a joint presentation of the SFA College of Fine Arts and School of Music. Tickets are $5 for adults, $4 for seniors and $2 for students. For tickets or more information, please visit www.finearts.sfasu.edu or call (936) 468-6407 or (888) 240-ARTS.