Everything Nac

    The Stephen F. Austin State University School of Theatre will present a student production of “Women and Wallace” at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 14, and at 2 and 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 15, in the Downstage Theatre of the Griffith Fine Arts Building.

    Jonathan Marc Sherman’s one-act play focuses on Wallace Kirkman and the struggles he has with women and relationships after experiencing a traumatic event, explained Hamshire senior Cynthia Law, the play’s director.

    Through a series of vignettes, Wallace finally realizes that in order to discover what women want, he must first learn to understand himself, Law continued.

    Mount Pleasant senior Stephen Graham portrays the lead character. Other cast members include Spring Branch freshman Allison Day as Nina and Sarah, Mesquite senior Emily Gibson as Mother and Psychiatrist, Emory sophomore Vanessa Hendricks as Grandmother and Lili, and Mission junior Crystal Villarreal as Victoria and Wendy.

    Law’s previous SFA directing credits include “Guns of Carrar,” “Amicable Parting” and “Red Carnations.”

    She has appeared in SFA’s productions of “She Stoops to Conquer,” “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying,” “Woyzeck” and “Big River: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.” Law has also been a member of The Original Cast since 2009.

    Tickets are $3. The play is recommended for mature audiences. For tickets or more information, please call (936) 468-6407 or (888) 240-ARTS.

    Genghis Barbie, marketed as “the leading post post-feminist feminist all-female horn experience,” will present a guest recital at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 13, in Cole Concert Hall. The performance is part of the 2011-2012 Stephen F. Austin State University School of Music’s Cole Performing Arts Series.

Genghis Barbie, a classically-trained ensemble that performs an innovative and varied program, will present a guest artist recital at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 13, as part of the Stephen F. Austin State University School of Music's Cole Performing Arts Series.

    “If ever there was a concert to introduce an audience to a ‘classical’ ensemble, this is the one. They are simply phenomenal,” said Charles Gavin, SFA professor of horn. “They are conservatory-trained musicians who are creating new audiences for classically trained performers.”

    The group plays the classics but also performs arrangements from popular genres such as hits from Lady Gaga, Bjork, Queen and more.

    According to its website, the group is recognized as “one of the most innovative and energizing chamber ensembles of its kind.”

    Genghis Barbie is composed of Alana Vegter (aka Freedom Barbie) and Danielle Kuhlmann (aka Velvet Barbie), both of whom studied at the Juilliard School; Rachel Drehmann (aka Atilla the Horn), who studied at Manhattan School; and Jacquelyn Adams (aka Jungle Barbie), who studied at Yale and State University of New York, Stony Brook.

    The group recently performed at the 2011 International Horn Society Symposium in San Francisco and will embark on its first international tour this fall.

    For more information about Genghis Barbie, go to http://genghisbarbie.com.

    The recital is a joint presentation of the SFA College of Fine Arts and School of Music. 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.

    The Stephen F. Austin State University School of Music will present Susan Nelson in a faculty bassoon recital at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 12, in Cole Concert Hall.

SFA faculty member Dr. Susan Nelson, far right, will present a bassoon recital at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 12, in Cole Concert Hall. Joining her on the program will be, from left, fellow faculty members Geneva Fung (piano), Evgeni Raychev (cello) and Jennifer Dalmas (violin); Abilene senior Brandon Pierce (violin); and faculty member Eric Fisher (bass). Not pictured is violist Melissa Nabb, instructor for the SFA Music Preparatory Division.

    Nelson and pianist Geneva Fung, staff accompanist, will perform a variety of pieces that Nelson enjoys and that she says “move” her in different ways.

    The duo will play Paul Jeanjean’s “Prèlude et Scherzo,” which was written for the yearly contests of the Paris Conservatoire to test the performers’ abilities while vying for the first prize.

    They will also perform John Steinmetz’ “Sonata,” a piece which invokes extreme emotional states, explained Nelson. “It is reminiscent of both Olivier Messiaen’s ‘Quartet for the End of Time’ as well as Japanese shakuhachi music.”

    Joining Nelson and Fung for the performance of “Divertissement” by Jean Françaix will be SFA music faculty members Jennifer Dalmas (violin), Evgeni Raychev (cello) and Eric Fisher (bass); violist Melissa Nabb, instructor for the SFA Music Preparatory Division: and violinist Brandon Pierce, Abilene senior.

    “Françaix dedicated this piece to one of the world’s most prominent bassoonists, William Waterhouse, who was the principal bassoonist with London orchestras and a chamber musician,” said Nelson. “It highlights Françaix’s compositional style of lightness and wit.”

    Nelson has been member of the School of Music’s adjunct faculty since 2010. She earned her doctoral degree from the University of Michigan, her master’s from the University of Oklahoma and her bachelor’s from the University of Kansas. All three degrees are in musical performance.

    She has performed with the annual Classical Music Festival in Eisenstadt, Austria, and with the Shreveport Symphony Orchestra, Oklahoma City Philharmonic Orchestra, Helena Symphony, Toledo Symphony Orchestra and the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra.

    The recital is a joint presentation of the SFA College of Fine Arts and School of Music and is 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 visit www.finearts.sfasu.edu or call (936) 468-6407 or (888) 240-ARTS.

    The Stephen F. Austin State University College of Fine Arts and School of Music will present the Swingin’ Axes and Swingin’ Aces jazz bands in a joint concert at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 14, in W.M. Turner Auditorium on the SFA campus.

    Under the direction of Deb Scott, SFA associate professor of trombone, the Swingin’ Aces will open the concert with a varied program that includes jazz, blues and Latin tunes.

    In particular, the group will perform Stan Kenton’s “The Peanut Vendor,” a traditional jazz piece featuring Richwood sophomore Frank Luera on trombone; and “Among the Pyramids,” a “terrific and unique Latin chart,” according to Scott.

    Also included on the program is Sammy Nestico’s arrangement of “I’m Beginning to See the Light” by Rory Bourke, which will feature Nacogdoches sophomore Jacob Barnhill on alto saxophone and Keller senior Matt Thomas on guitar.

    The Swingin’ Aces’ rendition of John LaBarbera’s “Basie’s Buddy B” will feature Baytown freshman Jeshua Watts on bass, Granbury junior Laura Wright on vibraphone and various soloists improvising the blues.

    For its portion of the concert, the Swingin’ Axes will present “an exciting program of jazz compositions and arrangements by several of today’s most respected jazz musicians,” said SFA Associate Professor Gary Wurtz, the group’s director.

    The program includes a “killer arrangement of the jazz standard ‘After You’ve Gone’ by Bill Holman as well as the classic arrangement of ‘Over the Rainbow’ for Stan Kenton by Bill Russo, which will spotlight Katy senior Webb Gardner on trombone,” Wurtz continued.

    Contemporary tunes “Persevere” and “The Path Well Chosen” will showcase the improvisation talents of Humble sernior Darron Carrington and Brownsville graduate student Robert Palermo on saxophones.

    “The rumba-flamenco style of Michael Mossman’s ‘Spanish Fires’ will thrill the audience right from its opening trumpet flare,” Wurtz said.

    W.M. Turner Auditorium is located in the Griffith Fine Arts Building, 2222 Alumni Drive.

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