Everything Nac

     Acclaimed musician Tracy Thornton will join the Stephen F. Austin State University’s Steel Band for its annual concert at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 29, in Cole Concert Hall.

     The 10-member ensemble, directed by SFA Associate Professor of Percussion Scott Harris, performs on a full set of steel pans made from 55-gallon oil drums, and a large array of Latin percussion instruments. A four-piece horn section rounds out the band.

Guest musician Tracy Thornton will perform with the SFA Steel Band during the groups annual spring concert at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 29, in Cole Concert Hall on the SFA campus.

     Thornton, who was the tenor pannist for the bands Been Caught Steelin’ and Sons of Steel and serves as the music director of four steel drum bands, will perform both as a solo artist and with the SFA ensemble.

     “The program includes two of Thornton’s own compositions, ‘In the Groove of Things’ and ‘Dain Bramage,'” said Harris. “Both pieces are highly energetic and have a strong rock influence.”

     “We are excited to have Tracy join us for this concert,” Harris continued. “When we heard him at a festival in Waco last year, the whole band was blown away by his energetic playing. He will be spending two days with us, working with the band and giving lectures on the history of steel drums and how to build a career as a solo artist.”

     Pan Island, the Crandall High School steel band directed by SFA alumna Stephanie Shing, will open the concert. The band will return to the stage at the end of the program to join the SFA Steel Band and Thornton in performing the final three pieces, including “Cha-Cha Sandwich” and the popular Limbo dance.

     “This promises to be one of the most exciting and energetic concerts of the season, so bring the whole family!” Harris exclaimed.

     The concert is a joint presentation of the SFA College of Fine Arts and School of Music and is part of the 2010-2011 Cole Performing Arts Series. Tickets are $5 adult, $4 senior and $2 student. For tickets or more information, please go to www.finearts.sfasu.edu or call (936) 468-6407 or (888) 240-ARTS.

     The Original Cast, a musical cabaret troupe from the Stephen F. Austin State University School of Theatre, will present four performances of “Blowin’ in the Wind: Poets of the Folk Song Era” Thursday, March 24, through Saturday, March 26, in the Downstage Theatre of the Griffith Fine Arts Building on the SFA campus.

     The original musical revue by the group’s director, Dr. Alan Nielsen, looks at the history of folk music, beginning with songs by Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger in the 1930s and ‘40s. The majority of the songs included in the revue come from the 1960s and ‘70s.

     The 14-member cast will perform as soloists and in small ensembles in a coffee house type setting, singing songs such as Janice Ian’s “At Seventeen,” Simon and Garfunkle’s “Sounds of Silence,” and Peter, Paul and Mary’s “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?”

     Nielsen’s script weaves the songs together, revealing how folk music, with its emphasis on current affairs such as the Viet Nam War and civil rights, affected pop music and even Broadway productions.

     “It’s a celebration of the song writers as well as an exploration of how little things have changed in the last 50 or 60 years,” Nielsen said. “We still have many of the same problems we had then, but the music today is not addressing them.”

     Because Nielsen will retire at the end of the spring semester, “Blowin’ in the Wind” is the last revue he will write for the troupe he founded when he joined the SFA faculty in 1990.

     For 21 years The Original Cast has presented one or two revues annually, performed for local civic groups, and provided entertainment during community events such as the Nine Flags Festival.

     “This group has meant a lot to me,” Nielsen said. “I appreciate both the opportunity I’ve had to create for the students and the great support we’ve received from the community.”

     “Blowin’ in the Wind” is a co-presentation of the SFA College of Fine Arts and School of Theatre. Performance times are 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 24, and Friday, March 25, and at 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 26.

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