Everything Nac

Dr. Nathan Nabb, professor of saxophone in the School of Music at Stephen F. Austin State University, and SFA collaborative pianist Hyun Ji Oh will present a faculty recital at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 6, in Cole Concert Hall on the SFA campus.

The recital will serve to recognize the birthday of Adolphe Sax, the inventor of the saxophone.

“I don’t often choose a program with a unifying theme in terms of compositional styles,” Nabb said. “I mainly choose music that I am interested in sharing with audiences and students. But, I did choose this date for a reason: Nov. 6 is Adolphe Sax’s birthday. Since he is the inventor of our instrument, saxophonists tend to recognize this date in different ways, and I thought it would be fun to give a recital!”

Among the program selections is Claude Debussy’s “Petite Suite,” a well-known and beloved piece for four-hand piano.

“The version Hyun Ji and I will play is a beautiful arrangement by composer Jun Nagao,” Nabb said. “The ‘Petite Suite’ is a set of four short pieces with all of the wonderful harmonies and beautiful phrasing and interplay one expects from this great composer.”

Jacob ter Veldhuis’ “Garden of Love” for soprano saxophone and soundtrack is based off of a William Blake poem with the same title. Ter Veldhuis, also known as Jacob TV, is a Dutch avant-garde classical composer.

“The work begins with a pre-recorded recitation of the poem,” Nabb said. “Then the speech sounds are manipulated into music that the saxophone interacts with throughout the piece, along with other bird sounds one may hear in nature. The whole work is very exciting, groove oriented and fun for the audience and performer.”

The program also includes William Bolcom’s “Lilith,” which Nabb described as “an evocative work” for alto saxophone and piano. “As the title implies, this piece is inspired by Lilith, a demonic character originating in the Babylonian Talmud and early Jewish mythology,” he said. The movement titles are “The Female Demon,” “Succuba,” “Will o’ the Wisp,” “Child-Stealer” and “Night Dance,” with each exploring all of the traits of this terrifying character.

Concert tickets are $8 for adults, $6 for seniors and $3 for students and youth. For tickets or more information, call the SFA Fine Arts Box Office at (936) 468-6407 or visit www.finearts.sfasu.edu.

The Trombone Choir at Stephen F. Austin State University will perform new works featured at this year’s International Trombone Festival when the student ensemble performs at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 5, in Cole Concert Hall on the SFA campus.

The choir’s director, Dr. Deb Scott, professor of trombone in the SFA School of Music, is also the director of the Composers Workshop for the ITF, putting her in the unique position to hear and help select new works for the trombone choir.”There were eight new works for trombone ensemble, and we will be presenting two of them,” she said.

The choir will perform Alex Buehler’s “Z/28,” which represents sounds and harmonics that occur within an actual 1969 Z/28 Camaro engine. The piece is composed for a 16-part trombone choir. Buehler is currently pursuing a master’s degree in composition at the University of North Texas.

“The Dastardly Master Asteroid Blaster” by Adam Summey was also selected to be performed at the 2019 ITF. Summey is a trombonist studying at Appalachian State University.

“Both pieces use the unique timbre of the trombone to create a lot of energy that is really fun to listen to,” Scott said. “I’m excited to bring these compositions back home.”

More traditional trombone choir pieces will include David Uber’s “Three Miniatures, Op. 29” and a transcription of William Byrd’s “Cantiones Sacre II-Aec Dies” from the 16th century.

Along with the trombone choir, members of the SFA Trombone Quartet will perform a new composition, “Flurry,” by SFA graduate composition student Scott Hansen. Quartet members include Kahlil Wyatt of Duncanville; Sterling Davis of Columbus, Ohio; Levi Grant of Longview; and Joe Segelke of Bridge City.

Concert tickets are $8 for adults, $6 for seniors and $3 for students and youth. For tickets or more information, call the SFA Fine Arts Box Office at (936) 468-6407 or visit www.finearts.sfasu.edu.

Pineywoods Brass Quintet (SFA Faculty Brass Quintet) will perform a concert of original works for brass quintet along with arrangements of jazz standards and tangos as part of the 3rd Annual Brass Day at SFA on Sunday, Nov. 3.

The day’s activities will start with master classes for Texas high school students to study and practice music for the upcoming 2020 All-State Band auditions, according to Dr. J.D. Salas, associate professor of tuba-euphonium at SFA and Brass Day organizer.

“The master class portion of the day will include instruction on both the Texas Music Educators Association All-State Etudes and Association of Texas Small School Bands All-State Etudes to better serve the East Texas area,” Salas said.

Brass Day at SFA is a free, annual outreach event in which high school brass students work with SFA brass faculty to prepare for region and area auditions to qualify for the Texas All-State Bands. There will also be information for prospective music majors about the School of Music and its audition requirements for acceptance. All Brass Day events are located in the Tom and Peggy Wright Music Building, 2210 Alumni Drive.

All-Region clinics for 2A through 4A schools will be at 1 p.m., and clinics for 5A and 6A schools will be at 2 p.m. An information session about SFA is at 3 p.m., followed by the performance by the Pineywoods Brass Quintet at 4 p.m. in Cole Concert Hall.

The Pineywoods Brass Quintet is comprised of members of the brass faculty at SFA and include Dr. Gary Wurtz, director of the School of Music; Dr. Jacob Walburn, assistant professor of trumpet; Dr. Charles Gavin, professor of horn; Dr. Deb Scott, professor of trombone; and Salas. Among the selections on the concert program are “Suite from The Monteregian Hills” by Morley Calvert, “Three Pieces” by Ludwig Maurer and “Autumn Leaves” by Johnny Mercer, arranged by Zack Smith.

For more information about Brass Day, visit https://jdsalas.com.

Tickets for the Pineywoods Brass Quintet concert are $8 for adults, $6 for seniors and $3 for students and youth. Students who pre-register for Brass Day will receive free admission. Registration deadline is Monday, Oct. 28. For concert tickets or more information, call the SFA Fine Arts Box Office at (936) 468-6407 or visit www.finearts.sfasu.edu.

The Stephen F. Austin State University School of Art and the Friends of the Visual Arts will present a free, one-night screening of the documentary “The Book of Life” at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 1, in The Cole Art Center @ The Old Opera House in downtown Nacogdoches.

From producer Guillermo del Toro and director Jorge Gutierrez comes the animated comedy “The Book of Life,” which chronicles the journey of Manolo, a young man who is torn between fulfilling the expectations of his family and following his heart. Before choosing which path to follow, he embarks on an incredible adventure that spans three fantastical worlds where he must face his greatest fears. Rich with a fresh take on pop music favorites, “The Book of Life” encourages us to celebrate the past while looking forward to the future, according to the description at imdb.com.

The film features the voices of Diego Luna, Zoe Saldana, Channing Tatum, Christina Applegate, Ice Cube, Hector Elizondo and other Hollywood A-listers. Nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature Film, “The Book of Life” is rated PG for mild action, rude humor, some thematic elements and brief scary images.

“The Book of Life” screening kicks off Nacogdoches’ Dia de los Muertos Fiesta. The main event is from 4 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 2, in downtown. East Main Street will be closed for the first time for the fiesta, and there will be an additional outdoor performance stage near the Cole Art Center.

This screening is part of the School of Art’s monthly Friday Film Series and is sponsored in part by William Arscott, Nacogdoches Film Festival, Karon Gillespie, Mike Mollot, David Kulhavy, John and Kristen Heath, Galleria Z, Jill Carrington, Jean Stephens, Jim and Mary Neal, Richard Orton and the Nacogdoches Junior Forum.

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

Dr. Ken Untiedt, Stephen F. Austin State University Department of English professor and interim chair, will debut his new play, “What We Need,” in November at the Lamp-Lite Theatre.

According to Untiedt, the play focuses on Alex Jones, an ordinary man who is feeling a bit lost in life when the audience first meets him.

“By chance, Alex forms an unlikely friendship with Walter, a World War II veteran he meets at the grocery store. As he learns more about Walter and the challenges he overcame throughout his life, Alex gains an appreciation for the opportunities before him,” said Untiedt. “Throughout the action, Alex discovers there are many other interesting people all around him, and he finally allows himself the courage get to know them — and to truly know himself in the process.”

“What We Need” is a combination of characters and conversations Untiedt has had through the years, from a conversation with a former military pilot he met in a grocery store to close family members and others. Untiedt incorporated these various scenarios to create the play.

“I wrote lots of notes on slips of paper, then they all come together in several weeks when I sat down to put the scenes together,” Untiedt said.

This is Untiedt’s second play to write and debut at the Lamp-Lite Theatre. He played a minor role in last year’s play, “Yes, We Deliver.” This year, Untiedt has stepped more into the spotlight to play the role of Alex.

The play will run at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 1, 2, 8 and 9, and at 2 p.m. Nov. 3 and 10. A special audience dress rehearsal will be held at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 31. Tickets are $5 for the audience dress rehearsal. Regular admission is $8 for students, $12 for seniors and $15 for adults. The Lamp-Lite Theatre is located at Loop 224 and Old Tyler Road in Nacogdoches.

For more information, visit the theatre’s website at lamplitetheatre.com.

By Emily Brown, marketing communications specialist at Stephen F. Austin State University.