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The Wind Symphony and the Symphonic Band at Stephen F. Austin State University will celebrate Christmas traditions from both at home and abroad when the bands perform at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 14, in W.M. Turner Auditorium on the SFA campus.

Under the direction of Chris Kaatz, assistant director of bands, the Symphonic Band opens the concert with John Philip Sousa’s “Hands Across the Sea.” The piece was likely inspired by a quote Sousa read during the time of the Spanish-American War, which said, “A sudden thought strikes me – let us sear an eternal friendship.”

“The work was written as a token of friendship to America’s early 20th century allies, and it was so well received at its premiere that the audience called for two encores,” Kaatz said.

Graduate student Gary Jones will conduct the second work, “The Sussex Mummers’ Christmas Carol,” which was written by Australian-American composer Percy Grainger. An avid collector of British folk music, Grainger originally set this traditional British carol for piano in 1905 and began sketches of an arrangement for band that remained unfinished upon his death, Kaatz explained. Famed 20th century bandleader Richard Franko Goldman completed Grainger’s band arrangement for a performance by the renowned Goldman Band in 1965.

The Symphonic Band will close its portion of the concert with Ron Nelson’s “Courtly Airs and Dances.” This composition is a setting of five Renaissance dances from five different European countries, according to Kaatz.

“Nelson melds charming Renaissance counterpoint with the rich trends in orchestration of the mid-20th century,” Kaatz said. “This work is a celebratory festival that merges musical trends across both time and continents, providing a pleasant close to the concert’s first half.”

Directed by Dr. Tamey Anglley, associate director of bands at SFA, the Wind Symphony will open the second half of the concert with “Festive Overture” by Dmitri Shostakovich and transcribed for band by Donald Hunsberger. Shostakovich wrote “Festive Overture” in 1954 on a commission for the Bolshoi Theatre’s celebration of the 37th anniversary of the October Revolution (in 1917). Shostakovich completed the piece in less than a week, Anglley said.

“It opens with an exuberant, rising fanfare, which transitions to a spritely, lyrical main theme at a breakneck tempo,” she said. “The overture speeds past, with a brief return to the fanfare figure before an energetic coda.”

The Wind Symphony will also perform “Russian Christmas Music” by Alfred Reed. Originally written in November 1944, the piece was first performed in December of that year at a special concert in Denver, Colorado, by a select group of musicians from five of the leading service bands stationed in that area, according to Anglley.

“An ancient Russian Christmas carol – “Carol of the Little Russian Children” – together with a good deal of original material and some motivic elements derived from the liturgical music of the Eastern Orthodox Church, forms the basis for this musical impression of Old Russia during the jubilant Christmas season,” Anglley said.

Wind Symphony will conclude the concert with Leroy Anderson’s famous Christmas tune, “Sleigh Ride.” In 2010, the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers named “Sleigh Ride” the most popular piece of Christmas music in the USA based on performance data from 2,500 radio stations nationwide.

Composed in 1948 and with lyrics by Mitchell Parish added in 1950, there is no mention of any specific holiday. Leroy Anderson had intended it to be a musical vignette of an old-fashioned winter’s day, Anglley explained.

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 Stephen F. Austin State University Photo Club will host its first juried show of student work, the Pineywoods Photography Exhibition, Nov. 14 through Dec. 12 in Griffith Gallery on the SFA campus.

Juror Priya Kambli selected work for the exhibit from more than 75 submissions sent in by students from across the SFA campus. Three awards will be announced during the opening reception, which is scheduled for 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 14, in the gallery.

Kambli is a photographer and artist whose work has been shown nationally and internationally. Her work is featured in the exhibition “Priya Kambli: Color Falls Down,” which shows in Griffith Gallery through Nov. 8.

Born in India, Kambli emigrated to the U.S. at the age of 18 and often makes work informed by that experience. She completed her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at the University of Louisiana in Lafayette and received a masters degree in photography from the University of Houston. She is currently professor of art at Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri. In 2008, PhotoLucida awarded her a book publication prize for her project “Color Falls Down,” published in 2010.

Griffith Gallery is located in the Griffith Fine Arts Building, 2222 Alumni Drive.

The SFA Photo Club is a student organization open to all students interested in photography. Group members plan events and activities throughout the year, including workshops, field trips and exhibits. For more information, follow them on Instagram at @sfasuphotoclub or email sfaphotoclub@gmail.com.

Future college students will have the opportunity to experience a taste of campus life during a free, action-packed open house Saturday, Nov. 10, at Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches.

Prospective students can visit with university faculty and staff, tour the campus and residence halls, and preview academic programs during the SFA Showcase Saturday event.

“A Showcase Saturday is the perfect way to visit the beautiful SFA campus and experience firsthand what it’s like to be a Lumberjack,” said Erma Nieto Brecht, SFA executive director of enrollment management. “Guests will have the opportunity to visit with faculty members to learn more about our quality academic programs, and staff members will be available to answer questions about everything from admission requirements to financial aid to residence life.”

SFA is a comprehensive, residential university located in the heart of Texas Forest Country. Approximately 13,100 students attend SFA, which is within a few hours’ drive of Texas’ major metropolitan areas.

Showcase Saturday event check-in will begin at 11 a.m. on the first floor of the Baker Pattillo Student Center. The opening programs begin at 1 p.m. and will provide an overview of the day’s events.

Guests will then be able to visit with representatives from academic departments until 4 p.m. during the Academic Fair in the Student Recreation Center. A Student Services Fair will be held from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. on the first floor of the student center.

Campus and residence hall tours will begin at 1:30 p.m. and continue until 5 p.m. Campus tours will take students on a guided walk of the SFA campus while the self-guided residence hall tours will showcase several halls on both the north and south ends of campus.

Admissions counselors will be available to discuss admission procedures and requirements from 1:30 to 5 p.m. in the Rusk Building, Room 206, and during several freshman and transfer admissions sessions held throughout the day.

Several informational breakout sessions will take place simultaneously at 2, 3, and 4 p.m., including Residence Life sessions, financial aid sessions and freshman admissions sessions. Additional breakout sessions will take place on transfer admissions, orientation and VA/Hazlewood Act benefits.

In addition to receiving a high-energy Lumberjack experience, participating prospective students will receive a free SFA T-shirt after completing an evaluation form.

For more information about SFA’s Showcase Saturday, contact the SFA Office of Admissions at (936) 468-2504, or email admissions@sfasu.edu.

“Yes, We Deliver,” a play written by Dr. Ken Untiedt, Stephen F. Austin State University professor of English, will premiere in November at the Lamp-Lite Theatre.

The play tells the story of a wealthy young man who doesn’t want to be part of his family’s “shady business.” Instead, he becomes a pizza deliverer and encounters a variety of different people while trying to figure out his place in life.

Untiedt relied on his personal experience as a pizza deliverer to write the characters and script.

“I met a lot of different people during that job, and many of them are represented in the play,” Untiedt said.

“Yes, We Deliver” is Untiedt’s first play. He had the idea for years and would jot down snippets of scenes on paper when an idea struck him. Over the 2017 Christmas break, he finally decided to sit down and tie the scenes into a cohesive story. The process was a new one for Untiedt.

“Playwriting is different from poetry or fiction,” he explained. “It’s an interesting challenge.”

Part of Untiedt’s process was imagining how an audience would react to certain lines or characters. He thought through each detail to make sure it would draw out the reaction he wanted.

“Live theatre is dynamic and interactive,” Untiedt said, “which is different from writing a book and never seeing the audience’s reaction.”

Untiedt has been involved with the Lamp-Lite Theatre for many years. He has portrayed roles in a variety of plays at the theater and currently serves as a vice president on the Board of Directors.

“The Lamp-Lite is a phenomenal theater. It’s all volunteer, but they create amazing productions,” Untiedt said.

Though he was nervous about handing off his work, Untiedt delivered a copy to Sarah McMullan, founder and managing/artistic director of the Lamp-Lite Theatre.

“Sarah is a trusted friend, and I was so thrilled when she told me Lamp-Lite had to do my play,” he said.

Untiedt has chosen to be hands-off for the production aside from playing one minor role. It is yet another challenge he is facing in the world of playwriting.

“The director has done a great job, and the cast isn’t quite what I imagined — they’re better,” Untiedt said. “But it is still difficult to hand off a project that is so close to my heart.”

The play will show at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 9 and 10 and 2 p.m. Nov. 11. Tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for seniors and $8 for students with a valid ID. The Lamp-Lite Theatre is located at Loop 224 and Old Tyler Road.

For more information, contact the theater at lamplitetheatre@yandex.com or (936) 564-8300.

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