Everything Nac

Tickets are still available for “An Evening with Branford Marsalis,” which takes place at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 10, in W.M. Turner Auditorium on the campus of Stephen F. Austin State University. The SFA College of Fine Arts presents the Grammy Award-winner and his jazz quartet in an Encore Event sponsored by Elliott Electric Supply. Encore Event tickets are $45 for Section A seating; $36 for Section B seating; and $27 for Section C seating. Discounts are available for seniors, students, children, SFA faculty and staff members and SFA students. For more information, visit finearts.sfasu.edu, stop by the Box Office in Room 211 of the Griffith Fine Arts Building, or call (936) 468-6407 or (888) 240-ARTS. Photo: Eric Ryan Anderson

The Children’s Performing Arts Series at Stephen F. Austin State University will open its 2018-19 season on Wednesday, Oct. 17, with two performances of the Virginia Repertory Theatre’s “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.”

Based on the classic story by Washington Irving, this musical version with book, music and lyrics by Paul Deiss takes audiences to Tarry Town to join Ichabod Crane, Brom Bones, the lovely Katrina Van Tassel and, of course, the Headless Horseman, as they live the story made famous by the legend.

“This autumnal classic is faithful to the original story written in 1819 and will thrill and perhaps chill audiences,” said Diane Peterson, SFA Fine Arts Box Office manager and director of the children’s series. “But we promise it is not too scary for young audiences.”

“The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” targets children in kindergarten through fifth grade. Performances are at 9:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. in W.M. Turner Auditorium, located in the Griffith Fine Arts Building on the SFA campus. Tickets are $7.50 for individuals and $6 per person for groups of 20 or more.

Presented by the SFA College of Fine Arts, the Children’s Performing Arts Series annually features five shows designed to entertain, educate and engage young audiences of all ages, according to Peterson. Study guides provide suggestions for pre- and post-performance activities and discussions for teachers to use in the classroom. A comprehensive study guide for “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” may be accessed at cpas.sfasu.edu.

Other upcoming CPAS performances include “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas” on Tuesday, Nov. 27; “I Have a Dream” on Friday, Feb. 1; “Madeline and the Bad Hat” Wednesday, March 6; and “The Jungle Book” on Thursday, May 16.

To order tickets, call (936) 468-6407 or (888) 240-ARTS. Visit the CPAS website at cpas.sfasu.edu for additional information.

The Wind Symphony and Symphonic Band at Stephen F. Austin State University will present “From Dawn to Dusk,” a program of works that features music by Viet Cuong.

Cuong, a rising composer, will be in residency with the SFA bands in mid-October, just prior to this concert, which is at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 16, in W.M. Turner Auditorium. The program will also showcase Dr. Deb Scott, professor of trombone at SFA, as soloist.

The concert’s first three works draw a connection between the composers who all studied at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia.

The Symphonic Band, under the direction of Assistant Director of Bands Chris Kaatz, will open the concert with Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Jennifer Higdon’s “Rhythm Stand.”

“This work is a tapestry of intriguing rhythmic grooves that incorporate sounds of ‘ordinary objects’ not typically utilized in ensemble performances,” Kaatz explained.

The Symphonic Band will perform Vincent Persichetti’s “Pageant,” which has become a cornerstone in the wind band repertoire. Persichetti made a lasting impression on the wind repertoire through his numerous works for the medium and by encouraging fellow Juilliard faculty members to write for the ensemble through the mid-20th century. “Pageant” opens with a pastoral chorale prelude, which gives way to an exuberant “street parade” featuring bitonality and a host of exciting characters, Kaatz said.

Professional trombonists and a consortium of high schools and middle schools across the United States commissioned Cuong’s “Howls and Hymns,” which features Scott as soloist. She begins with a mysterious c minor “hymn,” which quickly gives way to an aggressive, high-energy section of “howling” between the soloist and ensemble, according to Kaatz.

The Symphonic Band will conclude its performance with a march by Henry Fillmore. Dubbed the “Father of the Trombone Smear,” Fillmore wrote 15 marches highlighting this novel trait of his native instrument.

“‘Lassus Trombone’ is a pseudo encore to our guest soloist and her instrument,” Kaatz said.

The Wind Symphony, under the direction of Associate Director of Bands Dr. Tamey Anglley, will open the second half of the concert with Carolyn Bremer’s “Early Light.” Originally written in 1995 for orchestra, the band version was composed by Bremer in 1999, and it is her best-known composition to date, according to Anglley.

“The material for ‘Early Light’ is largely derived from ‘The Star-Spangled Banner,’ drawing on Bremer’s happy anticipation at hearing the anthem played before baseball games as a child,” Anglley said.

The Wind Symphony will perform Cuong’s new piece “Lasting Light,” a composition commissioned by The Consortium for the Advancement of Wind Band Literature and completed in the summer of 2018.

The ensemble will perform Steven Bryant’s “Dusk,” a piece that “captures the reflective calm of dusk, paradoxically illuminated by the fiery hues of sunset,” the composer writes. “It is intended as a short, passionate evocation of this moment of dramatic stillness.”

The Wind Symphony will conclude the concert with J.C. Heed’s march “In Storm and Sunshine.” Categorized as a “circus march,” the piece alternates between major and minor modes, hence the “storms” and the “sunshine,” 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.

Attorney and ceramicist Chris Balch of Atlanta, Georgia, will visit the Stephen F. Austin State University campus to deliver a lecture on art and the law at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 16, in Room 106 of the Art Building.

“Everything You Didn’t Know You Needed to Ask a Lawyer – for Visual Artists” is free and open to the public.

In more than 25 years of practicing law, Balch has advised cities, counties, large and small companies and individuals in a broad range of legal disputes and questions. His private clients have sent him around the world in defense of claims, and he has tried more than 100 cases to verdict before a jury.

Prior to becoming an attorney, Balch served in the United States Marine Corps, receiving an Honorable Discharge in 1993. He was awarded the Good Conduct Medal and the Navy Achievement Medal in 1989. Upon graduation from Mercer University’s Walter F. George School of Law with honors in 1992, Balch clerked for United States District Judge Duross Fitzpatrick. His duties and responsibilities brought him intimate knowledge and understanding of federal civil rights statutes and their litigation. Assisting with more than 15 jury trials and more than a dozen non-jury trials during his two-year clerkship, Balch said he “learned important lessons for the young lawyer on preparation, integrity and tenacity.”

Balch is married to artist and metalsmith Victoria Lansford, author of the “Metal Techniques of Bronze Age Masters” series of books and videos. They live in Atlanta with their college freshman son, Skyler.

For more information about the lecture, call the School of Art office at (936) 468-4804. The Art Building is located off Wilson Drive.

As a marketing coordinator and camp counselor for middle school girls, Maxine McFadden knew uprooting her life to pursue a degree wasn’t an option. However, thanks to a new online degree program at Stephen F. Austin State University, she can now work toward her educational goals.

Recently, SFA launched a completely online bachelor’s degree in human sciences with an emphasis in human development and family studies. For McFadden and other nontraditional students this program is a perfect fit.

“Being enrolled in this online program has helped me continue to work full time while providing me with the flexibility of going to school on my time,” McFadden said. “I didn’t have to uproot my family to go to school. I was able to remain in Tyler and continue my everyday life.”

Through this program, students learn to become “caretakers of our society,” said Dr. Rachel Jumper, assistant professor in SFA’s School of Human Sciences. Students learn to understand the growth, change and development of children, adults and the family while integrating a lifespan, multi-contextual and family systems approach.

“The best part is I still get one-on-one help from my professors because of virtual office hours,” McFadden said. “My biggest concern about the online program was that I wasn’t going to be able to get the personal attention I needed. I was very wrong about that.

“I work 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and it is hard to work full time and go to school. The online program has given me freedom to work on school work when it is convenient for me, but it still gives me strict deadlines,” she said.

Along with the new program, SFA has partnered with Tyler Independent School District Head Start to offer a place for SFA students in the Tyler area to conduct observation and volunteer hours, which are requirements of the program.

Upon graduation, students have a variety of career options, including becoming early intervention specialists, lobbyists, directors of child care and senior citizen facilities, Head Start teachers, parent educators, camp directors and more.

“The most valuable lesson I have learned from this program is to not give up. You always have someone in your corner cheering you on and helping you,” McFadden said. “Everyone in the program cares about children and their families and graduating quality people from this program.”

To learn more, visit sfaonline.info/human-development-and-family-studies.

By Kasi Dickerson, senior marketing communications specialist at Stephen F. Austin State University.

Stephen F. Austin State University’s DeWitt School of Nursing is partnering with East Texas Community Health Services to provide free flu vaccinations, blood glucose testing, cholesterol screening and blood pressure readings Oct. 10 through 14 at the Piney Woods Fair.

Students from the fourth semester nursing class will be set up in the Expo Center from 3 to 9 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday; 3 to 10 p.m. Friday; 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday; and noon to 4 p.m. Sunday.

Flu shots will be offered by East Texas Community Health Services as long as supplies last. In the event of a shortage, vouchers will be handed out for free flu shots at the clinic.

“It’s a great opportunity for our nursing students to get a sense of community and community nursing,” said Dr. Della Connor, SFA associate professor of nursing. “They spend quite a bit of time in the hospital and outpatient-type settings during their careers as student nurses, and this helps them experience preventative measures in a non-typical setting.”

Senior nursing student Karli Butler, a team leader for the event, is volunteering at the fair to put to use the skills she has cultivated in the School of Nursing.

“We are excited to serve our community by providing opportunities to give vaccinations and health screenings and educate the public about living healthier lifestyles,” Butler said.

For more information about the School of Nursing, visit sfasu.edu/academics/colleges/sciences-math/nursing.

By Joanna Armstrong, senior marketing communications specialist at Stephen F. Austin State University.

The Department of Mass Communication at Stephen F. Austin State University received notification from Grad School Hub that its online master’s degree has been ranked the most affordable program in the nation.

Grad School Hub compiled the list to provide graduate students and higher education faculty members with information regarding high-quality accredited graduate programs, according to its website. Its mission is to provide people who are interested in attending graduate school with all the resources they need to make a good decision about the type of degree that is right for them and to help them explore the options in that degree program.

Among the 30 programs Grad School Hub evaluated for affordability, SFA outranked other schools, including the University of Alabama and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

“Our online master’s degree meets market demand by allowing students to pursue their degree without having to attend a brick-and-mortar building during a time in their life when that often is not an option,” said Dr. John Hendricks, chair of the Department of Mass Communication at SFA.

According to Hendricks, SFA’s online master’s degree program in mass communication has experienced a 443-percent enrollment increase during the past five years, which speaks to the program’s focus on meeting market demand for journalists and public relations professionals.

“With the rapid changes in technology and our changing world, we are seeing more and more professionals return to college to complete a graduate degree,” Hendricks said. “Our program is taught by faculty members who also have worked in the industry. They understand what’s needed in today’s workforce and are dedicated to ensuring that our program’s graduates receive the education they need to advance in their careers.”

For more information on SFA’s mass communication department, visit www.sfasu.edu/masscomm/.

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