Everything Nac

Stephen F. Austin State University voice students will present a program of musical theatre and opera scenes in a performance at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 16, in Cole Concert Hall on the SFA campus.

The “Fall Scenes Program” will feature students enrolled in the Opera Workshop class taught by Dr. Deborah Dalton, associate professor of voice and director of opera, and Dr. Gene H. Moon, director of orchestras and musical director of opera.

“Our Opera Workshop class continues to grow,” Dalton said. “There are 27 students enrolled this semester. There are 11 scenes on the program in order to accommodate everyone. Once again, I have assigned musical theatre scenes to the younger students while the more experienced singers have opera scenes, many in the original language.”

The program includes selections from “West Side Story,” “Wonderful Town,” “Into the Woods,” “Street Scene,” and “Candide.” The opera scenes are from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s “Don Giovanni” and “Le nozze di Figaro,” Gioachino Rossini’s “Il barbieri di Siviglia,” Gian Carlo Menotti’s “The Old Maid and the Thief” and Mark Adamo’s “Little Women.”

“I enjoy the fall opera scenes because of the variety of selections and the challenges of using ‘found’ elements as the set,” Dalton said. “The singers and the audience add so much to the experience by using their imaginations.”

Moon will provide piano accompaniment along with senior Parker Dickenson of Gary and freshman Rachel Clark of Lumberton. Evelyn Shaffer, choral conducting graduate student from Houston, will conduct the Menotti work.

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

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.

Two teams from Stephen F. Austin State University’s Army ROTC program had impressive showings during the annual Ranger Challenge competition held during October in Fort Hood.

The regional competition pitted members from 13 Army ROTC programs in events aimed at testing their endurance and skill levels in varied activities. Cadets showcased their talents in an Army physical fitness text, a communications lane, weapons disassembly and reassembly, 10-mile march and other activities.

Ranger Challenge Team 1, led by Cadet Nick Walker, placed second overall in the competition. Team 2, led by Cadet Dustin Burnett, placed first in the communications lane and finished seventh overall in the competition.

“The ROTC program has gained a full head of steam during past years with the continual motivation to be the best leaders on campus,” Walker said. “The addition of incredible cadre members who help cadets in every imaginable way has developed a culture of discipline and fitness that is hard to beat.”

SFA’s cadets trained six days a week for eight weeks to prepare for the competition. According to Walker, the teams’ fitness levels had to be assessed before they could begin their training schedule.

“We had to assess where we needed to improve the most before we started our workouts,” Walker said. “After our assessment, we figured most of our training time should be spent on physical toughening and aerobic conditioning.”

According to SFA senior military instructor Raul Cantu, the teams’ training focused on cardiovascular conditioning and strength training with additional practice on specific tasks in which the teams would compete.

Lt. Col. Paul Pfeiffer, chair of the SFA Department of Military Science, said he expects SFA’s program to be very competitive again at next year’s competition.

“The depth of our teams is encouraging,” Pfeiffer said. “This year, we fielded two teams that both did well. It takes time to build success, and we are getting there.”

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

Stephen F. Austin State University students in the Rusche College of Business have another avenue to engage in experiential learning.

In order to further its efforts in creating a corporate-like atmosphere, the Rusche College of Business renovated a boardroom in the McGee Business Building, Room 443, to provide students a meeting area typical of those used in the business industry.

“This new boardroom takes experiential learning to a new level in the Rusche College of Business,” said Dr. Tim Bisping, dean of the Rusche College of Business. “While it is a boardroom, it also is a classroom. Here, students become familiar with working in a boardroom and have the opportunity to make presentations to professionals in a corporate setting.”

Students in upper-level business courses and in the Master of Business Administration program utilize the room. The room also functions as a meeting space for the college’s Executive Advisory Board.

The boardroom includes a large conference table with 20 chairs, a 12-foot credenza, upgraded technology, built-in speakers, a projector and powered screen. Additional upgrades include new paint and lighting as well as a shadowbox display dedicated to Nelson Rusche, the college’s namesake.

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

The Orchestra of the Pines at Stephen F. Austin State University will present “Charismatic Capriccios and Dynamic Duos” at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 14, in Cole Concert Hall on the SFA campus.

The program includes two popular works, “Capriccio Italien” by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and “Capriccio Espangol” by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. Both written by Russian composers, the works were inspired by their visits to surrounding European countries, according to Dr. Gene H. Moon, director of orchestras in the SFA School of Music.

“Both works are virtuosic in nature and showcase soloists throughout the entire orchestra,” Moon said. “I’m excited to see these two works programmed in the same evening.”

To show off SFA’s string students’ talent, the string sections will perform without winds, brass and percussion in the beautiful elegiac “Serenade for Strings” by Edward Elgar.

“The Elgar serenade is one of several major string serenades in the oeuvre,” Moon said. “The work is songful and captivating with sonorous melodies and rich harmonies.”

The concert’s guest soloists are clarinetists Gary Jones and Cesar Montelongo, who will perform a dynamic classical concerto for two clarinets and orchestra, Moon said.

“These two really put on a show when they share the stage,” he said. “I can still see their performance during our concerto competition last April and remember the dynamic energy these two shared in this work. Both Gary and Cesar have been pivotal members of the orchestra program at SFA, and I am so happy to have them share the stage as our guest soloists!”

A native of New Orleans, Louisiana, Jones is earning a master’s degree in wind conducting and an artist diploma in clarinet performance at SFA. He earned a Bachelor of Music Education degree with a focus on multi-woodwind pedagogy and a minor in piano from SFA.

Jones is active both as a conductor and recitalist. He has performed throughout the United States, notably in New York and Oregon. Currently, he performs with the SFA Wind Ensemble and holds the principal clarinet position in the Orchestra of the Pines. He has also presented master classes and has been an adjudicator throughout Texas and Louisiana. In addition to playing the clarinet, Jones maintains a private teaching studio. He serves as the graduate teaching assistant for The Lumberjack Marching Band, conducts the Roarin’ Buzzsaws Basketball Band, and serves as the director of music at Johnson Chapel CME Church in Nacogdoches.

A senior music education major, Montelongo is a native of Dallas working toward earning a Bachelor of Music Education degree. Prior to beginning his studies at SFA, he held the principal clarinet chair for the Arlington Youth Symphony’s inaugural year and was an active member in the Mansfield Wind Symphony.

Montelongo has performed in New York, as well as throughout Texas. He is the current principal clarinetist in the SFA Wind Ensemble and is a member of the Orchestra of the Pines. Aside from performing with concert ensembles, Montelongo is also the current drum major of The Lumberjack Marching Band.

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 Argentinian trombone quartet Viento Sur will perform at 4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 12, in Cole Concert Hall on the campus of Stephen F. Austin State University in conjunction with Brass Day at SFA.

“Viento Sur is a trombone quartet known worldwide for their beautiful ensemble playing and distinct sound when playing arrangements of authentic Argentine tangos,” said Dr. Deb Scott, professor of trombone in the SFA School of Music. “SFA is included on their current North American tour.”

The members of Viento Sur, which include Pablo Fenoglio, Carlos Ovejero, Enrique Schneebeli, and Jorge Urani on bass trombone, will also spend two days working with SFA trombone students, teaching them and listening to them perform in master class settings.

The most well-known composers on the concert program are Astor Piazzolla of Argentina and Corrado Maria Saglietti of Italy. The ensemble will perform Saglietti’s “Piccola Suite” and Piazzolla’s “Contrabajeando” and “La Muerte del Angel.”

“Much of the program will be devoted to performing tangos,” Scott said.

Brass Day at SFA is an 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.

Master classes for 1A through 4A schools will be at 1 p.m., and master classes for 5A and 6A schools will be at 2 p.m. The master classes are free of charge. For more information, visit www.SFAtrombones.com.

Tickets for the concert 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.

Armed with colorful construction paper, scissors, glue and a creative vision, Stephen F. Austin State University students transformed bulletin boards into motivational messages at both Boys and Girls Clubs in Nacogdoches and Lufkin.

For the second year, Dr. Rachel Jumper, assistant professor in SFA’s School of Human Sciences, partnered with community organizations to build an interactive service project for students in her family, school and community relations course. This year, the project expanded to include the Boys and Girls Club of Lufkin.

“After seeing the boards last year, the director in Lufkin asked if we could come there this year, as well,” Jumper said. “The kids at the club responded well to having the boards updated. The project helped the club look refreshed and was well received by the SFA students in my course. Because of the positive response, expansion was beneficial for everyone.”

The project involved 60 SFA students who constructed bulletin boards with various themes and messages that included an “Incredibles” board with the statement, “Our students of the month are incredible.” Another board featured a travel theme. Anna Murray, a junior from Jacksonville, helped build a basketball-themed board.

“By doing this project, I learned that even the smallest things on the wall — whether it be in the classroom, hall or gym — make a learning environment just a little more inviting and fun,” Murray said. “I am thankful for the teachers who go out of their way and put their time, effort and money into bulletin boards.”

Jumper explained the purpose of the project is to involve students in a community-outreach project.

“All the students in the course want to be teachers or work with families. This is a great course that shows the intersections of nonprofits, public and private schools, and individual families,” Jumper said.

The project also allows students to be a part of the community and practice a skill they will use in their future classrooms, Jumper added.

Brooke Kaczynski, a sophomore from Houston, said the impact changing a learning environment could have on children opened her eyes.

“This project taught me to never underestimate how much of an impact a small change can make. When we went to install our board, I really didn’t think the kids would notice. I was wrong,” Kaczynski said. “The kids were asking us lots of questions and wanted to help us put it up. Seeing their faces when it was finished was my favorite part of this project — it made all the work we put into the board worthwhile.”

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