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The Stephen F. Austin State University Symphonic Band and Wind Symphony will present their first concert of the semester at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 7, in W.M. Turner Auditorium on the SFA campus.

The concert, entitled “Earth Dreams,” will feature the works of American composers, including Timothy Mahr, Timothy Broege, John Mackey and Frank Ticheli.

The Symphonic Band, directed by Dr. Tamey Anglley, assistant director of bands at SFA, will open the concert with Mahr’s “Daydream.” The composer intended it to be a musical daydream, with introspective sound eliciting mood changes and shifting images, Anglley explained. Mahr wrote about the piece: “I hope to conjure up in the listener the sense one perceives when he or she ‘pulls out’ of a daydream, returning to reality after a transient mental trip to places of flight and fancy.”

The program also includes Broege’s “Dreams and Fancies,” which is a four-movement work that alternates between slow and fast tempi. The Symphonic Band will close its half of the concert with “Waves March” by Henry Fillmore. Over the span of his 50-year career, Fillmore wrote more than 250 original compositions, including 113 marches.

The Wind Symphony, under the direction of Dr. David Campo, associate director of bands, will open its half of the concert with the John Bourgeois edition of Pieter Leemans’ “March of Belgian Parachutists.” Leemans served in the Belgian army during World War I and was asked by his regimental commander to write a march. He began the march, but did not finish before the end of the war. Later, near the end of World War II, he was asked by a group of Belgian paratroopers to compose a march, and remembering his earlier theme, he completed this popular march, which has enjoyed great success and is Leemans’ best known work, Campo explained.

The Wind Symphony will also perform Mackey’s “Sheltering Sky,” which was intended by the composer to exude a folksong-like character, and Ticheli’s “Gaian Visions,” which was commissioned by the Gamma Phi chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi in honor of Dr. Donald E. Bowen, SFA’s fifth president.

Of the piece, Ticheli wrote: “The title of the work refers to Gaia, the Earth goddess of ancient Greece, and to British scientist James Lovelock’s Gaia hypothesis, which holds that the Earth is a living, self-regulating organism that is capable of annihilating anything it perceives to be a threat, including the environmentally destructive human race itself.”

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 (888) 240-ARTS or visit www.finearts.sfasu.edu.

The Children’s Performing Arts Series at Stephen F. Austin State University will present two performances of “Seussical” on Friday, Feb. 10, in W.M. Turner Auditorium on the SFA campus.

Presented by Theatreworks USA, the play is based on several Dr. Seuss stories, including “Horton Hears a Who,” “Horton Hatches the Egg” and “Gertrude McFuzz.”

“The Cat in the Hat is host as Dr. Seuss’s beloved characters find themselves intertwined in an incredible crazy-quilt adventure in which the power of imagination saves the day,” said Diane Peterson, Fine Arts Box Office manager and director of the series.

The play is adapted especially for young audiences from the Broadway version of “Seussical.” It is recommended for children in kindergarten through fifth grade.

Written by Broadway veterans Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, the production features 10 actors and enhanced production values, and it is Theatreworks’ biggest show ever, Peterson said.

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.

“Teachers may want to utilize Theatreworks’ study guide to help make students’ theater experience with ‘Seussical’ as meaningful as possible,” Peterson said.

Performances are at 9:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Tickets are $7.50 for individuals and $6 per person for groups of 20 or more.

Other upcoming CPAS performances include “The Little Mermaid” on Tuesday, March 7; and Super Scientific Circus on Thursday, May 11.

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

Tickets are still available for the much-anticipated performance of the Olga Vocal Ensemble at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 2, in W.M. Turner Auditorium on the campus of Stephen F. Austin State University. The concert is part of the SFA College of Fine Arts’ University Series.

Hailing from the Netherlands with members also from Iceland and Russia, Olga is known for its unique programs, in which moving classical music comes together with popular songs, according to Scott Shattuck, associate dean of the College of Fine Arts and director of the University Series.

“Our upcoming concert features a super-charming quintet of European guys singing up an a cappella storm,” Shattuck said. “They’re best known for their classical repertoire as well as Icelandic, Ukranian and American folk tunes, but they’ve also been known to perform a variety of pop songs, from Bruno Mars and Alicia Keys to the doo-wop hits of the 1950s.”

Prior to the performance, Dr. Tim King, director of choral activities at SFA, will present an informative talk about Olga’s music style at 7 p.m. in Griffith Gallery. The gallery is located across the hall from Turner Auditorium in the Griffith Fine Arts Building, 2222 Alumni Drive. The audience is invited back to the gallery for a post-performance reception to meet the performers and to honor the event’s corporate sponsor, BancorpSouth.

Single event ticket prices are $25 for adults, $20 for seniors and $10 for non-SFA students/youth. Tickets for SFA students are $3. An advertisement for the concert currently running in The Daily Sentinel offers a buy-one, get-one of equal value coupon.

For tickets or 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.

Universities.com, a website specializing in helping students discover the best university for them, has ranked Stephen F. Austin State University’s hospitality administration program as the third best in Texas.

Universities.com editors evaluate colleges and universities by interviewing admission officers, professors and students to learn about the application process, networking opportunities, financial aid, online learning and more.

“It is excellent to be recognized as one of the top programs in the state,” said Dr. Lynda Martin, director of SFA’s School of Human Sciences. “There are several hospitality programs available in Texas, and it is wonderful to see the strength of our faculty members and program being recognized.”

Students enrolled SFA’s program can choose from a variety of focus areas, including lodging, restaurant, meeting planning, travel and tourism, and culinary.

Program coordinator Dr. Chay Runnels said SFA has the only four-year hospitality program offering a culinary focus. With its state-of-the-art indoor and outdoor kitchens and student-run Culinary Café — where students prepare three-course meals and serve guests throughout the semester — SFA’s hospitality administration program engages students in hands-on learning opportunities to help prepare them for their careers.

“We work closely to align our students with industry experiences that will launch them into their careers,” Runnels said. “One of the biggest reasons we stand out is because our faculty members take the time to get to know our students.”

The outdoor kitchen is used to teach students new cooking techniques and is equipped with infrared burner-grills, a convection oven, a pizza oven and an iron-plate burner set.

“Students are able to prepare food items in a different and unique way rather than in the traditional, commercial kitchen,” Martin said. “The outdoor kitchen allows for a broader range of educational experiences.”

SFA’s hospitality administration program is focused on academic attention with industry-trained faculty members. In addition to the set curriculum, students can earn certifications to make them more marketable, including certifications from Texas Friendly, ServeSafe, National Restaurant Association and more.

Outside the classroom, students also have access to domestic and study abroad opportunities, such as working at the Cannes International Film Festival in France and interning with Disney in Florida or California.

Faculty members also maintain partnerships with industry professionals and businesses, including Marriott and Omni, to provide students with job opportunities. Students also can participate in regional, state and national conferences.

For more information, contact SFA’s School of Human Sciences at (936) 468-4502 or visit http://www.sfasu.edu/hms/102.asp.