Everything Nac

The Wind Ensemble at Stephen F. Austin State University will present the program “American Steampunk” in its first concert of the 2022-23 season. Featuring music by American composers, the concert is at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 11, in Cole Concert Hall, Wright Music Building, on the SFA campus.

The four-movement work “Steampunk Suite” by Wisconsin composer Erika Svanoe is a program highlight, according to Dr. Tamey Anglley, director of bands at SFA and director of the Wind Ensemble.

Written in 2017, Svanoe writes about the piece: “‘Steampunk Suite’ attempts to depict various scenes that take place in a fictional alternate history that features notable people alive in the Victorian era, including Charles Ives, Marie Curie, H.G. Wells, Jules Verne, P.T. Barnum and Nikola Tesla.”

The concert will open with “Canzona,” Peter Mennin’s only wind band composition, which has “remained a staple in our repertoire,” Anglley said. “‘Canzona’ was one of the many important commissions by Edwin Franko Goldman through the League of Composers and was composed and performed in 1951.”

The Wind Ensemble will also perform the SFA premiere of “Keepers of the House” by Nashville-based composer Conni Ellisor. “Keepers of the House” began as an idea in the fall of 2019 and was realized two years later following a pandemic that halted large ensemble music making. Ellisor’s two-movement work was inspired by Suzanne Simard’s book, “The Mother Tree.”

The final concert piece will be Donald Grantham’s “J’ai été au bal,” which translates to “I went to the dance.” Written in 1999, Grantham celebrates some of the popular/folk music styles of Louisiana, in particular Cajun music and the brass band tradition of New Orleans.

Tickets are $8 for adults, $6 for seniors and $3 for students and youth. To purchase tickets, call the SFA Fine Arts Box Office at (936) 468-6407 or visit finearts.sfasu.edu. For additional information, contact the SFA School of Music at (936) 468-4602.

Stephen F. Austin State University is celebrating White Cane Safety Day and the 50th anniversary of its orientation and mobility certification preparation program with an Oct. 17 rally and march.

Festivities begin at 1 p.m. at the Baker Pattillo Student Center with a blindfold obstacle course arranged by SFA’s Braille and Cane Club. The march starts at 2 p.m. and will culminate at the Janice A. Pattillo Early Childhood Research Center with an address from Dr. Lorenzo Smith, SFA provost and executive vice president for academic affairs, and a reception with cake and ice cream.

Beverly Jackson, clinical instructor in the Department of Education Studies, is spearheading the anniversary event.

“As a 1999 alumna of the program, I am honored to educate and support students working toward expanding their knowledge and expertise in the field of visual impairments,” Jackson said. “I am thrilled to be hosting the 50th anniversary of orientation and mobility and celebrating the independence of those who are blind and visually impaired.”

SFA began the orientation and mobility program in fall 1972 with support and guidance from the Texas State Commission for the Blind, which provided grant funding. Bob Bryant and Bill Bryan administered the program, affectionately known as the “Bill and Bob program,” for the next 33 years until the two retired.

The program is housed in the James I. Perkins College of Education’s Department of Education Studies.

Currently, SFA has the only undergraduate orientation and mobility program in the nation with 19 undergraduates enrolled. The university also has 14 graduate students seeking certification through the Academy for Certification of Vision Rehabilitation and Education Professionals.

SFA also has a visual impairment preparation program that includes training and coursework for graduate students with teaching certificates to become certified teachers of students with visual impairments. Sixty-two students are currently enrolled.

This event is free and open to the public. For more information on the event or the orientation and mobility program, call (936) 468-1145 or email omvi@sfasu.edu.

Stephen F. Austin State University’s Police Department will host a National Night Out celebration from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 4, at the turnaround in Parking Lot 3, located in front of the Lehmann Chemistry Building and Kennedy Auditorium on SFA’s campus.

Begun in 1984, National Night Out is an annual community-building campaign that promotes partnerships between police departments and community members in an effort to build neighborhood camaraderie. Most events take place on the first Tuesday of July, while Texas and other select areas opt to celebrate on the first Tuesday in October.

“In recent years, there has been a rise in distrust toward law enforcement,” said Ian McDonald, SFA patrol corporal and community relations officer. “UPD strives to build a strong bond with the SFA community, including students, staff and faculty, as well as residents of Nacogdoches. Events like this help promote the idea that we really are here to help and care about the holistic well-being of all our community members.”

The event is free and open to the public. Hot dogs, chips, sweets and drinks will be served; an inflatable bounce house will be on-site; and games, such as corn hole and washers, will be available.

For more information, contact UPD at (936) 468-2608 or updemail@sfasu.edu.