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Dr. J.D. Salas, associate professor of tuba and euphonium at Stephen F. Austin State University, will present the program “Reflections” in a recital at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 28, in Cole Concert Hall on the SFA campus.

“I chose the title ‘Reflections’ because almost every piece on the program is depicting a scene or character,” Salas said. The recital is presented in collaboration with Dr. James Pitts, piano.

“Reflections” is part of the SFA School of Music’s annual Octubafest. Throughout the country, tuba-euphonium studios at many universities perform concerts to celebrate the tuba and euphonium as a solo and chamber music instrument. This is the 16th year for Octubafest at SFA.

Among the program works is “Un Dia En La Vida” composed by Jose Flores as part of a consortium commission during the COVID-19 pandemic. Flores composed the work for tuba and pre-recorded track to describe what daily life was like for his family during quarantine, Salas explained. The recorded track includes voices and sounds provided by Flores’ family, including whistling of uncles and the family pets walking around.

“Salve Venere, Salve Marte” by John Stevens is an unaccompanied work for tuba describing a conversation between Mars, the God of War, and Venus, the Goddess of Love. “The challenge for the soloist,” according to Salas, “is to quickly adjust when changing characters from one to the other.”

Michael Daugherty’s “Reflections on The Mississippi” was written in memory of the composer’s father and recalls their many trips together on the Mississippi River. The four-movement work illustrates different aspects of life along the Mississippi: “Mist” for the morning fog; “Fury” for the rolling rapids; “Prayer” for the calmest parts of the river; and “Steamboat” for the industrial history of the mighty Mississippi.

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’s SFA Gardens will host the monthly Theresa and Les Reeves Lecture Series at 7 p.m. Nov. 11 in the Brundrett Conservation Education Building at the Pineywoods Native Plant Center.

Carol Reese, a nationally known speaker and retired horticulture specialist with the University of Tennessee’s West Tennessee Research and Education Center, will present “Native Plants: Facts and Fallacies.”

Reese received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in horticulture from Mississippi State University. While there, she taught classes in plant materials and co-taught landscape design for nonmajors. She has written numerous articles for garden magazines, as Q&A columnist for Horticulture Magazine, and wrote a weekly gardening and nature column for the Jackson Sun for two decades.

Reese attributes her love of horticulture to being raised on a farm by generations of plant enthusiasts, including a grandfather who dynamited his garden spot each spring to “break up his hardpan.” She says her personal appreciation of natural lore is at least partially a result of her near-daily treks through the wild areas near her Tennessee home with her motley collection of dogs.

The Theresa and Les Reeves Lecture Series is held the second Thursday of each month and includes a rare plant raffle after the program. The lecture is free and open to the public, but donations to the Theresa and Les Reeves Lecture Series fund are always appreciated.

Parking is available at the PNPC and Raguet Elementary School, located at 2428 Raguet St.

For more information, visit sfasu.edu/sfagardens, call (936) 468-4129, or email sfagardens@sfasu.edu.

The Symphony Orchestra at Stephen F. Austin State University will present Sergei Prokofiev’s “Romeo and Juliet” when the student ensemble performs at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 26, in Cole Concert Hall on the SFA campus.

“The Prokofiev is a huge work and exciting for the orchestra and the audience,” said Dr. Gregory Grabowski, director of orchestral activities at SFA and the Symphony Orchestra’s conductor. “Prokofiev’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’ is a hugely popular piece, especially the opening Montagues and Capulets movement, which was even performed by bands like Emerson, Lake and Palmer.”

Prokofiev composed the score for Romeo and Juliet in 1935 for the Leningrad Theatre of Opera and Ballet, but the music became known through concert performances of suites the composer arranged before the first staging of the ballet in Russia.

The Symphony Orchestra will also perform Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Horn Concerto No. 3, which will feature new SFA music faculty member Dr. Andrea Denis on French horn.

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. The concert will be rebroadcast on the SFA Symphony Orchestra YouTube channel on Wednesday, Nov. 3.

Stephen F. Austin State University’s Police Department received a $38,849 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services to create a citizen’s police academy.

The UPD will utilize the funds to enhance the community policing philosophy and provide the SFA campus and surrounding communities with the tools to help make the campus safer for everyone.

“The purpose of the academy is to provide insight into the responsibilities of a university police department and the measures it takes to help prevent, deter and respond to criminal and non-criminal activities,” said John Fields, chief of SFA’s UPD. “The program is designed to enhance communication and create long-term, meaningful partnerships with students, staff, faculty and supporters of the institution.”

Training sessions will be provided by guest speakers, including personnel from local law enforcement, the fire department and emergency medical services. UPD patrol officers and criminal investigators also will host sessions. The sessions will include information regarding topics such as alcohol and drug awareness, self-defense tactics, gun safety, fire and medical safety and more.

Hands-on training will be provided to allow participants to investigate a mock crime scene, collect evidence, conduct a traffic stop, take part in a shoot/don’t shoot scenario, and other interactive training sessions. These mock scenarios will help participants put themselves in the officer’s shoes and see things from a different viewpoint.

Open two-way discussions will not only provide a forum for participants to express their thoughts but also give officers an opportunity to explain and discuss the situations.

“Transparency and communication are key when it comes to building a working partnership with the citizens police officers serve,” said Whitney Mask, UPD officer and academy organizer. “Police work is never a routine job, and it can call for split-second decision making. When you open a two-way line of communication and citizens have an opportunity to experience a portion of policing, it can provide great insight into what law enforcement truly entails.”

Each academy will take place one day a week for eight weeks. The first academy is slated to start in mid-to-late January, and others will be offered throughout each semester. At the conclusion of the academy, an awards ceremony will be held to celebrate participants.

More information about the academy is available at sfasu.edu/upd or by calling (936) 468-2608.

By Nathan Wicker, senior marketing communications specialist at Stephen F. Austin State University