Everything Nac

The Symphony Orchestra at Stephen F. Austin State University will perform works by Ludwig van Beethoven, Felix Mendelssohn and Jean Sibelius when the ensemble performs at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 29, in Cole Concert Hall on the SFA campus.

Conducted by Dr. Gregory Grabowski, director of orchestral activities for the SFA School of Music, the Symphony Orchestra’s centerpiece of the concert will be Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5 “Emperor,” a work Grabowski specifically chose to feature Dr. Andrew Parr, professor of piano at SFA.

“This is Dr. Parr’s last semester at SFA, and I wanted to showcase his amazing talent and give him the sendoff he deserves,” Grabowski said.

The concert will also include Mendelssohn’s “Hebrides Overture,” which Grabowski describes as a travel piece inspired by the composer’s visit to the British Isles.

“The music depicts the beauty, the majesty and the power of Fingal’s Cave in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland,” Grabowski said.

Sibelius’ “Rakastava,” the second piece of the performance, is a three-movement work originally for men’s chorus that the composer later adapted to a string orchestra.

The final piece of the concert, “Emperor” is unlike Beethoven’s (or anyone’s) earlier concertos, Grabowski said. “There is a clear projection of power in the whole piece,” he explained. “While Beethoven was composing for the next generation of virtuoso (the piece is incredibly difficult), it is not an overt display for the soloist (there are no solo cadenzas). Instead, Beethoven created a truly symphonic concerto.”

The concert will be open to a limited in-person audience; it will not be livestreamed. 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 performance will be broadcast at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 5, on the SFA Symphony Orchestra YouTube page.

The Stephen F. Austin State University School of Music will present its Concert in the Park at 2 p.m. Sunday, April 25, in the wooded area between Wright Music Building and the Baker Pattillo Student Center on campus.

The outdoor concert, featuring all SFA wind bands, is a community favorite but was canceled last year because of COVID-19.

Featured bands include the Wind Ensemble, directed by Dr. David Campo, director of bands at SFA; the Wind Symphony, directed by Dr. Tamey Anglley, associate director of bands and director of the Lumberjack Marching Band; Symphonic Band, directed by Dr. Chris Kaatz, assistant director of bands; and the University Band, directed by graduate conductors Felipe Hernandez of Lufkin, Jacob Bridges of Lake Charles, Louisiana, and Abbigail Ramsey of Prosper.

Kappa Kappa Psi and Tau Beta Sigma band organizations will sell food and band apparel as a fundraiser. Safety protocols such as facemasks, gloves, social distancing and hand sanitizer stations will be in place.

Attendees are encouraged to bring lawn chairs or blankets for seating. Admission is free. For more information, contact the School of Music at (936) 468-4602.

The Stephen F. Austin State University School of Art will host the SFA Art Alliance 2021 Spring Show digitally this year, and the exhibition can be viewed at www.sfaart.weebly.com.

Selected entries can be viewed on the main monitor in the Art Building with 36 pieces selected for the show from more than 200 entries by SFA students. The show is open to all students.

Winners included Weelynd McMullan, art major from Nacogdoches, for “Bartholomew,” first place; Kate Tenenbaum, interior design major from Austin, for “Coming Apart,” second place; and Koi Johnson, theatre major from Waco with an additional major in art, for “Release What no Longer Serves” and Samuel Johnson, mass communication major from Nacogdoches, for “Faces,” both in third place.

Serving as juror for the show was Heyd Fontenot, director of the San Antonio nonprofit art center Sala Diaz. He is a former artist resident of Tulsa Artist Fellowship and a former director of CentralTrak in Dallas. He is a Dallas Museum of Art Dozier Travel Grant recipient, a Mastermind Award recipient from the Dallas Observer and was named one of the Observer’s top 100 Dallas Creatives in 2014. He is represented by the Conduit Gallery, Dallas’ premier contemporary art gallery.

For more information about the SFA Art Alliance, call the School of Art at (936) 468-4804.

Stephen F. Austin State University students pursuing a career in science or mathematics teaching will benefit from a $1.4 million collaborative grant from the National Science Foundation for SFA’s Talented Teachers in Training for Texas program.

Through the program, offered through the SFA College of Sciences and Mathematics, students considering a career in science or mathematics teaching shadow specially trained master teachers in a math or science classroom during a workweek. Students selected receive a stipend of $450 per week and can participate in a variety of mentoring and recruiting activities.

More than 100 SFA students have already benefitted from the program since its inception in 2011, said Dr. Keith Hubbard, T4 project director and professor in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics.

Though SFA alumna Sarah Boon was ready for her own classroom after graduation, the time she spent in the program focusing on STEM education helped further prepare her for her current career as a math teacher.

“Our mentors in the program would model different teaching strategies by teaching a mini lesson during our meetings,” Boon said. “Participating in these lessons as a future teacher rather than just as a student opened my eyes to how effective these methods could be.”

Boon now teaches algebra at a charter school in Round Rock that focuses on inquiry-based learning and a global context. The support system she built through the program has been integral during her first year of teaching.

“Coming in as a first-year teacher, creating lessons that incorporate these ideas can be overwhelming; however, I graduated from SFA with the tools to create authentic and engaging learning experiences for my students,” she said. “I also have a huge support system, thanks to the T4 program.”

To learn more about T4 or to apply, visit sfasu.edu/jacksteach/t4.

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

Intended to offer admitted students a unique and personalized look at campus life, Stephen F. Austin State University will host its inaugural on-campus Axe’cepted Student Event May 1 and is inviting the Nacogdoches community to join in welcoming guests to the oldest town in Texas.

The Axe’cepted Student Event will provide new undergraduates admitted for the upcoming fall semester a full-day slate of comprehensive sessions to help orient them to SFA and life in East Texas.

“We mean it when we say we are deeply committed to providing high-impact, experiential learning for all SFA students,” said SFA President Scott Gordon. “That promise starts immediately after a student is accepted and becomes a future Lumberjack. Immersion in university life through hands-on experiences will be an integral part of our Axe’cepted Student Event as our new Lumberjacks spend a full day learning about all SFA has to offer.”

For years, SFA has hosted regional Axe’cepted events and, for the past year, has held those events in virtual formats. University officials are excited to be able to move the Axe’cepted Student Event on campus.

“We know how powerful a live, on-campus experience can be,” said Emily Jefferson, enrollment coordinator in the SFA Office of Admissions. “We also knew we needed to welcome students to their new home in a big way. Hosting this event on campus will give students a glimpse of what they can experience during Orientation, as well as when classes begin in August.”

While also introducing them to university life, a crucial part of the event is acquainting future Lumberjacks and their guests to the Nacogdoches community.

“Nacogdoches truly becomes a home away from home for many of our Lumberjacks, and we want our incoming students to see that support from our community,” Jefferson said.

Nacogdoches businesses and partners are encouraged to join the Axe’cepted Student Event in the following ways:

Serve as a day-of volunteer (check-in assistance, providing directions, greeters, etc.)
Provide SFA swag bag goodies (coupons, flyers, etc.)
Host a table at the Lumberjack Resource Fair for students and guests to visit during event check-in

The Nacogdoches Chamber of Commerce and Visit Nacogdoches (formerly the Nacogdoches Convention and Visitors Bureau) as well as several alumni-owned businesses have signed on as early sponsors.

“In the late 90s, I worked for Residence Life at SFA; and in 2016, my oldest child chose to attend SFA. I know firsthand the tremendous job the university does in programming for its students,” said Sherry Morgan, Visit Nacogdoches executive director. “And if the pandemic showed us anything, it demonstrated how vital our student residents are to this local economy. Investments made in strengthening the bonds among SFA, the city and the county will be beneficial for all parties concerned.”

The event will begin at noon May 1 in Johnson Coliseum on the SFA campus. A Lumberjack Resource Fair will be ongoing from noon until 1:15 p.m. inside the coliseum, where SFA and Nacogdoches groups and businesses will have information booths set up to chat with future Lumberjacks and their guests.

Following an opening welcome, come-and-go events will run from 2 to 4 p.m. in locations across campus.

Local partners interested in volunteering during the inaugural Axe’cepted Student Event may email Janet McLeroy at mcleroyjanet@sfasu.edu.

By Christine Broussard, marketing communications coordinator at Stephen F. Austin State University.