Everything Nac

The Wind Ensemble at Stephen F. Austin State University will present “An Evening with James Syler” at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 8, in W.M. Turner Auditorium on the SFA campus.

Dr. David Campo, director of bands at SFA, conducts the Wind Ensemble. Syler serves as the School of Music’s composer in residence for the fall semester, working with student musicians as they perform his works. Included on this concert are three diverse pieces from the composer’s catalog, including “Gearbox,” “Congo Square” and “Love Among the Ruins.”

Of “Gearbox,” Syler stated, “The initial idea for this work was in experimenting with interlocking rhythmic figures to create a mechanical-like fabric by using the technique of canon. By overlapping and displacing the rhythms on different beats, a gear-like sound emerged. This sound reminded me of an engine, driving, cars and all things mechanical. Gears churn, repeat and shift energy in a gearbox, or transmission, to move the machine forward, and so the title ‘Gearbox’ seemed appropriate. It is exuberant, joyful and celebratory music in memory of my father, Robert L. Syler ,who was a lover of cars, driving and all things mechanical.”

Found in the Treme´ neighborhood of New Orleans, just across Rampart Street north of the French Quarter, Congo Square has been a gathering place for enslaved people since the early 1800s. The Code Noir of the early 1700s made Sundays work free for all inhabitants of the colony including enslaved Africans. On these Sunday afternoons, the slaves would gather at Congo Square to commune, trade and, most importantly, make music. It was from these early beginnings that jazz music was born. Syler’s “Congo Square” features African drums juxtaposed on sounds from early jazz, creating a “musical gumbo” that reflects the diversity of musical styles that came together to create the signature sound of New Orleans.
“This unique mix of African, Creole and Caribbean is what I’ve tried to internalize in the creation of ‘Congo Square,'” Syler said.

“Love Among the Ruins for Wind Ensemble and Viola” will feature Dr. Jennifer Dalmas, professor of violin and viola at SFA, as viola soloist. The title is from the poem “Love Among the Ruins” by Robert Browning. The piece is not a concerto in the traditional sense, but rather a work that features the viola for its color, expressivity and voice within a narrative, Syler explained.

“The subject in this work is love as a timeless force – its continuation in our lives beyond the grave, throughout time and space and amidst the personal loss, difficulties or ruins of our lives,” he said.

Syler’s works have been heard throughout the world, including performances by Chinese Youth Choir, State Symphonic Band of Sao Paulo, Brazil, Lisbon Portugal Jazz Festival, Symphonic Wind Orchestra Mittelbaden of Germany, McGill University Wind Ensemble in Montreal, Canada, and more. Other notable performances include Symphony No. 1 “Blue” at Carnegie Hall, Bridge Chamber Music Festival, Santa Fe Desert Chorale, New York Choral Festival at Lincoln Center, Interlochen Arts Academy and more. He has completed more than 30 commissions in chamber, choral, orchestral and wind ensemble forms.

Between 1998 and 2013, he owned and operated Ballerbach Music, a music publishing company specializing in contemporary music. Since 2001, Syler has been a lecturer at the University of Texas at San Antonio and the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio where he teaches composition.

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 Percussion Ensemble at Stephen F. Austin State University will present its first fall concert at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 3, in Cole Concert Hall on the SFA campus.

Directed by Dr. Brad Meyer, director of percussion studies at SFA, the ensemble will perform works by Van Halen, Robert Oetomo, Caleb Pickering, James Campbell and Russell Wharton.

A rock song written by the group Van Halen for their album “For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge,” the song “Right Now” reflects on living for the moment and not being afraid of making a change, according to program notes for the concert.

Oetomo’s arrangement of Harold Arlen’s “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” from “The Wizard of Oz” will feature sophomore, Davis Carr on marimba. Of the piece, Oetomo says it was “created with the intention of having a combination of jazz influences (harmonies and quasi improvisation) and classical romantic influences (runs, ornaments and flourishes), yet maintaining the simplicity of the melody and harmony of the recording.”

The ensemble will perform Pickering’s “21 Grams” and “Powder Keg.” Pickering states “21 Grams” refers to the “hypothesized ‘weight of the human soul’ as described by Dr. Duncan MacDougall in his 1907 medical experiments. MacDougall conducted experiments measuring the weight of his patients before, during and after their deaths. This work is abstractly programmatic in that it follows a general interpretation of seeing what lies beyond our existence on earth, both good and bad.” “Powder Keg” is a high-energy keyboard quartet scored for two vibraphones and two marimbas that is explosive in nature and shifts between rhythmic and harmonic stability and instability throughout, according to the composer.

Campbell’s “Engine Room” refers to the percussion section of a traditional steel band. The engine room plays a crucial accompaniment role in Calypso and Soca, the traditional folk music of Trinidad and Tobago. The composer develops motives out of the rhythmic patterns that are typically used in the engine room, as well as other patterns found within the context of Caribbean music, according to a description at percussionmusiconline.com. This performance showcases sophomore, Alcira Sanchez, on multiple instruments.

Graduate student, Mariah Taller, will be featured on snare drum on Wharton’s “Phylogenesis,” a work for solo percussion using two snare drums and audio. The title refers to the evolutionary history and development of an organism, and the musical development within this piece loosely mirrors that concepts, according to Wharton.

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.

Students interested in learning from and connecting with STEM professionals will have the opportunity at STEM Connect, an event hosted by Stephen F. Austin State University’s College of Sciences and Mathematics at 4 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 26, in the Cole STEM Building, Room 401.

Representatives from Microsoft, Elliott Electric Supply, BPX Energy, Kalkomey Enterprises, NacSpace and CGE will discuss what they do and how students can prepare for their future careers.

“Through panel discussion and one-on-one dialogue, students will learn more about the high-demand careers of tomorrow and the ongoing demand for STEM professionals,” said Dr. Kimberly M. Childs, dean of the College of Sciences and Mathematics.

The event will give students a chance to interact with professionals in their field in a unique way, said Dr. Cindy Kalkomey, SFA alumna and co-founder of Kalkomey Enterprises.

“It’s never too early to start forging those relationships ¾ with your fellow STEM students, with your professors and, when possible, with people working in the industry you hope to join,” Kalkomey said.

To learn more about the College of Sciences and Mathematics, visit sfasu.edu/cosm.

Stephen F. Austin State University’s School of Social Work invites the public to attend its 40th celebration Sept. 27 in the School of Social Work Building located on the university’s campus.

The celebration commemorates 40 years of the Bachelor of Social Work program’s accreditation from the Council on Social Work Education. The school will hold an open house with guest speakers, student success stories, and food and refreshments.

Dr. Scott Gordon, SFA president, and Dr. Steve Bullard, provost and vice president for academic affairs, will help kick off the celebration at 11 a.m., followed by remarks from Dr. Brian Murphy, dean of the College of Liberal and Applied Arts, and Dr. Freddie Avant, director and associate dean of the School of Social Work.

Following their welcome, Dr. Michael Daley, director of the school from 1987 to 2002, will speak. Under Daley’s direction, the East Texas unit of the National Association of Social Workers formed, the Master of Social Work program was created, program numbers increased and the Social Work Building was constructed.

The Distinguished Alumni Symposium will begin at 1 p.m. in Room 203. Dr. Sam Copeland, director of the Bachelor of Social Work program, and Emmerentie Oliphant, director of the Master of Social Work program, will introduce alumni who have unique accomplishments.

The celebration will end with a birthday cake and legacy campaign launch at 1:30 p.m. in Room 201. Attendees also will have the opportunity to sign a birthday card for the school.

Since 1979, SFA has produced valuable social workers who influence their communities in a variety of ways. With partnerships across Texas, including Lone Star College and Tyler Junior College, SFA social workers are engaged in service activities at the local, state, national and internationals levels.

For more information, contact Copeland at scopeland@sfasu.edu or (936) 468-5105.

Playwright Brian Friel’s “Dancing at Lughnasa” will open the fall semester of the Stephen F. Austin State University School of Theatre’s student-directed plays.

Directed by Longview senior Bethany Trauger, the full-length play will be presented at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 27, and at 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 28, in the Downstage Theatre on the SFA campus.

“Dancing at Lughnasa” tells the story of the five unmarried Mundy sisters who live in a small cottage in Ireland. The action of the play is told through the memory of the illegitimate son of one of the sisters as he remembers the events that finally broke his family apart: the return of his missionary uncle from Uganda, the small radio that turns the house on its head with its music, and the sudden appearance of his father, a charming Welsh man who sweeps his mother off her feet. These small occurrences cause the cracks that destroy the foundation of the family.

The cast includes Kingwood freshman Blayn Larson as Michael: Palestine senior Corie Mason as Kate; Nacogdoches junior Shyla Driver as Maggie; Edinburg sophomore Makayla Moreno as Agnes; Spring junior Johana Lenington as Rose; Winnsboro sophomore Sarah Anne Ramsey as Chris; Kerrville senior Richard Rogers as Gerry; and Houston senior Matthew Kilgore as Jack.

The production staff includes Yanelly Vargas, Dallas junior, stage manager; Holden Guinn, Tyler senior, assistant director; Carson Cook, McKinney sophomore, scenic designer; Erinn St. Clair, Bastrop sophomore, costume designer; Mando Chavez, Corpus Christi junior; lighting designer; Myah Mallory, Victoria sophomore, sound designer; Kaitlyn McDearmont, Sulphur Springs junior, properties master; and Brendan Ryan, Cedar Park freshman, assistant properties master.

Trauger has previously directed “Hanging On” and “Postponing the Heat Death of the Universe,” and she was assistant director for “Three One-Act Plays by Asian Authors.” She has also worked as dramaturg for “Oklahoma!” and “Three One-Act Plays by Asian Authors.”

Faculty production advisor is Dr. Slade Billew.

Tickets are $6. For tickets or more information, call the SFA Fine Arts Box Office at (936) 468-6407 or visit theatre.sfasu.edu. The Downstage Theatre is located in the Griffith Fine Arts Building, 2222 Alumni Drive.