Everything Nac

The Wind Ensemble at Stephen F. Austin State University will present the program “Primaries” for its final concert of the spring semester at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 12, in the Grand Ballroom of the Baker Pattillo Student Center on the SFA campus. Admission is free.

The concert features pieces that are considered staples in the wind band literature along with the SFA premiere of “Yellow Red Blue” by Paul Dooley, according to Dr. Tamey Anglley, director of bands at SFA and director of the Wind Ensemble.

“Yellow Red Blue” was commissioned for the retirement of Dr. Joseph Missal, director of bands at Oklahoma State University for 35 years. A consortium of institutions and former colleagues and students commissioned this piece for Missal to premiere at his retirement concert on April 17, 2021; it was written for only 19 musicians. Dooley has since written a full wind band ensemble version, which will be used for the SFA premiere.

“This two-movement work explores Missal’s love of chamber music, melody, counterpoint, color and structure,” Anglley said. “Dooley took inspiration from Missal’s favorite visual artist, Gerhard Richter, not only within the music, but also in the title ‘Yellow Red Blue.'”

Also on the program, Richard Strauss’s Serenade for Winds, Op. 7 will be conducted by graduate student Abbigail Ramsey. The piece was composed when Strauss was only 17 years old, and he modeled both the instrumentation and form after Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s three wind serenades.

The Wind Ensemble will perform the famous “Overture to Candide” by Leonard Bernstein, which is transcribed for band by Clare Grundman. Based on the music from Bernstein’s opera “Candide” written in 1956, “Overture to Candide” has become a staple in both orchestral and wind band literature.

The final piece on the concert will be Paul Hindemith’s landmark piece, Symphony in B-flat. Written and premiered in 1951, this three-movement work is the only symphony that Hindemith wrote expressly for the wind band. According to Anglley, this masterwork opened doors for future composers to explore the band genre and cemented the validity of the wind ensemble as a medium for serious music.

For additional information, contact the School of Music at (936) 468-4602.

The Music Preparatory Division at Stephen F. Austin State University, in partnership with the Nacogdoches Convention and Visitors Bureau, continues to add sponsorships to its first Music and Arts Festival, slated for Saturday, April 23, in downtown Nacogdoches.

The family friendly outdoor music festival is from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and takes place predominantly on the downtown square. It will feature student music and dance performances, local artists, exhibit booths, children’s games and more, according to Alba Madrid, director of the Music Prep program in the School of Music. Music Prep students, Stephen F. Austin State University student musicians and community musicians will perform on several downtown stages and in The Cole Art Center @ The Old Opera House, and local artists will exhibit works throughout downtown.

“We have extended our deadline for sponsorships because of the tremendous support we have received thus far,” Madrid said. “But we only have a few more days to accept sponsorships, although donations are always gratefully encouraged.”

The sponsorship deadline has been extended to April 8. Additionally, local merchants can be a part of the festival by showcasing their businesses at booth spaces that will be located around the square and along Main Street and/or by donating door prizes to be given away during the festival.

Sponsors so far include Deppisch Law Firm, Rex Perry Autoplex and Loblolly Properties Real Estate Brokerage Firm at the top Allegro level; Pilgrim’s Pride, Lisle Violin Shop and Etech at the Moderato level; and Commercial Bank of Texas, Chick-fil-A, Martin Construction, Nacogdoches Pediatric Dentistry, Piney Woods Pediatrics and Regents Academy at the Adagio level.

Festival proceeds will help fund, in part, two major projects, including the creation of a Piano Lab and the newly established Strings Project. Opportunities also exist to fund Music Prep scholarships for deserving student musicians.

For more information about sponsorships contact Madrid at (936) 468-1291 or musicprep@sfasu.edu. For more information about Music Prep, visit sfamusicprep.com.