Southeastern Symphonic Winds Concert Time Change 5:30pm this Friday
DURANT, Okla. – The Southeastern Symphonic Winds will present its first concert of the Spring semester this Friday, January 27th, 2012 at a new time – 5:30pm. The concert will take place in Montgomery Auditorium, and will feature faculty soloists Dr. Brian Walker on trumpet and Dr. Jason Oliver on trombone. For more information, please contact Dr. Jacob Wallace at (580) 745-2084.
Southeastern Music “Super Saturday” Audition Day
DURANT, Okla. – Auditions for the 2012-2013 school year will be held on our “Super Saturday” extravaganza, which will occur on Saturday, February 18th, 2012. This is where most of the scholarship awards will be distributed. If you are unable to attend on that date, the alternate audition date is Monday, February 20th, 2012. We are also offering audition spots during the SE Live dates by appointment. Please contact the music department if you need to choose either of the alternate audition date options and are wishing to audition for scholarships for the 2012-2013 school year.
Southeastern Symphonic Winds to Perform at OMEA Convention Jan 2012
TULSA, Okla. – The Southeastern Symphonic Winds – Southeastern Oklahoma State University’s premier instrumental ensemble – has been named one of the Oklahoma Music Educators Association’s Honor Ensembles for the 2011-2012 academic year, and will perform at the organization’s state conference in Tulsa, Oklahoma on Thursday, January 19, 2012. Southeastern is no stranger to such honors, with the Southeastern Chorale and the Southeastern Jazz Ensemble having received several invitations to play at the prestigious conference. This is, however, the first time in the Department of Music’s history that one of Southeastern’s concert bands has been so honored.
“It’s really a thrill,” said Southeastern’s Director of Bands, Dr. Jacob Wallace. “To be invited to perform at the OMEA conference is really a milestone for our program. We now have the opportunity to perform for music teachers from across the state, and even beyond its borders. Many of those teachers – particularly those from further regions of Oklahoma – may not be particularly familiar with how strong the groups are here at Southeastern. We’re hoping to demonstrate just how amazing our students really are.”
The long process of being selected begins over a year in advance, with recorded performances that are submitted to a panel of professionals who decide the groups that will be featured. “The recordings themselves have to be live and unedited,” said Wallace. “We only have an opportunity to record this way at our on-campus performances, so if it’s not perfect on that day, the judges will notice. They listen to each group without their names in front of them, so they can decide objectively. It’s only after they’ve already decided which groups will perform that they learn who the groups actually are. There are – in total – three college bands that were selected this year: the University of Oklahoma, the University of Central Oklahoma, and Southeastern. To be counted among that list of programs is extremely exciting.”
The Symphonic Winds will perform as a part of the Thursday evening concert of the conference at the Tulsa Convention Center (100 Civic Center, Tulsa, Oklahoma), along with the University of Central Oklahoma Wind Symphony and the Blanchard High School Symphonic Band. Admission to the performance is $5 for those who are not registered for the conference. For more information, please visit the Oklahoma Music Educators Association webpage (http://www.okmea.org/) or contact Dr. Jacob Wallace at 580-745-2084.
University’s 90th annual Candlelighting scheduled for Dec. 5
DURANT, Okla. – Southeastern Oklahoma State University will celebrate the holiday season with the community by hosting the 90th annual Candlelighting ceremony and concert on Dec. 5.
The festivities begin at 7:30 p.m. in Montgomery Auditorium. This event is free and open to the public.
Candlelighting is the oldest tradition at Southeastern, with its origins dating back to Dec. 18, 1921.
Featuring the Southeastern Symphonic Choir, under the direction of Dr. Stacy Weger, this event offers community members, university students, faculty and staff, the opportunity to come together to begin the celebration of the Christmas season.
Titled “A Christmas Tapestry,” the concert will feature a wide variety of sacred and secular music for the season. Music will range from Randol Bass’ Gloria, originally written for the Boston Pops Christmas, to the Christmas music of Irving Berlin. With the full use of lighting, organ, and brass orchestration, the concert should prove exciting to singers and audience alike.
The Symphonic Choir will be joined by the Southeastern Brass Ensemble and members of the Southeastern Jazz Ensemble, Brian Walker, conductor; members of the Percussion Ensemble, Dr. Marc White, conductor;, and Dr. Mary Ann Craige, organist.
Candlelighting is supported by the Southeastern Cultural and Scholastic Lectureship Fund and the Department of Music.
If you would like more information, please call the Department of Music at 580-745-2088
Metroplex Flutes in Recital
DURANT, Okla. – Southeastern Department of Music will host Metroplex Flutes, a group of professional young flutists from the DFW area, in their Debut Recital on Sunday, November 20th, 2011 at 3:00pm in the Fine Arts Recital Hall. They will be performing works by Ian Clarke, Sergei Prokofiev and more. Concert is free and open to the public. Following the Recital, there will be an open Question and Answer session with the members of Metroplex Flutes and the audience.
Opera Southeastern to Present “Follow your Heart”
DURANT, Okla. – Opera Southeastern, a part of the Department of Music at Southeastern Oklahoma State University, will present Follow Your Heart: Works of Gian-Carlo Menotti. A double-bill of The Telephone and Amahl and the Night Visitors will be performed Friday, December 2 and Saturday, December 3. Performances will be held in the Fine Arts Recital Hall at 7:30 PM.
The Telephone is a one-act comic opera outlining a day in the life of Lucy and Ben. Ben, who is enamored with Lucy, visits Lucy before he leaves on a trip. His main intention is to propose, but the interruption of the telephone during his visit is more than he can bear. In this production of The Telephone, the roles of Lucy and Ben will be played by Kaela Ganz and Duncan Kovash, respectively.
Amahl and the Night Visitors is a one-act opera that tells the tale of a young crippled boy with an imagination that drives his mother crazy. This poor family is burdened with the possibility of becoming beggars. Later, the young boy is surprised when three kings stop by his home while they are on their journey to find “a Child.” They don’t know which child, but they are following their heart all the while using the Eastern star as their guide. The Mother and Amahl follow their heart to find hope and healing.
The opera cast for Amahl and the Night Visitors is as follows: Cheri Conway – The Mother; Braden Raines, a fourth grade student at Durant Intermediate School – Amahl; Clifford Cox – Kaspar; Aaron Williams – Melchior; Nicholas Vance – Balthazar, and Taylor Hunt – The Page. The Shepherds Chorus participants include Marissa Musgrove, Brenna Dougherty, Kristen Morgan, Victoria Cook, Amanda Dann, DJ Bailey, Hunter Sitz, Jed Hensley and Kirk Prucha.
Opera Southeastern is under the direction of Jeremy Blackwood. Dr. Robert McFadden will serve as the accompanist.
General Admission is $5. Student Admission is free with student ID. For more information about this event and the Department of Music call 580.745.2088.