FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, April 5, 2019
STEPHENVILLE, Texas —April is a busy month for Tarleton State University’s fine arts department.
Highlighted by the Theatre at Tarleton production of “Greater Tuna,” the month also features four instrumental concerts, two choral offerings and a fashion show.
“Greater Tuna,” written by Joe Sears, Jaston Williams and Ed Howard, is the hilarious comedy about Texas’third smallest town, where the Lions Club is too liberal and Patsy Cline never dies.
The production runs Tuesday, April 9, through Saturday, April 13, in the Clyde H. Wells Fine Arts Center.
Admission is $10 adults, $8 senior citizens, children and Tarleton faculty and staff. Tarleton students get in for $5.
The eclectic band of citizens who make up Tuna, Texas, are portrayed by only two performers, making this satire on life in rural America even more memorable as they depict all of the inhabitants of Tuna — men, women, children and animals.
The show began as a party skit based on a political cartoon more than 25 years ago in Austin. Sears, Williams and Howard parlayed the sketch into a critically acclaimed production that has entertained audiences across the country ever since.
Tarleton’s percussion ensembles perform in concert at 7:30 p.m. Monday, April 15, in the Fine Arts Center and will explore selections from Anders Astrand, Elliot Cole, Christopher Rouse, Baljinder Sekhon, and Paul McCartney and John Lennon.
Featured performers are clinician and mallet specialist Astrand, Tarleton professor of jazz studies Dr. Andrew Stonerock and Chris Hopper.
The annual spring concert of the Tarleton choral department is set for 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 25.
The Texan Gentlemen will present a set of music from the British Isles, and the Chamber Choir will sing selections honed over weeks of rehearsal, including Paul Mealor’s setting of “Ubi Caritas,” Kim André Arnesen’s moving “Even When He Is Silent” and a rocking version of Delta Rae’s “Dance in the Graveyards.”
The Select Women’s Ensemble will pepper the program with music from Bulgaria, Mexico and New Zealand, and the Texan Troubadours will add more variety with a hit by the rock band Toto.
The fashion studies department hosts its first-ever fashion show at 3 p.m. Saturday, April 26, in the Fine Arts Center workshop theatre.
Students will showcase work from the apparel development, advanced apparel development and couture courses. There will be refreshments, as well as a photo wall for pictures to be taken.
The Tarleton Choral Program and Cross Timbers Civic Chorale will present “Worshipful Night: Favorite hymns and liturgical masterworks” at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 27, in the Fine Arts Center Auditorium.
“It Is Well With My Soul,” “Amazing Grace,” “Beulah Land,” “Just As I Am,” “Name of Jesus” and “Walk in Jerusalem” will represent a fraction of gospel music’s contributions to the sacred repertoire.
“Our concert will use the structure of the Mass, from the Kyrie to the Benedictus, and give us the chance to sing some of the greatest and most beloved music ever written,” said Dr. Troy Robertson, Tarleton’s director of choirs.
Dr. Heather Hawk, associate professor of vocal studies, will sing the soprano solo from the opening to Mozart’s Great Mass in C Minor. Steve Chambers will serve as pianist for the evening.
Also on tap for the month:
7:30 p.m. Monday, April 22 – Wind Ensemble Concert
3:00 p.m. Sunday, April 28 – Symphonic Band Concert
7:30 p.m. Monday, April 29 – Jazz Concert
Admission to each concert is $5 or free with a Tarleton ID. The Fine Arts Center box office opens one hour before the beginning of each concert and all seating is general admission.
For more information visit tarleton.edu/finearts.
Tarleton, founding member of The Texas A&M University System, provides a student-focused, value-driven education marked by academic innovation and a dedication to transform today’s scholars into tomorrow’s leaders. It offers degree programs to more than 13,000 students at Stephenville, Fort Worth, Waco, Midlothian, RELLIS Academic Alliance in Bryan, and online, emphasizing real-world learning experiences that address societal needs while maintaining its core values of tradition, integrity, civility, excellence, leadership and service.
Contact: Phil Riddle, News and Information Specialist
817-484-4415
priddle@tarleton.edu
