FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, August 31, 2017
STEPHENVILLE, Texas—Tarleton State University’s Department of Fine Arts kicks off the fall 2017 season in September with two gallery exhibitions, a Neil Simon production and dinner for ULTRA Club members.
ULTRA Club members provide support to fine arts students through membership dues, gifts and fundraising activities. They’ll be in the audience when Simon’s first attempt at farce—Rumors—opens on Tuesday, Sept. 26, in the Clyde H. Wells Fine Arts Theater on the Stephenville campus.
“Thanks to some of the most talented faculty in the nation and the tremendous support of the ULTRA Club, Tarleton enjoys one of the best-rounded programs in Texas and beyond,” said Dr. Teresa Davidian, head of Tarleton’s Department of Fine Arts. “ULTRA Club members make a real difference in the lives of our students, helping with everything from exhibits, to travel to performances. The annual ULTRA Club Dinner Theatre is one way we show our gratitude.”
Ironically, Rumors is set at a dinner party in Palisades, N.Y., gone awry, and is one of Simon’s most celebrated comedies. The play runs through Sept. 30, with performances at 7:30 nightly.
On display now through Sept. 22, Valerie Powell’s solo exhibition, Civil Wars, features drawings and sculptures as well as a site-specific wall installation—containing imagery and forms inspired by conflict—created specifically for the Clyde H. Wells Fine Arts Gallery.
Nick Bontrager displays his work, Alone Together: Contemporary Arcade, from Sept. 25 through Oct. 20 in the gallery. An interdisciplinary artist, his work and research explores the physical and conceptual nature of the moving image, game-based interactions and exchanges, and the idea of replicas as tools of preservation.
Both gallery exhibitions are free and open to the public from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays.
Next up, guest artist Dr. Hope Thacker, mezzo-soprano, takes the stage Monday, Oct. 2, with a special performance at 7:30 p.m. in the Fine Arts Theater. Assistant professor of music and voice at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, she made her Carnegie Hall debut in 2013 and is recipient of several awards and honors from the National Association of Teachers of Singers.
Enjoy Tarleton’s Jazz Ensemble two Thursday nights this fall, Oct. 5 and Nov. 30, and the Wind Ensemble on Monday, Oct. 9, and Sunday, Nov. 19. A percussion concert takes place Monday, Nov. 20.
Pianists take the spotlight in mid-October, with the Piano Festival Concert—featuring internationally acclaimed Juana Zayas—set Friday, Oct. 13, followed by the all-day Tarleton Piano Festival Saturday, Oct. 14.
A Steinway artist, Zayas has performed with the Radio Philharmonic Orchestra and the Zeeuws Orchestra in the Netherlands, the Orquesta Sinfónica de Radio Televisión Española in Madrid, the Venezuela Symphony Orchestra, the San Diego Symphony and Rochester Philharmonic orchestras, among others.
Guest artist Christopher MacRae performs Monday, Oct. 16. Praised for his beautiful and sonorous tenor voice, he made his debut with Calgary Opera and has appeared across Canada and the United States. As a semi-finalist at the 2005 Montreal International Music Competition, MacRae was audience choice for performer of the day. He is vocal area coordinator at the University of Arkansas.
The Young People’s Series presentation of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, part of The Chronicles of Narnia series by C.S. Lewis, features 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. performances on Saturday, Oct. 21, and Russian-born cellist Yuri Anshelevich takes the stage Monday, Oct. 23.
Recently retired as former associate principal cellist for the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Anshelevich often performs with the same instrument he purchased (with the help of his father) while still a student in the 1950s.
Dr. John Scott, professor of music in clarinet at the University of North Texas, performs Wednesday, Oct. 25. A member of the Richardson Symphony Orchestra from 1987 to 2011, he’s entertained around the world and is a regular with Chamber Music International.
The iconic vampire fantasy, Dracula—an adaptation of the novel by Bram Stoker—runs Nov. 7-11, finishing out the fall season for the Theatre at Tarleton.
One of the season’s most anticipated musical offerings—the Choral Masterworks Concert featuring Tarleton choirs, the Cross Timbers Civic Choral and the Fort Worth Symphony—is set Saturday, Dec. 2, followed by the Holiday Collage Concert with vocal and instrumental favorites on Monday, Dec. 4.
Following is a complete fall 2017 calendar for Tarleton’s Department of Fine Arts. Performances take place in either the theater or auditorium of the Clyde H. Wells Fine Arts Center and most begin at 7:30 p.m. For ticket information, call the Tarleton Box Office at 254-968-9634. Some performances are free. All events are subject to change.
August
Now-Sept. 22 – Valerie Powell, Civil Wars exhibition, Gallery
September
25-Oct. 20 – Nick Bontrager, Alone Together exhibition, Gallery
26 – ULTRA Club Dinner Theatre
26-30 – Theatre at Tarleton presents Rumors
October
2 – Guest artist Dr. Hope Thacker, mezzo-soprano, Theater
5 – Jazz ensemble concert, Auditorium
6 – Stéfon Landers, senior recital, Theater
9 – Wind ensemble concert, Auditorium
12 – Choir concert, Theater
13 – Piano Festival Concert, featuring Juana Zayas, Theater
14 – All-day Tarleton Piano Festival, Theater
16 – Guest artist Christopher MacRae, tenor, Theater
19 – Faculty recital, Jennifer Rodriguez, Theater
21 – Theatre at Tarleton presents the Young People’s Series: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., Auditorium
23-Dec. 5 – Senior exhibits, Gallery
23 – Guest artist Yuri Anshelevich, cellist, Theater
25 – Guest artist Dr. John Scott, clarinet, Theater
27 – Victor Becerra, senior recital, Auditorium
November
1 – Haden Capps, senior recital, Auditorium
3 – Opera worship, Auditorium
7-11 – Theatre at Tarleton presents Dracula, Theater
13 – Olivia Perkins, senior recital, Theater
14 – Chamber Ensembles concert, Auditorium
15 – Tember Lowe, senior recital, Theater
17 – Jadyn Brittner, senior capstone presentation, Theater
19 – Wind ensemble concert, Auditorium
20 – Percussion concert, Auditorium
27 – Kailey Swaim, senior recital, Theater
29 – Daniel Medrano, senior recital, Theater
30 – Jazz concert, Auditorium
December
2 – Choral Masterworks Concert, Auditorium
4 – Holiday Collage Concert, Auditorium
For more information about Tarleton’s Department of Fine Arts, visit www.tarleton.edu/finearts.
Tarleton, celebrating 100 years as founding member of The Texas A&M University System, provides a student-focused, value-driven educational experience marked by academic innovation and exemplary service, and dedicated to transforming students into tomorrow’s professional leaders. As a member of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) with campuses in Stephenville, Fort Worth, Waco, Midlothian and online, Tarleton engages with its communities to provide real-world learning experiences and to address societal needs while maintaining its core values of tradition, integrity, civility, leadership, excellence and service.
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Contact: Lori LaRue, Fine Arts Operations Manager
254-968-9639
[email protected]
