SFA orchestra to present concert

John Noel Roberts, new director of the Stephen F. Austin State University School of Music, will perform Ludwig van Beethoven's "Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major" during the Orchestra of the Pines concert at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 14, in Cole Concert Hall.

NACOGDOCHES, TEXAS - Pianist John Noel Roberts, new director of the Stephen F. Austin State University School of Music, will be the featured performer during the Orchestra of the Pines' "To Grand Introductions" concert at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 14, in Cole Concert Hall.

Roberts will perform Ludwig van Beethoven's "Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major."

"Of Beethoven's five piano concertos, the fourth is one of my personal favorites," said Gene H. Moon, director of orchestral activities at SFA and the ensemble's music director. "The composer's lyricism and ability to conjure playful melodic lines is most evident with this work. I look forward to having Dr. Roberts join us for this magnificent work." T

he orchestra will also perform Dmitri Shostakovich's "Festive Overture" and Modest Mussorgsky's "Night on Bare Mountain."

The overture is an exciting work with an opening brass fanfare followed by a whirlwind of exhilarating notes, Moon explained. "And audience members will definitely recognize 'Night on Bare Mountain.' Orchestras everywhere frequently perform it, and its thematic elements are often used in movies and dramas."

Roberts, who earned his doctoral degree from the Yale University School Music, has performed in the United States, Canada, Great Britain, India, Australia, Italy, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand, Singapore, Japan and Malaysia.

Prior to accepting the director position for the SFA School of Music, the Texas native was the artist-in-residence and head of music at the Western Australian Conservatorium of Music of the Edith Cowan University. He has also served on the faculties at Furman University, South Carolina, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and was the inaugural dean of the Townsend School of Music at Mercer University in Macon, Ga.

The concert is a joint presentation of the SFA College of Fine Arts, School of Music and the Orchestra Series. It is sponsored in part by Nacogdoches Memorial Hospital and the Wedgeworth-Wright Foundation for the Arts.

Tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for seniors and $5 for students. For tickets or more information, please visit www.finearts.sfasu.edu or call (936) 468-6407 or (888) 240-ARTS.

Cole Concert Hall is located in the Tom and Peggy Wright Music Building, 2210 Alumni Dr.