NACOGDOCHES, Texas - The Orchestra of the Pines at Stephen F. Austin State University will present the program "With a Stroke of a Pen" at 7:30 p.m. Monday, March 6, in Cole Concert Hall on the SFA campus.
The concert, which will feature the world premiere of "Fantasy: Beyond the Forest" by SFA music composition student Kyle Henkel of Argyle, includes a program of music in which each piece tells a story of suspect and mystery, according to Gene H. Moon, director of orchestras at SFA. Henkel is the winner of this year's composition competition in the SFA School of Music.
"Many things in life have been done at the stroke of a pen," Moon said. "Laws are written, poetry is created, and music is composed, all at the stroke of a pen. 'With a Stroke of a Pen' presents music with an intriguing backstory that shows how music either reinforces or even sends a message to its audience."
Moon describes Henkel's piece as "a unique work utilizing extended techniques on nearly all instruments, creating sonorities rather than melody, which evokes a pensive attitude toward his impressions."
"It is a very eclectic work of daring instrumental capabilities that pushes the colors of the orchestral timbre and asks listeners to use their strongest imagination in understanding Henkel's music," he said.
Three selections that will surround Henkel's work are Sergei Prokofiev's Lieutenant Kije Suite, the first movement of Franz Schubert's Symphony No. 8 in B minor, commonly known as the "Unfinished Symphony," and Joseph Haydn's Symphony No. 45 in F-sharp minor, known as "Farewell."
"Each of these works has a unique story created either by the mishap of a pen stroke or by disguise through the same manner to convey a story," Moon said.
The concert is a presentation of the College of Fine Arts and School of Music. Cole Concert Hall is located in the Tom and Peggy Wright Music Building.
Tickets are $8 for adults, $6 for seniors and $3 for students and youth. For tickets or more information, call the SFA Fine Arts Box Office at (936) 468-6407 or (888) 240-ARTS or visit www.finearts.sfasu.edu.
Axe ’Em, Jacks!