Axe ’Em, Jacks!
NACOGDOCHES, Texas – The Christmas celebration in the Oldest Town in Texas will be more spectacular than ever this year with a much-anticipated holiday-themed performance of the popular Annie Moses Band.
The Stephen F. Austin State University College of Fine Arts and its 2017-18 University Series will present “Christmas with the Annie Moses Band” at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 12, in W.M. Turner Auditorium.
The Nashville-based Annie Moses Band combines the best of beloved genres in a style that unifies audiences, young and old, classical connoisseurs and roots enthusiasts, jazz aficionados and bluegrass buffs, according to Scott Shattuck, associate dean in the College of Fine Arts and director of the University Series.
“The Annie Moses Band has been inspiring and entertaining audiences for over a decade, bringing their distinctive style of music across the nation and around the world,” he said.
Creating a captivating blend of folk and classical, the Annie Moses Band is a talented family of singers and musicians who combine technical skill with exhilarating showmanship, Shattuck said. At the group’s core are three Juilliard-trained string players and a harpist that once studied with Emily Mitchell, now a faculty member in the SFA School of Music.
“Well known nationally from their popular PBS Christmas special, these inspiring siblings play and sing holiday favorites arranged in dazzling style by their father, Bill Wolaver, a leading composer on the contemporary Christian music scene,” Shattuck said.
Among their most popular seasonal performances are sensational versions of "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen" and "O Come O Come Emmanuel."
“Christmas with the Annie Moses Band” is sponsored in part by Nacogdoches Medical Center.
Prior to the performance, SFA senior music major Emily Williams, who has worked extensively with the Annie Moses Band members at their Fine Arts Summer Academy, will present an informative talk at 7 p.m. in Griffith Gallery. The gallery is located across the hall from Turner Auditorium, which is inside the Griffith Fine Arts Building, 2222 Alumni Drive. The audience is invited back to the gallery for a post-performance reception to meet the band and to honor the event’s corporate sponsor.
Tickets are already selling quickly for this performance. Tickets to the event would make unique early Christmas gifts, Shattuck added.
“This is a can't-miss Christmas event that could well sell out before the day of the show,” Shattuck said, “so we hope our audience will avoid disappointment by ordering now, while some of the best seats are still available.”
Single event ticket prices for the University Series are $25 for adults, $20 for seniors and $10 for non-SFA students/youth. Tickets for SFA students are $3.
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit finearts.sfasu.edu, stop by the Box Office in Room 211 of the Griffith Fine Arts Building, or call (936) 468-6407 or (888) 240-ARTS.