SFA School of Music: Ensembles&Events

Ensembles & Events

"Joining the School of Music at SFA has been one of the best things I could do for my musical career. Here I am surrounded by a faculty comprised of not just instructors and professors, but of mentors who are genuinely concerned about my progress as a performer."

Claire Williams, Junior performance major from Lufkin

The SFA School of Music offers many unique opportunities for student to participate in a variety of performing ensembles, including Bands, Jazz Bands, Orchestras, Percussion Ensembles and Choirs as well as the Opera Theatre program. See the School of Music Calendar of Performances for a listing of all scheduled events.

The SFA bands have a nationally recognized reputation for excellence. The Wind Ensemble, the premier concert band in the school, has performed regularly for convention-clinics of the Texas Music Educators Association and the College Band Directors National Association. The Wind Ensemble commissions new works from outstanding composers each year, and concerts often feature nationally known guest conductors and soloists.

The 240-member Lumberjack Marching Band is the only band in the state of Texas dedicated to the pursuit of excellence in both the military and corps style of marching. Each year the marching band performs for all home games, travels to two away games, hosts marching contests and performs for a variety of campus and civic functions.

Other ensembles include the Chamber Winds, the Symphonic Band, the Concert Band, and the Pep Band. Membership in the SFA bands includes students from most departments within the university.

The Swingin' Axes and The Swingin' Aces are SFA's two jazz ensembles and provide performance opportunities for students in the jazz program. Placement is by audition held during registration each semester. These bands perform several times on- and off-campus during the school year.

The Orchestra of the Pines is a regional symphony orchestra that performs a full season of works from the standard literature, both at SFA and in neighboring East Texas communities. The newly organized SFA Chamber Orchestra focuses on smaller chamber ensemble and string works from the Baroque to the present. Both ensembles provide opportunities for student solo performing.

The SFA Percussion Ensemble performs a wide variety of repertoire from classical transcriptions to modern jazz works and is devoted to developing the highest level of artistic excellence in performance. The SFA Steel Drum Band is recognized throughout East Texas for its live energy and traditional Latin/Caribbean sound.

The choral area at SFA has received regional, national and international acclaim for its performances of music from all stylistic periods. This growing area boasts five performing ensembles open to all students at the University: the A Cappella Choir, Choral Union, SFA Women's Choir, Madrigal Singers and the Nacogdoches Community Chorus. Each year culminates with a featured masterwork for choirs, soloists and orchestra. In past years, these performances have included such masterpieces as the Requiems by Brahms, Mozart, and Verdi, the Mass in C and Missa solemnis by Beethoven and Haydn's Creation.

The Opera Theatre program is dedicated to the principle of providing students as many opportunities as possible to sing leading roles. Operas produced in recent years include Die Fledermaus, La Traviata, Carmen, The Ballad of Baby Doe, Falstaff, Tales of Hoffman, The Elixir of Love, Susannah, Così fan tutte, Albert Herring, The Tender Land, Romeo and Juliet, Hansel and Gretel, Street Scene, and The Magic Flute.

School of Music
Stephen F. Austin State University
Box 13043, SFA Station
Nacogdoches, TX 75962-3043
Phone: 936-468-4602 | Fax: 936-468-5810
Dr. Ron Anderson, Chair
Roni Lias, Webmaster