SFA Music Department Honors Alumnus at Extravaganza 17

The Stephen F. Austin State University Department of Music is honoring Jeffery D. Grogan as the 17^th recipient of the Outstanding Music Alumnus award Friday, April 30.

Grogan is a 1991 graduate of SFA and former director of the University of Michigan and Baylor marching bands. The award will be presented at the Fredonia Hotel during Extravaganza 17, the gala banquet and dance sponsored by the SFA Friends of Music for the department. Dr. Charles Gavin, professor of music at SFA and Grogan’s former teacher, will highlight Grogan’s accomplishments.

More than 200 people are expected for the event which will feature performances by the SFA Wind Symphony, the A Cappella Choir, the Jazz Band, the Opera Workshop as well as three student performers vying for the President’s Award, given to the outstanding recitalist of the year in the department. Dr. Gary Wurtz is serving as master of ceremonies for the event.

Following the banquet, guests will dance the night away to the sounds of Tom Houston’s Dance Combo, playing great swing music of the ’30s and ’40s.

Grogan is currently director of orchestras and associate professor at Ithaca College School of Music in New York. He serves as conductor of the Ithaca College Symphony Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra and Contemporary Chamber Ensemble. Additionally, he is the director of the Graduate Conducting Program in Orchestral Conducting.

Recently, Grogan traveled to Europe where he conducted the Bohuslava Martinu Philharmonic Orchestra of Zlin, Czech Republic. During that time he studied with several prominent conductors including Mariusz Smolij of the Houston Symphony, Tomas Koutnik of the Prague Conservatory, Johannes Schlaefi of the Musik-Hochschule Winterthur Zurich and Kirk Trevor of the Knoxville Symphony and Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra.

This summer he will spend several weeks working with the New Symphony Orchestra of Sofia, Bulgaria. He will study with Carl St. Clair of the Pacific Symphony and Rossen Milanov of the Philadelphia Orchestra. He also will spend time observing the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and studying with Sir Simon Rattle.

Prior to Ithaca College, Grogan held faculty positions at the University of Michigan and Baylor University and taught public school in the DeSoto Independent School District. He received his Bachelor of Music Education degree from SFA and a Master of Music in conducting from the University of Michigan. He continues to conduct regional and state honor ensembles throughout the country.

The Extravaganza 17 awards dinner begins at 6:30 p.m. and reservations must be made in advance. For ticket information, call (936) 468-6407.

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