April 15, 2005 – Sylvia Bierschenk

SFA music department to honor Debbie Berry at Extravaganza 18

NACOGDOCHES, TEXAS - The Stephen F. Austin State University Department of Music will honor Debbie Berry, SFA vocal instructor, with the Outstanding Music Alumna award on Friday, April 22, during Extravaganza 18. The annual gala banquet and dance, held at the Fredonia Hotel and Convention Center, is sponsored by the SFA Friends of Music.

Berry's accomplishments will be highlighted by her husband, Dr. Richard A. Berry, dean of the SFA College of Fine Arts.

The Wichita Falls native holds two degrees from SFA, a bachelor of music completed in 1975 and master of arts completed in 1977. At SFA she was a voice student of Dr. David Jones and a member of Ron Anderson's A Cappella Choir.

After a teaching stint at Wayland University, she moved to Kansas City where she did post-graduate work at the Conservatory of Music of the University of Missouri-Kansas City. There she worked with such notable artist-teachers as James King and Boris Goldovsky.

Following her study in Kansas City, she spent five years in Denver, performing and teaching. She returned to Nacogdoches from San Antonio where she was a private voice instructor at John Marshall High School.

At SFA, Berry has been teaching studio voice to voice majors for many years. She also has taught aural skills and assisted with designing and building costumes for summer opera productions.

Berry's performance credits include solo performances with the Kansas City Philharmonic, the Civic Orchestra of Kansas City, the Laredo Philharmonic Orchestra, the Longview Opera Company, Opera Colorado education outreach, the Central City Singers, and regular performances as a recitalist.

Among her many operatic roles are appearances as Violetta in "La Traviata," Donna Anna in "Don Giovanni," Miss Wordsworth in "Albert Herring," Musetta in "La Bohème," Baby Doe in "The Ballad of Baby Doe," Norina in "Don Pasquale," Rosina in "The Barber of Seville," Gilda in "Rigoletto," and the Witch in "Hansel and Gretel."

Her oratorio repertoire includes the soprano solos in Mozart's "Requiem," Brahms' "Ein Deutsches Requiem," Orff's "Carmina Burana," Haydn's "The Creation," Beethoven's "Missa Solemnis," and Poulenc's "Gloria." In addition she has performed more than a dozen roles in musical comedy productions at the Nacogdoches Lamp-Lite Theatre.

Ron Anderson, chair of the SFA Department of Music, said more than 200 people are expected for the event featuring performances by the SFA Wind Ensemble, A Cappella Choir, Swingin' Axes jazz band and Opera Workshop. Also performing will be three student performers vying for the President's Award which is given to the department's outstanding recitalist of the year. Dr. Gary Wurtz, SFA assistant professor of music, will serve as master of ceremonies.

"Following the banquet, guests will dance the night away to great swing music of the '30s and '40s provided by Tom Houston's Dance Combo," said Anderson.

The Extravaganza 18 Awards Dinner begins at 6:30 p.m., and the deadline for reservations is Wednesday, April 20. For tickets or more information, call the Fine Arts Box Office at (936) 468-6407.