FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

2/13/2003- Ginny Butler

Orchestra of the Pines Concert To Perform at SFA

Johnny Cook, a 2000 graduate of Nacogdoches High School, will perform the first movement of Mozart’s "Flute Concerto No. 2 in D Major” during the Orchestra of the Pines Concert at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 22, in Cole Concert Hall at Stephen F. Austin State University.

Cook is one of seven winners of the SFA Department of Music’s Concerto/Aria Competition who will be featured in this concert.

Cook has performed with the SFA Wind Ensemble, Symphonic Band, Flute Choir and the Orchestra of the Pines. In 2001 he was a winner in the Houston Flute Club’s Masterclass Competition and SFA’s Young Artist Scholarship competition. Last year he performed Domenico Cimarosa’s "Concerto for Two Flutes" with the SFA Chamber Orchestra.

The regional orchestra, under the direction of SFA assistant professor Dr. Jeff Jacobsen, will serve as the accompaniment to seven student instrumentalists and vocalists as they perform the musical pieces on which they auditioned during the annual competition.

Jennifer Carte, graduate student from Longview, will play the third movement concerto. Carte and Cook are both students of Dr. Diane Boyd-Schultz, associate professor of music at SFA.

Carte received her bachelor’s degree in music education from SFA in 2001 and currently holds a graduate assistantship at SFA, serving as the orchestra manager and color guard coordinator. She is the principal flutist of the SFA Wind Ensemble and has performed with the SFA Chamber Orchestra, Flute Choir and the Lumberjack Marching Band.

Aimee Beaulieu, Euless senior, and Joseph Marbley, Houston sophomore, will perform the third movement of Michael Haydn’s "Concerto in E-flat Major for Two Horns." Both are students of Dr. Charles Gavin, SFA professor of music.

Beaulieu began her studies at SFA in 1999 and has been active in each of

SFA’s ensembles, serving as principal of the SFA Wind Ensemble, Symphonic

Band, Opera Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra and assistant principal in the Orchestra of the Pines. She was a finalist in the International Horn Society’s Mock Symphonic Auditions, played with the Lake Charles Symphony, and twice has been a national finalist for the Collegiate Brass Artist Competition sponsored by the Music Teachers National Association. Beaulieu will graduate in May with a double major in music education and

Spanish and will continue studying horn in Germany under the direction of Bill Jones, formerly of the Houston Symphony.

While a student at Eisenhower High School, Marbley was a member of region, district, area and all-state bands and orchestras. He is currently a member of SFA’s Wind Ensemble, Chamber Orchestra and the Orchestra of the Pines. 

Joseph Hewitt, Longview sophomore, will play the first movement of Richard Strauss’ "Horn Concerto No. 1."

After graduating from high school, Hewitt served four years in a Marine Corps field band. During that time he played in seven countries and 20 states. Hewitt attended Kilgore College and currently studies under Gavin.

Jerome Hunter, Chicago senior, will sing "Hai Gia Vinta," the Count’s aria from Mozart’s "Marriage of Figaro." The baritone is a student of Dr. David Jones, SFA Regents Professor.

Hunter will receive his bachelor’s degree in May and plans to pursue his master’s in opera performance at the University of Texas in Austin. While at SFA, Hunter played Mikado in "Mikado" and Krusina in "Bartered Bride." He also sang in scenes from "The Tender Land" and "Most Happy Fella."

Soprano Tracy Rouse, San Antonio senior, will sing "O Mio Fernando" from

Gaetano Donizetti’s "La Favorita." Rouse studies with SFA instructor Debbie Berry.

Rouse is a member of SFA’s A Cappella Choir and Madrigal Singers and appeared in four operas. She played the mother in "The Consul," Bizet in "Carmen" and was a member of the chorus in "Street Scene" and "Falstaff." Rouse will play the Third Lady in the upcoming production of "The Magic Flute." She is pursuing a degree in music education and hopes to teach high school students.  

In addition to the student-featured works, the orchestra will play Samuel Jones’ "Elegy." Jacobsen added this piece to the program after the Columbia space shuttle tragedy.

"Jones wrote this piece to express the grief and shock the nation was feeling in the wake of President John F. Kennedy’s assassination. Our emotions concerning this latest tragedy are similar and this work relays the anguish one feels in such a time," Jacobsen said. "Plus, President Kennedy was one of the biggest supporters of the space program, setting the goal ‘to put a man on the moon before the end of this (1960s) decade,’ so the this piece is most appropriate.”

The concert is presented by the SFA College of Fine Arts and the Department of Music and is sponsored in part by gifts from Ed and Gwen Cole and the Wedgeworth-Wright Endowment for the Arts.

Tickets for the concert are $15 for adults, $12 for seniors and $5 for students. For more information, call (936) 468-6407 or 1-888-240-ARTS.

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