FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

2/24/2003- Ginny Butler

SFA Chamber Orchestra To Present Works By Handel

       The Stephen F. Austin State University Chamber Orchestra will present selected works of George Frideric Handel in its concert at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 4, in Cole Concert Hall.

       Jeff Jacobsen, assistant professor and director of orchestral activities at SFA, is the conductor, and Isidor Saslav, director of string studies at SFA, is the concertmaster for the student-comprised orchestra.

The orchestra will present "Water Music," "Festival Music," and "Concerto Grosso in F Major."

       "Water Music" was first presented in 1717 as a serenade to King George I at a river party on the Thames.

"The arrangement we’re playing is Hamilton Harty’s, which includes selections from the larger suite,” Jacobsen said. “It’s one with which our audience is probably familiar."

       "Festival Music" is a series of overtures and dances from Handel’s opera "Alcina" which was first performed in 1735.

       "'Concerto Grosso in F Major' is one of the 12 grand concertos Handel wrote in a burst of creative energy in September and October 1739 and is one of Handel’s most popular concertos," Jacobsen said.

       The concert is a joint presentation of the SFA College of Fine Arts and the Department of Music.

       Tickets for the concert are $5 for adults, $4 for seniors and $2 for students.

For more information, call (936) 468-6407.

30