Get in tune with TC music this fall
This fall’s Texarkana College music calendar brings award-winning musicians, top faculty, a harpist, outdoor choral music and more to local music lovers.
There’s also something brand new: a TC Music & Movies series. Mary Scott Goode, pianist and professor of music at TC, says the music department will show movies, performance videos, documentaries and the like for this series. All are free, 7 p.m. on a Monday at the Stilwell Humanities Music Hall, followed by a Q&A.
The monthly program starts Sept. 24 with a Howa rd Goodall video about the history of the piano, then continues with spooky music Oct. 29 with a showing of excerpts from “Symphonie Fantastique” and “Night on Bald Mountain” and Nov. 26 with Menotti’s “Amahl & the Night Visitors,” a short, Christmas-themed opera.
The season proper kicks off with a music faculty showcase on Monday, Aug. 27, at 7:30 p.m. in the Stilwell Humanities Music Hall. It’s a free show. Goode says the department has welcomed several new faculty for the year.
“We’ll feature them as well as all of us, everybody playing a piece,” Goode said. Expect to hear duos, piano and flute and other instruments. “All of us together, everybody plays something, just introducing ourselves to the community and our students.” It’s the first time they’ve held a faculty showcase in a while.
“Music is not just an academic pursuit, it’s an action pursuit. It’s a skill,” the professor said about hearing faculty perform.
On Wednesday, Sept. 5, at 5 p.m. the TC music department presents “A Musical Journey with Crimson Duo,” a program presented by harpist Jaymee Haefner and vio-
linist Matt Milewski at the music hall. Admission is $5. Haefner performed with the Texarkana Symphony Orchestra three years ago for a night of Mozart.
“She is a dean at the University of North Texas music school,” Goode said.
Tuesday, Oct. 2, at 7:30 p.m. brings award-winning baritone André Chiang to perform at the music hall. He’s the National Federation of Music Clubs 2017 Biennial Young Artist Competition winner in men’s voice, here accompanied by Goode. This co-presentation with the AR-TX Music Connection is free to attend.
This visit is part of an annual tour of Arkansas by the Young Artist winner. “We’ve always hosted that, and I’m real proud this year I’m going to be his accompanist,” Goode said.
On Thursday, Oct. 4, at noon in the music hall, Kiril Laskarov on violin and Marc-André Bougie on piano perform. It’s free to see. Laskarov, the TSO concertmaster, is performing a concerto with the TSO on Saturday, Oct. 6, as the guest artist, and this recital is a preview.
The Texarkana Regional Chorale presents a free “Al Fresco” concert on Tuesday, Oct. 16, at 6 p.m. at CHRISTUS St. Michael Imaging Center. Under the direction of Bougie and with Goode accompanying on piano, this is an outdoor concert by the TRC.
“We did this last year: The Regional Chorale played over at CHRISTUS St. Michael, and it was wonderful. It was beautiful,” Goode said. The TRC is its own organization, but singers also earn college credit at TC, hence it’s part of the music series.
The “James Herrin Piano Festival,” one of the TC music department’s most important events, brings pianist Dr. Richard Shuster to the Stilwell Humanities Music Hall for a 7 p.m. performance on Thursday, Nov. 8. Admission is free for this recital, jointly presented with The Allegro Club (formerly the Texarkana Music Teachers Association). A reception follows.
“Richard Shuster is a fabulous pianist from Texas Woman’s University,” Goode said.
Then, to celebrate the holiday season, the TC singers and area high school choirs present “Yulefest” in the Truman Arnold Student
“Everything we do
is about the community, it’s about education, educating people young and old. We try to make things real affordable.”
—Mary Scott Goode
Center Great Room on Friday, Nov. 30, at 7 p.m. Concert admission is $5. Bougie will conduct.
The TRC then also gets into the seasonal spirit with a program titled “Christmas Choral Splendor” on Tuesday, Dec. 4, at 7 p.m. with St. Edwards Catholic Church as the venue. Admission is free for a program that includes Bach, Handel, Vivaldi and others.
“Beautiful music for choir and orchestra for Christmastime,” Goode said.
In addition, the music department presents two student recitals, free to see in the music hall: at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 23, and at 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 5.
“Everything we do is about the community, it’s about education, educating people young and old. We try to make things real affordable. You know, you can’t have a music program if you don’t have music,” Goode said.