THIBODAUX – The faculty of the Nicholls State University Department of Music will present the fifth annual Nocturne – a recital in support of music scholarships – on Friday, Feb. 18, in Talbot Theater on the university campus.
The evening will begin with a cocktail reception at 6:30 p.m., during which guests will be able to participate in a silent auction with final bids to be placed during the recital’s intermission.
The recital will begin at 7:30 p.m., showcasing the talents of the Nicholls music faculty. After the program, guests will enjoy a coffee and dessert reception.
A variety of performance media and historical musical styles await the concertgoer. The program will include performances by harpsichordist Dr. Carol Britt, head of the Department of Music and associate professor of music; singers Dr. Kenneth Klaus, professor of music and director of choral activities; Valerie Francis, assistant professor of music; violinist James Alexander, adjunct instructor of music; saxophonist Paula Van Goes, assistant professor of music; percussionist Eric Gueniot, instructor of music and assistant director of bands, and pianists Dr. Luciana Soares, associate professor of music, Donna Sammarco, instructor of music, and Casey Haynes, staff accompanist.
The newest member of the Department of Music, Valerie Francis will open the concert with an aria and spirituals. In recognition of the 200th anniversary of Franz Liszt’s birth, Soares will perform Liszt’s transcription of Robert Schumann’s Lied, “Dedication” for piano. Klaus will then sing Le Bestiaire, six short songs about animals by Francis Poulenc, accompanied by Sammarco. Britt will perform selections from J. S. Bach’s Goldberg Variations on harpsichord, and the Alexander-Soares violin and piano duo will follow with Villa-Lobos’s Sonata Desesperance. Sammarco and Haynes will end the first part of the program with “Spanish Dance” for piano four-hands by Moritz Moszkowski.
The second portion of the recital will begin with Gueniot performing on marimba a transcription of Bach’s “Prelude” from Suite for Unaccompanied Cello. Van Goes will be joined by Sammarco in a performance of “Gosto de Brasil” (“Taste of Brazil”) and Sammarco and Soares will follow with a performance of Joao Guilherme Ripper’s “Nocturne” for two pianos. The recital will conclude with Francis and Klaus performing the Papagena/Papageno duet from Mozart’s The Magic Flute, accompanied by Britt.
Several sponsorship levels are available. A gift of $800 places the guest at the “Polonaise” level, which includes eight tickets to Nocturne. A $500 gift designates the “Mazurka” level and includes four tickets.
Individual tickets are available for $50 each, which includes the concert and both receptions.
Cocktail attire is requested. Guests should R.S.V.P. by Friday, Feb. 4, by calling (985) 448-4600. Checks should be made payable to the Nicholls State University Foundation and mailed to the Nicholls Deaprtment of Music, P.O. Box 2017, Thibodaux, La., 70310.
For additional information, go to www.nicholls.edu/perform/nocturne/.
