SHSU Update for Week of January 21

• Recital Three: Beethoven's Music
• Sills Event to Include Autographs
• Debaters Highly Ranked
• Bearkat Keys to Wellness
• Graduate Research Exchange Set
• Briefs

Recital Three: Beethoven's Music

Each recital in the series includes works by Beethoven alongside works of his contemporaries, both well known and lesser known.

"This third recital consists of Beethoven's final work for the piano, his 'Six Bagatelles,' the rarely heard but exuberant and melodious 'Third Sonata' by Weber, and the sublime and lyrical final 'Sonata in B flat' by Schubert," said Swansbourne.

British pianist Swansbourne studied at the Royal College of Music in London, and later received his doctorate from Yale School of Music, where he studied with Ward Davenny and Claude Frank. He has toured widely throughout the United States, and has performed to critical acclaim in big cities here and in Europe and Canada. He has also broadcast on NPR's "Performance Today," and for the BBC in Great Britain.

In the past decade he has performed two series of eight concerts comprising the 32 Beethoven sonatas. The Philadelphia Inquirer has written of his playing: "Swansbourne's playing was like a pool in the forest - of great mystery and beauty," and the Frankfurt Neue Presse praised his "complete artistic and technical sovereignty."

Admission is $8 adults and $5 students and children. Tickets will be available at the door. SHSU faculty, staff and students (with identification) and Friends of Music will be admitted free.

Sills Event to Include Autographs

The Sills lecture is scheduled for 8 p.m. in the Beto Criminal Justice Center Killinger Auditorium. Frank Fair, who heads the faculty/staff committee planning for Sills' visit, said that faculty members, students, and area residents who attend the presentation are in for an entertaining and thought-provoking evening, with the additional opportunity to meet Ms. Sills personally.

One feature of the evening will be a pre-speech autograph session. While Ms. Sills' 1976 biography, "Bubbles: A Self-Portrait," is no longer in print, Fair said he has been told by one of her fans that he was able to obtain a copy by searching the Internet. Sills has also written the books "Bubbles--An Encore" in 1982 and "Beverly--An Autobiography," in 1987.

Audience members are also invited to bring compact discs for Sills to autograph, and at least one of her most popular CDs will be on sale.

Sills, who has won numerous awards for her voice performance work and efforts on behalf of the arts, was a beloved and respected operatic soprano. In 1980 she was named general director of the New York City Opera and presided over the city's Opera Board from 1989 to 1990. In 1994 she was elected chair of the board of the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, the position she currently holds.

Debaters Highly Ranked

Sam Houston State ranked fourth in a region which consists of debate programs in Texas and Louisiana and 49th nationally. The top 10 teams regionally were University of Texas, North Texas, UT-Dallas, SHSU, Baylor, UT-San Antonio, SMU, LSU-Baton Rouge, LSU-Shreveport, and Trinity University.

The team's 49th ranking nationally puts them ahead of programs such as Baylor (57th), Southwest Texas (70th), Harvard (80th), and the University of Miami (83rd).

The team competed this weekend in the "Fiesta Baylor" tournament at Trinity University in San Antonio. The team of Jason Courville and Terri Easley competed in the open division, with Lee Washington and Lawrence Williams entered in the junior varsity division.

Bearkat Keys to Wellness

Activities will include a free breakfast, a weight room orientation, a group skip, a Latin dance class, yoga, and more. Also, "Bearkat Keys to Wellness" will provide opportunities to learn about basic massage techniques, how to work out at home, and the truth about the latest diet trends. Another featured event, back by popular demand, will be "AeroJam."

All activities are free of charge and open to SHSU students, faculty, and staff. For each event attended, participants will have the chance to enter their name in a prize drawing, and 15 prizes will be awarded on Friday, Feb. 2 at noon.

For the schedule of events and more details about each one, obtain "Bearkat Keys to Wellness" brochures in the Health/Kinesiology Center, room 104. For more information, call 936.294.1985.

Graduate Research Exchange Set

The event, which invites participation from graduate students in all disciplines, is scheduled for 5:45 - 8:30 p.m. in room 319 of the Teacher Education Center.

Information is provided in each department and is available at the center's website. Information is also available from Ellene Polidore (telephone 936.294.4348) or Beverly Irby, center director (telephone 936.294.1134).

Briefs

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SHSU Media Contacts: Frank Krystyniak, Julia May
Jan. 21, 2000
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