ABAC Takes Over Turner Field - Much Fun Had By All · ABAC Takes Over Turner Field - Much Fun Had By All ... rendition of the Star Spangled Banner. ... of the finest acoustic-fingerstyle

VOLUME LII ISSUE 6 August 22, 2016

ABAC Takes Over Turner Field - Much Fun Had By AllThe ABAC Alumni Association traveled to Turner Field on Friday to see the Braves play. Many alumni, students, faculty and staff enjoyed the ball game. The ABAC Chamber Singers, Directed by Dr. Susan Roe, opened the game with a beautiful rendition of the Star Spangled Banner. Pictured (l-r) President David Bridges and his wife Kim pause outside the front gates for a picture. The ABAC Chamber Singers perform the National Anthem.

Symphonies, jazz, and dramatic performances are all included in the seven events of this year’s “ABAC Presents! Performing Arts Series” at ABAC.

ABAC Arts Connection Director Wayne Jones said the 2016-17 series kicks off with the University of Georgia Symphony Orchestra on Sept. 11 at 3 p.m. at the Tift County High School (TCHS) Performing Arts Center. The symphony will feature pianist Martha Thomas performing Manuel de Falla’s “Nights in the Gardens of Spain.”

Guitarist Shaun Hopper will play in Howard Auditorium at ABAC on Oct. 13 at 7 p.m. Hopper is one of the finest acoustic-fingerstyle guitar players in America. Born and raised in Adel, he merges complex melodies, harmonies, and bass lines along with a one-of-a-kind mix of percussive elements that include covers from Chet Atkins, Queen and

The Beatles.Derek Evans brings his one-

man show on Teddy Roosevelt, “The Man in the Arena,” to Howard Auditorium at 3 p.m. on Nov. 6. Evans transforms into America’s 26th president in this dynamic performance. Roosevelt’s courage, honesty, character, energy, and profound vision for this country are beacons shining through the ages, and Evans brings the American icon alive with his performance.

The Olney Theatre Center’s National Players will stage John Steinbeck’s “The Grapes of Wrath” as part of the company’s 68th national tour at 7 p.m. on Feb. 2, 2017 in Howard Auditorium. The Olney Theatre Center, located in Montgomery County, Md., offers a diverse array of year-round professional productions that enrich, nurture and challenge a

broad range of artists, audiences and students.

Noted pianist Read Gainsford will perform on Feb. 23, 2017 in Howard Auditorium at 7 p.m. Known as “Pianist of the People” he pursues connections wherever he finds them, reaching audiences in ways beyond the traditional performance. His international career has taken him to major theatres and concert halls on four continents as a recital soloist, concerto soloist, and chamber musician.

The Albany Symphony Orchestra will delight the audience at 3 p.m. on March 26, 2017 at the TCHS Performing Arts Center. The orchestra will perform Debussy’s La Mer (The Sea), Gabriel Faure’s “Cantique de Jean Racine,” and Maurice Durufle’s “Requiem” with choirs from ABAC, Southwest Civic Chorus of Americus, Georgia Southwestern State University,

ABAC Performing Arts Series Kicks Off Season September 11

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Middle Georgia State University, the Albany Chorale, and Albany State University.

Trumpet player Terell Stafford will be the guest performer for the annual ABAC Jazz Festival at Howard Auditorium at 7 p.m. on April 20, 2017. Based in New York, he is recognized as an incredibly gifted and versatile player combining a deep love of melody with his own brand of spirited and adventurous lyricism. He will be the featured soloist with the ABAC Jazz Ensemble, under the direction of Thomas Heflin.

The ABAC Jazz Ensemble’s award-winning performances have taken the group to some of the world’s greatest stages, including the Montreaux Jazz Festival in Switzerland and the North Sea Jazz Festival in Amsterdam.

While available tickets will be sold at the door for each show, Jones encourages advance purchase of tickets to ensure seating for patrons. Tickets for the entire series are $75 for adults and $25 for students under 18 years of age. Tickets can be purchased online at www.purplepass.com/abac or by phone at (229) 391-4895. To purchase individual event tickets, the cost is $20 for adults and $10 for students under 18 years of age.

The “ABAC Presents! Performing Arts Series” is supported in part by the Georgia Council for the Arts through the appropriations of the Georgia General Assembly. The Georgia Council for the Arts also receives support from its partner agency - the National Endowment for the Arts.

ABAC Presents from page 1

All students who received a scholarship for the 2016-2017 academic year are invited to the Alumni House for “Milk and Cookies” Day on Tuesday, August 30. This is a special opportunity for students to write

a thank you note to the donor of their scholarship and it is very important that each student attends. Please encourage your students to make this event a priority – it is expected of them to attend and write their note. Students can stop by the alumni house anytime between 12 and 5 p.m. on that Tuesday. They can RSVP with their chosen time slot at http://www.emailmeform.com/builder/form/m29y8g99aI95Ce0hn.

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Scholarship M.A.C. Day - August 30

Save the Date!Stallion Day • Nov. 12

Join ABAC and the Georgia Museum of Agriculture (GMA) for an announcement regarding the Destination Ag Project funded by the Harley Langdale, Jr. Foundation, Inc. The announcement will take place on Tuesday at 11 a.m. in the Atrium at the GMA. For more information regarding the announcement, contact Garrett Boone at [email protected].

ABAC Ag Classic Tournament to be Held September 26

Auditions for the Baldwin Players’ fall production of “The Birds” by Aristophanes will be held Aug. 22-23 at 6:30 p.m. in Howard Auditorium at ABAC.

Dr. Brian Ray, director of the ABAC theatre group, said this classic Greek comedy has been updated for a 21st century audience,

Auditions are open to ABAC students, faculty, and staff, as well as members of the community. No advance preparation is needed, and those who audition do not need to be enrolled in a theatre class. Roles are

available for 18-20 people. The play will have several specific characters and a chorus of 12-15 people who will have small speaking parts.

Those interested in helping with the production from the technical side can attend the auditions and talk with Ray about behind the scenes work.

Performances of “The Birds” will take place Oct. 27-29 at 7 p.m. in Howard Auditorium. Admission is free to ABAC faculty, staff and students. The ticket cost is $10 per person for the general public.

For more information about auditions, interested persons can contact Ray at [email protected].

Auditions for ‘The Birds’ August 22-23 at ABAC

The 16th Annual Ag Classic Golf Tournament at ABAC will be held on Sept. 26 at Forest Lakes Golf Course. There will be an 8 a.m. flight and a 1 p.m. flight. A complimentary lunch will be served between flights.

The tournament is hosted by the ABAC Ag Alumni Council and the School of Agriculture and Natural Resources to generate scholarship funds for students in that area of study. The student scholarship funds are raised by tournament sponsorships and player registration fees. There are six sponsorship levels from $100 for a Century Level Sponsor to $5,000 for a Stallion Level Sponsor.

Open to the first 100 golfers who register, the tournament will be a four-man scramble with a shotgun start. There is an entry fee of $125 per person or a $500 entry fee for each four-person team

that includes lunch, cart, greens fees, and an embroidered golf shirt with tournament logo. Prizes will be awarded to the first and second

place teams in each flight. Prizes will also be awarded for the longest drive, hole-in-one, and closest shot to the pin on designated holes.

The Ag Classic’s ball drop event will be back for its third year. Individuals can purchase numbered

golf balls for a small fee for a chance to win. Participants can purchase one golf ball for $5, three golf balls for $10, six golf balls for $20, twelve for $40, eighteen for $60, twenty-four for $80, or thirty for $100. All the balls sold with unique individual numbers will be placed in the bucket of a front end loader and dropped onto the putting green at Forest Lakes Golf Course. The ball that rolls closest to/or drops into a pre-selected designated hole on the putting green will be declared the

winner. The number on each ball will be associated with an individual that purchased chances to win. The grand prize is a Visa gift card with a designated value equal to 50 per cent (nearest $10) of the numbered golf balls sold.

To participate in the tournament or the ball drop event, interested persons can contact tournament coordinator Vonda Fenn at (229) 391.5067, at [email protected], or by going online at www.abac.edu/academics/schools/ag-natural-resources/outreach/ag-classic. The opportunity to participate in the ball drop is open until the event takes place at 12:45 p.m. on Sept. 26.

On August 21, 2015, the Veteran Success Center opened its doors to ABAC veteran students. Over the course of a year, the Veteran Success Center has seen many contributions and much support from the campus and the community. To celebrate their anniversary, Monday - Wednesday students will have the opportunity to win an Apple iPad by participating in “Brass in the Class”. For more information, please contact Jessica Swords at [email protected].

Veteran Success Center Celebrates One Year