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The Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ A Cappella Choir will present its fall concert at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 20, in Cole Concert Hall on the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ campus.

NACOGDOCHES, TEXAS - In preparation for its 2009 tour of Italy, the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ A Cappella Choir will present its fall concert at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 20, in Cole Concert Hall on the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ campus.

"We are already working on the music we will sing in Venice, the International Music Festival, Florence and Rome," said Dr. Tim King, Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ director of choral activities and the choir's director.

Included on the program is Giuseppe Verdi's "Ave Maria," which King describes as "one of the most beautiful, reverent settings of this text ever written," and "La Passegiata" by Gioachino Rossini.

"Even though 'La Passegiata' is not part of an opera, it shows Rossini at his operatic best," King said. "This chorus is taken from a collection of songs the composer fondly entitled 'Sins of My Old Age,' and it has the delightful and climatic character of an operatic finale."

"Leonardo Dreams of His Flying Machine" by American composer Eric Whitacre is another highlight of the choir's program. Commissioned by the American Choral Directors Association, the drama tells the story of Leonardo da Vinci being tormented by the calling of the air, tortured to such a degree that his only recourse is to figure out how to fly, King explained.

The concert is a joint presentation of the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ College of Fine Arts and School of Music. Cole Concert Hall is located at 2210 Alumni Dr. on the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ campus.

Tickets are $5 for adults, $4 for seniors and $2 for students. For tickets or more information, please visit or call (936) 468-6407 or (888) 240-ARTS.