Crane School of Music Kicks Off the Fall Semester with Guest Artists, Faculty Recitals & Student Performances

SUNY Potsdam's Crane School of Music Welcomes Audiences for Upcoming Concerts & Recitals

Potsdam, NY (09/11/2026) — SUNY Potsdam's Crane School of Music will feature visiting guest artists alongside its talented students and world-renowned faculty in a series of upcoming live performances to kick off the Fall 2026 semester.

Guest artist and proud Crane School of Music alumna Olivia Phaneuf '20 will present a saxophone recital on Monday, Sept. 14 at 7:30 p.m., in the Sara M. Snell Music Theater. A Los Angeles-based saxophonist, educator and arts administrator, Phaneuf maintains an active performing career as a soloist and chamber musician. Curiosity and collaboration guide Phaneuf's approach to performance -- as showcased in her planned set at Crane. She seeks out music that tells stories and amplifies new voices, often featuring works by women, queer, and underrepresented composers.

Another guest artist performance is set for Thursday, Sept. 17 at 7:30 p.m., also in Snell Theater. BoomSquawk is the clarinet and piano duo of two lifelong best friends, Cameron Hewes '15 (clarinet) and Elliot Keeler (piano). BoomSquawk's music is mainly improvised, guided with a constraint such as "a story in three parts," a melodic jumping off point, or absolutely nothing at all and the two performers simply respond to the now. Both performers have been playing music together and separately since early childhood. For his part, Hewes has appeared as an has appeared as an orchestral and chamber musician in New England Conservatory's Jordan Hall, Boston's Symphony Hall, and the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, and holds degrees in both music performance and visual art.

The Crane Jazz Trio, featuring faculty members SeungYoung Hong (bass), Tim Sullivan (drums) and Josh Barkley (piano), will present a concert on Monday, Sept. 21 at 7:30 p.m. in the Proscenium Theater, located in the Performing Arts Center. Their set will feature two original works and two arrangements by Hong, who oversees jazz studies at Crane, as well as one of Barkley's compositions, alongside additional contemporary pieces by Linda May Han Oh and Kenny Barron.

Joined by colleagues and musical collaborators, Dr. Chris Hernacki (trombone) will present a faculty recital on Wednesday, Sept. 23 at 7:30 p.m., in Snell Theater. The performance will open with two consortium premieres, joined by pianist Risa Okina for Kevin Lau's "Where Ocean Meets Sky," followed by a solo trombone work, "Hollywood Concerto" by Sterling Maffe. Following an intermission, Hernacki will be joined by the Crane Jazz Trio on two of his original arrangements, starting with "Air, Man" by Takashi Tateishi and Manami Matsumae, and adding Chris Keach on flugelhorn for the final piece, Anamanaguchi's "Less-Than-Moderately-Priced Boutique."

On Friday, Sept. 25, the Crane Wind Ensemble will present a special concert at 7:30 p.m. in the Helen M. Hosmer Concert Hall, which will also double as the kick-off performance for the inaugural Crane Brass Summit. The wind ensemble will perform alongside Crane Concerto Competition winner Liam Yusko '28 (tuba), as well as the Potsdam Brass Quintet.

The busy September schedule will continue with a series of evening concerts at 7:30 p.m. in Snell Theater:

• Monday, Sept. 28: Faculty chamber recital featuring the Julia Trio, including Liesl Doty (violin), Marie-Elaine Gagnon (cello) and Shelly Tramposh (viola)
• Tuesday, Sept. 29: Faculty recital featuring Casey Grev, saxophone, and Tracy Lipke-Perry, piano
• Wednesday, Sept. 30: Faculty recital featuring Kathleen Miller, soprano, and Keilor Kastella, piano

The events are a community benefit of being home to one of the premier schools of music in the nation -- and thanks to livestreaming, anyone anywhere can watch and enjoy. For program details and more information on these and other upcoming performances, please visit www.potsdam.edu/cranelive.

About The Crane School of Music:

Founded in 1886, SUNY Potsdam's Crane School of Music has a long legacy of excellence in music education and performance. Life at Crane includes an incredible array of more than 300 recitals, lectures and concerts presented by faculty, students and guests each year. The Crane School of Music is the State University of New York's only All-Steinway institution and was one of the first Yamaha Institutions of Excellence. For more information, please visit www.potsdam.edu/crane.

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