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Crane School of Music Kicks Off the Spring Semester with Faculty Recitals & Student Performances

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

Potsdam, NY (01/26/2026) — SUNY Potsdam's Crane School of Music will feature its talented students and world-renowned faculty artists in a series of upcoming live performances to kick off the Spring 2026 semester.

Dr. Young-Ah Tak (piano) will present a faculty recital on Thursday, Jan. 29 at 7:30 p.m., in the Sara M. Snell Music Theater. She will present Ludwig van Beethoven's "Piano Sonata, Op. 10, No. 2 in F-Major" and Franz Schubert's "Impromptu in G-Flat Major, Op. 90, No. 3." She will be joined by her colleague, Dr. Risa Okina (piano) for a rendition of Beethoven's "Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-Flat Major, Op. 73," known as the "Emperor Concerto," to close the program.

The annual Crane Faculty Showcase will highlight more members of Crane's illustrious faculty of artists and scholars on Friday, Jan. 30 at 7:30 p.m., also in Snell Theater. Nineteen performers are set to take the stage, presenting works by Victor Herbert, Heitor Villa-Lobos, Valerie Coleman Ida Gotkovsky, Gwyneth Walker, Michael Flanders and Donald Swann, Fernando Deddos, Eric Cook, Julianna Voelker, and Crane composers Seungyoung Hong and Ivette Herryman Rodriguez. Performers include:

  • Brass: Samson Flancbaum (euphonium), Charles Guy (tuba), Chris Hernacki (trombone), Christopher Keach (trumpet), Bella Kolasinski (horn), Luke Spence (trumpet)
  • Piano: Josh Barkley, Jeanne-Minette Cilliers, Keilor Kastella, Risa Okina and Ivette Herryman Rodriguez
  • Strings: Marie-Elaine Gagnon (cello), Seongyoung Hong (bass)
  • Voice: Kathleen Miller (soprano) and Colleen Skull (soprano)
  • Woodwinds: Julianne Kirk Doyle (clarinet), Brian Dunbar (flute), Casey Grev (saxophone), Jacob Nance (saxophone)
  • Percussion: Emma Gierszal and Tim Sullivan

The Student Composers Forum will feature an evening of works composed by current Crane School of Music students, on Monday, Feb. 2 at 7:30 p.m., also in Snell Theater. Six up-and-coming composers will have their newest works performed, including pieces for fixed media, piano, guitar and vocals, and even with vibraphone/spoken word and audience participation.

Dr. Kathryn Sherman will present a recital of piano chamber music on Wednesday, Feb. 4 at 7:30 p.m., also in Snell Theater. To open the program, she will be joined by Christopher Keach (trumpet) and Christopher Hernacki (trombone) for Eric Ewazen's "Pastorale for Trumpet, Trombone and Piano." Sherman will then welcome Anna Hendrickson (oboe) and Lauren Becker (horn) for a performance of "Three Sketches for Oboe, Horn in F and Piano" by Anthony Plog. She will conclude the recital with Barbara York's "Conversations," featuring Casey Grev (saxophone) and Charles Guy (tuba).

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

  • Thursday, Feb. 5: Faculty recital featuring Jacob Nance, saxophone
  • Tuesday, Feb. 10: Faculty recital featuring Brian Dunbar, flute
  • Thursday, Feb. 12: Faculty recital featuring Charles Guy, tuba

The evening concert series will continue with a special one-night-only event, "Benny Goes Wild: A Celebration of LGBTQ History and Culture," on Wednesday, Feb. 11 at 7:30 p.m. The show will be offered in the Proscenium Theater, located in the Performing Arts Center. The performance is a celebration of LGBTQ history in concert, set to a mix of classic, pop, country and jazz tunes.

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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SUNY Potsdam’s Crane School of Music offers hundreds of free performances each year, most of which also livestream online at www.potsdam.edu/cranelive.

Dr. Young-Ah Tak, piano, will present a faculty recital at SUNY Potsdam’s Crane School of Music on Thursday, Jan. 29 at 7:30 p.m., in the Sara M. Snell Music Theater.

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