Upcoming Crane School of Music Performances Highlight Talented Students and Accomplished Faculty

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

Potsdam, NY (03/14/2022) — 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 2022 semester.

Pianist and Crane faculty member Young-Ah Tak will give a solo recital on Wednesday, March 16 at 7:30 p.m. in the Sara M. Snell Music Theater. The performance will include works by Ludwig van Beethoven, Claude Debussy, Judith Zaimont and Franz Schubert. The Zaimont piece, "Wizards - Three Magic Masters," received critical acclaim when Tak released the debut recording. Praised for "winning combination of passion, imagination and integrity" by New York Concert Review, Tak enjoys a career that has taken her throughout the U.S., Canada, Austria, Germany, Italy, South Korea and Japan.

Students in the voice studio of Dr. Donald George will present a special recital, "Get to Know William Grant Still," featuring the songs and arias of the pioneering Black composer. The recital will be held on Thursday, March 17 at 5:30 p.m., in the Ralph Wakefield Recital Hall (please note that this event will not be livestreamed). Thirteen student singers will present songs, spirituals and selections from his operas, including works from "Costaso," "Troubled Island," "Minette Fontaine," "A Bayou Legend" and "Highway 1 USA." The Crane Opera Ensemble is preparing to present the world premiere of Still's opera "Mota" in a workshop production on April 1.

"When we finally got the permission from Still's daughter Judy to premiere 'Mota,' I thought that a patchwork recital of his solos would be fun and interesting to do in my studio. The students are very interested in presenting his music and seeing what a huge variety of styles he used," George said. "I was also moved when Terrance Blanchard in his Metropolitan Opera interview at the premiere of 'Fire Shut Up in My Bones' said that he should not have been the first Black composer to be at the Met, but that William Grant Still should have been. I was at the Met for 'Porgy and Bess' and happened to find pages from the Met. The comments on Still's opera 'Blue Steel' saying 'not worthy of consideration' are quite telling. We want to show that his music is well worth considering."

The Crane Wind Ensemble will take the stage on Saturday, March 19 at 7:30 p.m., in the Helen M. Hosmer Concert Hall. The concert will open with a vibrant opening fanfare, "Shoutout!" by Roshanne Etezady, followed by Anthony Barfield's "Red Sky," and William Schuman's "Chester: Overture for Band." Following an intermission, the ensemble will present "Symphony No. 6, Op. 69" by Vincent Persichetti and close with "AMEN!" by Carlos Simon, which is inspired by the exuberant worship experience of the African-American Pentecostal Church.

Piano faculty member Keilor Kastella will present a recital along with colleagues on Sunday, March 20 at 7:30 p.m. in Snell Theater. Kastella will be joined by Brianne Borden on trumpet for George Enescu's "Legende" to open the concert, before accompanying soprano Deborah Massell on Francis Poulenc's song cycle "Fiancailles pour rire (Betrothal for Laughs)." The final piece on the program, Johannes Brahms' "Clarinet Trio in A-Minor, Op. 114," will be dedicated in memory of Elizabeth Howell '22. Christine Hoerning, clarinet, and Marie-Elaine Gagnon, cello, will join for the final piece.

Crane is thrilled to safely welcome back audiences for performances once again this year. 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.

To view upcoming performances, and find the livestream link, 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 http://www.potsdam.edu/crane.

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