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CPS to Welcome Mary Chapin Carpenter and Shawn Colvin Along with Sheku Kanneh-Mason to Close Fall Season

Community Performance Series to Present Grammy Winners Mary Chapin Carpenter & Shawn Colvin & Royal Wedding Cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason at SUNY Potsdam's Crane School of Music

Potsdam, NY (10/11/2023) — The Community Performance Series will close out the Fall 2023 season with a star-studded lineup.

Legendary country and folk artists Mary Chapin Carpenter and Shawn Colvin will be making a fall tour stop at SUNY Potsdam's Crane School of Music on Sunday, Oct. 22 at 7:30 p.m., in the Helen M. Hosmer Concert Hall.

Sheku Kanneh-Mason became a household name in 2018 after performing at the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex at Windsor Castle, his performance having been greeted with universal excitement after being watched by nearly 2 billion people globally. He will play a solo cello concert at Crane on Thursday, Nov. 9 at 7:30 p.m., also in Hosmer Hall.

"These performances have been two years in the making and I'm so thrilled that we are able to be counted as hosts for each of these tours," shared Community Performance Series Director Vanessa Vaverchak. "It is in thanks to the incredible generosity and support of our donors and audiences that make world-class events like these possible."

About the visiting artists:

Tickets are nearly sold out for the performance with Mary Chapin Carpenter and Shawn Colvin. With hits like "Passionate Kisses" and "He Thinks He'll Keep Her," Carpenter has won five Grammy Awards (with 16 nominations), two Country Music Awards, two Academy of Country Music Awards and is one of only 15 female members of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. Over the course of her acclaimed career, Carpenter has sold over 16 million records. In 2020, Carpenter recorded two albums -- "The Dirt And The Stars," released in August 2020, and "One Night Lonely," recorded live without an audience at the legendary Filene Center at Wolf Trap in Virginia during the COVID-19 shut down, and nominated for Best Folk Album at the 64th Grammy Awards in 2022. Colvin stopped the industry in its tracks with her arresting 1989 debut, "Steady On." The following spring, Colvin took home the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album, establishing herself as a mainstay in the singer-songwriter genre. In the ensuing 30 years, Colvin has won three Grammy Awards, released 13 superlative albums, written a critically acclaimed memoir, maintained a non-stop national and international touring schedule, appeared on countless television and radio programs, had her songs featured in major motion pictures, and created a remarkable canon of work.

Cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason's career and performances span the globe. Kanneh-Mason initially garnered renown as the winner of the 2016 BBC Young Musician competition, and subsequently became a Decca Classics recording artist. His latest album, "Song," showcases his lyrical playing with a wide selection of arrangements and collaborations. His 2020 album, "Elgar" reached No. 8 in the main UK Official Album Chart, making him the first ever cellist to reach the UK Top 10. Sheet music collections of his performance repertoire, along with his own arrangements and compositions, are published by Faber. Since his debut in 2017, Kanneh-Mason has performed every summer at the BBC Proms, including in 2020 when he gave a breath-taking recital performance with his sister, Isata, to an empty auditorium due to the pandemic. He was selected to appear in the coveted role as guest soloist at the 2022 Last Night of the Proms with the BBC Symphony Orchestra. A graduate of London's Royal Academy of Music where he studied with Hannah Roberts, Kanneh-Mason was appointed in 2022 as the Academy's first Menuhin Visiting Professor of Performance Mentoring. He is an ambassador for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Future Talent and Music Masters. Kanneh-Mason was appointed a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2020 New Year's Honours List. He plays a Matteo Goffriller cello from 1700, which is on indefinite loan to him.

To purchase tickets, visit www.cpspotsdam.org or contact the Community Performance Series Box Office, located in the Performing Arts Center lobby, by calling (315) 267-2277 or visiting in person, Wednesday through Friday, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tickets are also available at the door 1 hour prior to show start, pending availability.

About Community Performance Series:

The Community Performance Series is a college-community partnership presenting distinctive and renowned performing artists and arts education opportunities in Northern New York. This rich mixture of programming links communities, classrooms and audiences of all ages and preserves access to the performing arts for future generations. For more information, visit www.cpspotsdam.org.

About SUNY Potsdam:

Founded in 1816, The State University of New York at Potsdam is one of America's first 50 colleges -- and the oldest institution within SUNY. Now in its third century, SUNY Potsdam is distinguished by a legacy of pioneering programs and educational excellence. The College currently enrolls approximately 2,500 undergraduate and graduate students. Home to the world-renowned Crane School of Music, SUNY Potsdam is known for its challenging liberal arts and sciences core, distinction in teacher training and culture of creativity. To learn more, visit www.potsdam.edu.

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Media Attachments

Mary Chapin Carpenter will perform with Shawn Colvin in Hosmer Hall at SUNY Potsdam’s Crane School of Music on Sunday, Oct. 22, at 7:30 p.m. For tickets, go to cpspotsdam.org (Photo credit: Aaron Farrington).

Shawn Colvin will take the stage with Mary Chapin Carpenter at SUNY Potsdam’s Crane School of Music for the Community Performance Series on Oct. 22. For tickets, go to cpspotsdam.org.

Sheku Kanneh-Mason will perform a solo cello concert as part of the Community Performance Series in Hosmer Hall at SUNY Potsdam’s Crane School of Music, on Thursday, Nov. 9, at 7:30 p.m. For tickets, go to cpspotsdam.org (Photo credit: Ollie Ali).

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