Crane School of Music Streaming Concert to Highlight Student Composers & Performers

SUNY Potsdam's Crane School of Music Presents Student Composers Forum, Streaming on Oct. 19

by Bret Yager

Potsdam, NY (10/13/2020) — The talent of student composers and performers will be the highlight of an evening concert streaming live from SUNY Potsdam's Crane School of Music, on Monday, Oct. 19, at 7:30 p.m.

Crane invites the public to view a streamed performance of the Crane Student Composers Forum, presented from the Sara M. Snell Music Theater. The concert will feature two solo performances that will be live in Snell, followed by prerecorded pieces to allow time for social distancing between works, and then finish with a live trio performance in Snell.

The performance will stream live on Crane's YouTube channel and Facebook page at the concert time on Monday. The links and program information will be available at http://www.potsdam.edu/cranelive.

The live solo performances, "AM: a work for solo oboe" and "Autumn Evening," composed by Dylan Dukat and Kelly Friedmann, respectively, will feature Justin Tan on oboe. The prerecorded performance of "In Search of Comfort," composed by Amanda Rizzo, features Manya Kester on solo clarinet.

"I finished this piece during the COVID-19 quarantine, and I wanted to represent what I felt during that time," Rizzo said. "There are moments of uncertainty and obscureness, and there are long, dark passages as well. I felt like I was constantly searching for ways to comfort myself during this difficult time, which is what inspired the title of this piece."

"Latency," composed by Peter Oselador, features the composer on piano, with Alex Malin and Jordan Dreyer on bassoons in a prerecorded performance.

Tan commissioned the two pieces he will perform live on oboe, giving the composers free rein to create their own expression, with the caveat that the pieces reflect a somber reality.

"Friedmann's piece is short, yet is all about the falling leaves in autumn," said Tan. "The oscillating lines offer imagery of the falling leaves. The soaring melodic line reminds us of the darker nights that inch towards us. Even though this piece creates the imagery of the sad changing evenings, it is yet hopeful, as this feeling does not last too long -- only about two minutes."

Dukat's piece is more contemporary, with extended technique. One is the use of multiphonics that is featured throughout the piece. The oboe can only play one note at a time, but using a different fingering, woodwind instruments can play two or more notes at the same time; creating a unique sound like dial-up internet.

"I drew heavily from Harlan Ellison's haunting short story 'I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream,'" Dukat said. "In the story, AM -- Allied Mastercomputer -- is a supercomputer that gains sentience and a hatred for humanity. Its name transforms in meaning, first to Adaptive Manipulator, and finally Aggressive Menace. The theme of the story seems to revolve around unwilling silence in the face of an oppressive ruler."

To see this and other upcoming livestreaming performances at SUNY Potsdam's Crane School of Music, visit http://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. For more information, visit http://www.potsdam.edu/crane.

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Amanda Rizzo, a vocal performance major who plays the violin and composed “In Search of Comfort,” poses for a portrait in front of Snell Hall at The Crane School of Music.

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Crane School of Music student Amanda Rizzo is one of the student composers who will debut new works at a concert livestreaming online on Monday, Oct. 19 at 7:30 p.m. For links, visit potsdam.edu/cranelive.

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