From Jazz to Opera, Crane School of Music Students Take the Stage Throughout November

SUNY Potsdam's Crane School of Music Welcomes Audiences for Upcoming Free Performances Featuring Student Ensembles

Please Note: Apologies, the last version of this release had outdated information on the opera production. Please use the updated version below. Thanks for your patience!

Potsdam, NY (10/29/2026) — SUNY Potsdam's Crane School of Music will showcase the talent and artistry of its student musicians this November, with a schedule of nearly daily performances ranging from jazz and orchestra concerts to opera, choir and chamber ensemble presentations. All performances are free and open to the public.

The Crane Jazz Band and Giroux Honors Jazz Combo will join forces for a joint concert on Monday, Nov. 2 at 7:30 p.m., in the Sara M. Snell Music Theater. The Jazz Combo will kick things off with a program titled "In Case You Hadn't Heard," featuring numbers by Cedar Walton, Horace Silver, Woody Shaw, Cole Porter Jimmy Van Huesen and Kathryn Serman. Following a brief intermission, the Crane Jazz Band will take over, with "City Sketches II," featuring a set of metropolitan-inspired works, including Benny Carter's "Central City Sketches," Duke Ellington's "Agra," Gregory Yasinitsky's "Rosarito Beach" and Dizzy Gillespie's "A Night in Tunisia."

Continuing the busy schedule of performances, The Crane School of Music is also set to offer a series of evening concerts at 7:30 p.m.:

• Tuesday, Nov. 3: Crane Latin Ensemble, Snell Theater
• Thursday, Nov. 5: Crane Symphony Orchestra, Helen M. Hosmer Concert Hall
• Friday, Nov. 6: Hosmer and Concert Choirs, Snell Theater
• Monday, Nov. 9: Guitar and Harp Ensembles, Snell Theater
• Tuesday, Nov. 10: Student Composers Forum, Snell Theater
• Thursday, Nov. 12: Flute and Clarinet Choirs, Hosmer Hall

The Crane Opera Ensemble is set to present a double-bill of gossip, chaos and misconnections this fall, with two one-act operas, Gilbert and Sullivan's "Trial by Jury" and Menotti's "The Telephone." The opera ensemble will present free evening shows at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 13 and Saturday, Nov. 14, with a closing matinee at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 15. All performances will be held in the Proscenium Theater, located in the Performing Arts Center. More information will soon be sent on this semester's opera performances.

Following the fall opera production, the concert schedule will continue with 7:30 p.m. performances as follows:

• Monday, Nov. 16: Crane Brass Ensemble, Hosmer Hall
• Wednesday, Nov. 18: Crane Concert Band, Hosmer Hall
• Thursday, Nov. 19: Crane Symphonic Band, Hosmer Hall
• Friday, Nov. 20: Crane Jazz Ensemble, Proscenium Theater, Performing Arts Center
• Saturday, Nov. 21: Crane West African Drum and Dance Ensemble, Snell Theater
• Monday, Nov. 23: Crane Wind Ensemble, Hosmer Hall
• Tuesday, Nov. 24: Crane Percussion Ensemble, Snell Theater

The traditional Crane Candlelight Concert will be held on Sunday, Dec. 6 at 7:30 p.m., also in Hosmer Hall. More details on this holiday season classic will soon be announced.

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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