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The Crane School of Music Opens New Academic Year with Faculty Gala

SUNY Potsdam's Crane School of Music Opens Concert Season with Faculty Gala on Sept. 8 in Hosmer Hall

Potsdam, NY (08/27/2026) — SUNY Potsdam's Crane School of Music will officially open the 2026-27 academic year with the annual Faculty Gala, on Tuesday, Sept. 8 at 7:30 p.m. in the Helen M. Hosmer Concert Hall. The performance will also stream live online, at potsdam.edu/cranelive.

The Crane Faculty Gala highlights members of Crane's illustrious and world-renowned faculty of scholars and artists, and serve as a welcome to all new and returning Crane students.

This year's varied gala program will take listeners on a journey through many genres and time periods, with 30 faculty members taking to the stage throughout the evening. Works will span from classic operatic arias, chamber music and sonatas, to jazz, musical theatre and contemporary works.

The performance will include works by Ludwig van Beethoven, Cecilia McDowall, Gioachino Rossini, SeungYoung Hong, Igor Stravinsky, Kevin Day, Fazil Say and Eric Idle, among others.

This concert is free, and the public is invited to attend.

Performers include:

  • Brass faculty: The Potsdam Brass Quintet, including Lauren Becker (horn), Charles Guy (tuba), Christopher Hernacki (trombone), Christopher Keach (trumpet), and Luke Spence (trumpet), as well as Samson Flancbaum (euphonium) and Peter McCoy (trombone)
  • Piano faculty: Josh Barkley, Keilor Kastella, Tracy Lipke-Perry, Risa Okina, Ryan Reilly and Rosemarie Suniga
  • Percussion faculty: Emma Gierszal, Tim Sullivan
  • String faculty: The Julia Trio, featuring Liesl Doty (violin), Marie-Elaine Gagnon (cello) and Shelly Tramposh (viola), as well as SeongYoung Hong (double bass), Shanti Nachtergaele (Viennese double bass) and Jessica Suchy-Pilalis (harp)
  • Voice faculty: Christopher MacRae (tenor), Kathleen Miller (soprano), Shantelle Przybylo (soprano)
  • Woodwind faculty: Julianne Kirk Doyle (clarinet), Brian Dunbar (flute), Casey Grev (saxophone), Max Grube (bassoon), Christine Hoerning (clarinet), Carol Lowe (bassoon)

This performance will be broadcast live on the Crane School of Music YouTube channel at the concert time. To view the program and see other upcoming streaming performances, 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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The Potsdam Brass Quintet poses at The Crane School of Music.

SUNY Potsdam’s Crane School of Music will open the 2026-27 concert season with the Faculty Gala, on Tuesday, Sept. 8 at 7:30 p.m. From left to right: Potsdam Brass Quintet members Christopher Keach (trumpet), Lauren Becker (horn), Charles Guy (tuba), Christopher Hernacki (trombone), and Luke Spence (trumpet) will join an impressive group of faculty on stage at Hosmer Hall.

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