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The Crane School of Music to Present 'Peace & Love' Candlelight Concerts

SUNY Potsdam's Crane School of Music Hosts Traditional Candlelight Concerts on Dec. 5, to be Filmed & Broadcast by Mountain Lake PBS

Potsdam, NY (11/24/2021) — Nearly 300 student and faculty musicians from SUNY Potsdam's Crane School of Music will take the stage on Sunday, Dec. 5, in celebration of the holiday season, with the 2021 Crane Candlelight Concerts.

For the first time, the Crane Chorus and Crane Symphony Orchestra will be joined by the Crane Latin Ensemble for two performances on Sunday, Dec. 5 at 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Both concerts will take place in the Helen M. Hosmer Concert Hall. This concert will also feature the Crane Concert Choir and Phoenix Club, and conductors Jeffrey Francom, Nils Klykken, William L. Lake Jr., and Peter McCoy.

Titled "Peace and Love," this year's performances will honor Dean Emeritus Lonel Woods (Hon. '20), who passed away unexpectedly in May. The 2021 Crane Candlelight Concerts will feature works by Johannes Brahms, James Weldon Johnson, Arvo Part, Kim Andre Arnesen, Elaine Hagenberg, Peppie Calvar, Ray Coen, Gustav Holst and others. This year, due to COVID, there will not be traditional singalongs with the audience.

These annual Crane School of Music holiday celebration performances are a major highlight of the Crane concert season. The holiday concert tradition began in the 1930s, at what was then the Crane Institute of Music at Potsdam Normal School, and has continued to grow in prominence ever since.

SUNY Potsdam and The Crane School of Music invite you to join us for this free family-friendly event. Admission is free, but seats are limited due to social distancing measures. Masks are required at all times. Audience members are invited to bring a donation of canned goods or non-perishable items to benefit local food pantries.

To reserve tickets, contact the Community Performance Series Box Office, located in the Performing Arts Center lobby, or by calling (315) 267-2277. Tickets are also available at Brick & Mortar Music in downtown Potsdam.

The Crane Candlelight Concert evening performance will also be broadcast live on YouTube at 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 5. To view the program and see the performance, visit www.potsdam.edu/cranelive.

Mountain Lake PBS will film the Candlelight Concert once again for a nationally syndicated public television broadcast.

The station will broadcast last year's concert ("Christmas Past, Christmas Present") to open the season, on Friday, Nov. 26, at 2 p.m.

The remaining broadcasts this year will be of the new "Peace and Love" concert, to be shown as follows:

  • Monday, Dec. 20, at 9 p.m.
  • Tuesday, Dec. 21, at 1:30 a.m., 3:30 a.m., and 8 p.m.
  • Wednesday, Dec. 22, at 3 p.m.
  • Friday, Dec. 24, at 2 p.m. and 9 p.m.

This year's Crane Candlelight Concerts are sponsored by Lowe's Home Improvement of Potsdam.

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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Media Attachments

Students will fill the stage during the Crane Candlelight Concerts at SUNY Potsdam’s Crane School of Music again this year. This year’s performances will be held on Sunday, Dec. 5, at 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

Students will fill the stage during the Crane Candlelight Concerts at SUNY Potsdam’s Crane School of Music again this year. This year’s performances will be held on Sunday, Dec. 5, at 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

Film crews from Mountain Lake PBS will be filming this year’s Crane Candlelight Concerts for national syndication once again. The station’s president and CEO, Bill McColgan, joined the camera crew for a past performance (seen here).

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