Community Performance Series 2015-16 Season Tickets Now on Sale

Community Performance Series Announces Exciting Upcoming Season Filled with Artistry

Related Media

Kellylee Evans and La Santa Cecilia will each perform on Saturday, Sept. 26 at 7:30 p.m. in Helen M. Hosmer Concert Hall to open the CPS 2015-16 season (La Santa Cecilia photo: Humberto Howard).

POTSDAM, NY (08/20/2015)(readMedia)-- Community Performance Series will present an incredible array of artistry with its 2015-16 season. Genres in the CPS Guest Artist Series and Meet The Arts Series range from classical to world, rock and jazz music, along with family and musical theatre.

The 2015-16 CPS Guest Artist Series will kick off on Saturday, Sept. 26 at 7:30 p.m. in the Helen M. Hosmer Concert Hall at SUNY Potsdam's Crane School of Music. This single program will feature two emerging artists, including the Juno Award-winning, jazz/hip hop singer-songwriter Kellylee Evans, followed by the Grammy Award-winning Latin rock group, La Santa Cecilia.

On Friday, Oct. 2 at 7:30 p.m., the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain will bring their hilarious group of all-singing, all-strumming ukulele players to Hosmer Hall. The orchestra will reinterpret every genre of music -- from Tchaikovsky to Nirvana, and from Otis Redding to Spaghetti Western soundtracks.

The 16th Annual Ranlett Organ Recital will follow on Sunday, Oct. 18 at 3 p.m., also in Hosmer Hall, featuring organist Craig Cramer. This annual recital will also include a free organ encounter on Saturday, Oct. 17 at 3 p.m.

On Saturday, Nov. 21 at 7:30 p.m., the McElheran Visiting Artist, Boston Brass, will visit Hosmer Hall to perform everything from classical arrangements to burning jazz standards, including the best of the original brass quintet repertoire, for an evening of great music and boisterous fun. The audience will be invited to choose the songs performed during the second half of the program.

The acclaimed chamber group featuring David Finckel (cello), Wu Han (piano) and Philip Setzer (violin) will perform two concerts, as the first annual Cania Family Visiting Artist. The performances will take place on Saturday, Feb. 13 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., also in Hosmer Hall. This dynamic chamber group will present Beethoven's six piano trios over the two concerts. Patrons can attend one or both shows. A special Austrian-themed dinner will also take place at 4:30 p.m. in Thatcher Hall between the performances. This optional dinner can be reserved through the CPS Box Office for $25.

A unique addition to the CPS Guest Artist Series season will be the musical "Quilters," taking place from Wednesday, March 16 to Saturday, March 19 at 7:30 p.m., in the Performing Arts Center's Black Box Theater. "Quilters" tells the story of a pioneer woman and her six daughters, and uses the art of quilt-making to blend a series of interrelated scenes into a rich mosaic that captures the darkness and beauty, the terror and joy, and the harsh challenge and abiding rewards of frontier life.

"Quilters" is being produced in conjunction with TAUNY's Northern New York Quilt Project, and in partnership with the Crane Opera Ensemble and the SUNY Potsdam Department of Theatre and Dance. The show will also be touring select towns throughout the North County. Please see www.cpspotsdam.org in the near future for updates on these venues.

The popular, Grammy Award-winning jazz collective Snarky Puppy will close the CPS Guest Artist Series season on Friday, May 6 at 7:30 p.m. in Hosmer Hall. With musicians hailing from Dallas and New York City, Snarky Puppy plays an infectious mixture of jazz, funk and world music. The band has earned high praise from critical stalwarts like the BBC, Village Voice, The Guardian and the Boston Herald.

The CPS Meet The Arts Series, which features family-friendly theatre, will also continue to provide opportunities for both school-day performances and public performances.

Titles and events in the MTA Series are: "Peter Rabbit Tales," showing on Oct. 9 and 10; "Out of Bounds," showing on March 11; the Stearns-Cotrell Instrument Petting Zoo, offered on March 18, and "A Tale of Two Cities," showing on May 11.

For teachers who would like to learn more about the school-day performances and CPS's educational opportunities, please contact Matthew Morris at (315) 267-2612. For public performance information, please see the ticketing information that follows.

CPS season tickets are now on sale and can be purchased through the CPS Box Office, located in the lobby of SUNY Potsdam's new Performing Arts Center, by calling (315) 267-2277, or by visiting www.cpspotsdam.org. Single tickets can also be purchased in person at Brick & Mortar Music in downtown Potsdam.

A 25 percent discount is available, when purchasing tickets to three or more Guest Artist Series events. Ticket prices differ depending on the event and location. Student tickets are as low as $15, and adult tickets range from $20 to $50. Discounts are also available for senior citizens and SUNY Potsdam faculty/staff.

For more information on the 2015-16 season and artists, visit www.cpspotsdam.org, or check out the CPS Facebook page, at www.facebook.com/cpspotsdam.

CPS is a college-community partnership presenting world-class 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.

Founded in 1816, The State University of New York at Potsdam is one of only three arts campuses in the entire SUNY system. SUNY Potsdam's arts curriculum offers the full palette: music, theatre, dance, fine arts and creative writing. No matter the discipline, people from all backgrounds can find their creative compass at Potsdam, with myriad arts immersion experiences available for both campus and community.

###