Crane Jazz Ensemble and Crane Wind Ensemble Host Family Weekend Concert on Sept. 23

POTSDAM, NY (09/16/2016)(readMedia)-- SUNY Potsdam's Crane School of Music invites the public to enjoy a special performance featuring the Crane Wind Ensemble and the Crane Jazz Ensemble during the College's upcoming Family Weekend. The concert will be offered on Friday, Sept. 23 at 7:30 p.m., in the Helen M. Hosmer Concert Hall.

The Crane Wind Ensemble will present a program titled "All the World's a Stage," including works you have heard at the Olympics, at your local movie theater, at the opera house or in the salon. The wind ensemble will open with the "Olympic Fanfare and Theme" by John Williams, followed by Dmitri Kabalevsky's "Overture to Colas Breugnon" and selections from Claude Debussy's "Children's Corner Suite." They will close their performance with music from "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," composed by Williams.

The Crane Jazz Ensemble will open their set with an arrangement of "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy," by Joe Zawinul, followed by "Gellar's Cellar (a.k.a. 'Stay Loose with Bruce,' a.k.a. 'Ernie's Blues')" by Ernie Wilkins. They'll also present arrangements of John Coltrane's "Central Park West" and Cole Porter's "Love for Sale," to round out the performance.

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

About the performers:

Formed in 1956 by Willard Musser, the Crane Wind Ensemble comprises 58 of the most outstanding wind and percussion majors in The Crane School of Music. The ensemble performs as a full wind band and also in smaller chamber groups with varied instrumentation. This group is dedicated to the performance of the finest wind repertoire, regardless of period or disposition of instrumental forces. The Crane Wind Ensemble is also committed to performing music of our time, and is active in working with composers in the commissioning of new works to support this goal. Recent premieres have included works by Stephen Bryant, Joel Puckett, Kristin Kuster, Roshanne Etezady, David Heinick, James Mobberley, Christopher Theofanidis, Gregory Wanamaker, Dana Wilson, D.J. Sparr and Andre Previn. The ensemble presents at least three performances each fall and spring, and also tours regularly. Recent off-campus performances have included concerts at the NYSSMA Winter Conference and at the NYSBDA Winter Symposium. In 2014, the Crane Wind Ensemble released their latest album, "Adirondack Songs." A new album, "cranesongs," featuring works commissioned by or expressly written for the Crane bands, is in preparation.

The Crane Jazz Ensemble is the premier performance group in the jazz studies program at The Crane School of Music. The 20 outstanding musicians in the ensemble perform on saxophone, trumpet, trombone, piano, guitar, bass and percussion. The Crane Jazz Ensemble is directed by Bret Zvacek.

This concert will be broadcast live on the SUNY Potsdam website at the performance time. To view the program and see other upcoming streaming performances, visit www.potsdam.edu/academics/Crane/streaming.

For more information about SUNY Potsdam's Crane School of Music, please visit www.potsdam.edu/crane.

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.

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