Crane Opera Ensemble Presents Aaron Copland's 'The Tender Land'

POTSDAM, NY (11/03/2016)(readMedia)-- The award-winning Crane Opera Ensemble and Orchestra will present the classic American opera "The Tender Land," with music by Aaron Copland, from Thursday, Nov. 10 to Saturday, Nov. 12 at SUNY Potsdam's Crane School of Music.

The production will open with an educational outreach performance for area schools, which will be offered at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 10. Two evening performances will be offered, at 7:30 p.m. on both Friday and Saturday, Nov. 11 and 12, in the Sara M. Snell Music Theater.

Set in a Midwest farming community during the Depression era, the American opera "The Tender Land" tells the story of a young woman who yearns to experience more of the world that lies beyond her family's picket fence. When two itinerant farmhands come to town, her feelings of love and desire to leave are brought into conflict with her obligation to her family and farm ties. With a musical score by the iconic American composer Aaron Copland, the music evokes the beauty and wide-open spaces of the American heartland in the 1930s. The performance will be sung in English with projected supertitles.

Led by Musical Director Kirk Severtson, the production of "The Tender Land" features students and faculty from The Crane School of Music in the cast and orchestra, as well as students from Crane and the Department of Theatre and Dance behind the scenes. Two voice faculty members, David Pittman-Jennings and Lonel Woods, will also sing roles alongside students in the cast.

Stage Director Alison Moritz's recent productions have been lauded as "about as gorgeous and accessible as any opera anywhere" (The Commercial Appeal), and her work has been praised for its "incredible economy of resources, lean production design and eye for jest and banter" (The Orlando Examiner). Moritz's upcoming projects include a full season directing new productions of American opera, including "The Manchurian Candidate" (Austin Opera), "Candide" (Orlando Philharmonic), "Our Town" (Townsend Opera, Fresno Grand Opera) and "Hydrogen Jukebox" (Tri-Cities Opera). Her recent directing projects include "Die Zauberflöte" (Opera Memphis, Orlando Philharmonic) and "The Hobbit" (Tulsa Opera). Moritz recently received the Kurt Weill Fellowship from the Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation and was named one of the 2015 winners of the OPERA America Director-Designer Showcase. Previously, she served as the resident assistant director at both the Minnesota Opera and the Atlanta Opera. Her professional credits include engagements with Seattle Opera, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, Wolf Trap Opera, Central City Opera and Chautauqua Opera.

Three guest designers' work will also be showcased in the production. Ann Beyersdorfer is the scenic designer, Cathy Mason is the costume designer and Tonry Lathroum is the lighting designer for "The Tender Land."

Tickets for the Crane Opera Ensemble production of "The Tender Land" are $15 for the general public and $10 for SUNY Potsdam faculty, staff and students. To purchase tickets, contact the Community Performance Series Box Office, located in the lobby of SUNY Potsdam's Performing Arts Center, by calling (315) 267-2277 or visiting www.cpspotsdam.org.

About the Crane Opera Ensemble:

The award-winning Crane Opera Ensemble is a significant source for opera and music theatre in the North Country region of New York State. The ensemble provides exciting opportunities for students to experience all facets of opera performance and production, through rehearsals, coaching and classes related to performance practices and production techniques. The ensemble's productions have garnered awards from the National Opera Association (2015, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2003), The American Prize (2011), and the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (2010).

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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