Crane School of Music Duo Presents 'Four Hands' Recital

POTSDAM, NY (02/14/2012)(readMedia)-- Two Crane School of Music faculty members will present a thought-provoking joint recital featuring works for two pianists on Sunday, Feb. 19. François Germain and Kirk Severtson will perform five works at 3 p.m. on Feb. 19 in the Sara M. Snell Music Theater at SUNY Potsdam's Crane School of Music.

Beginning with an intimate salon-style four-hand piece by Franz Schubert, the program also includes the energetic two-piano sonata of Mozart, the monumental "Concerto Pathétique" by Franz Liszt and a beautifully poignant piece by Francis Poulenc. The program concludes with Witold Lutoslawski's virtuosic reinvention of the famous violin theme by Paganini into a thrilling and flashy work for two pianos.

This concert is free, and all are welcome to attend.

About the performers:

Dr. François Germain is an adjunct instructor at SUNY Potsdam's Crane School of Music, teaching piano, vocal coaching and opera. He has performed in the United States, Europe and Canada as a soloist and accompanist. Originally from Aix-en-Provence, France, Germain is the recipient of many awards. These awards include first prizes in the Radio-France Competition, the Madeline de Valmalete Competition and the Pail and Verna Gelinas Competition. He specializes in French mélodie, lieder and art songs. Germain holds a bachelor's degree in music from the Conservatoire Darius Milhaud and a master's and Ph.D. in piano performance from the University of Montréal.

Dr. Kirk Severtson is a vocal coach and chair of the Department of Music Performance at Crane. He joined the SUNY Potsdam faculty in 2001, where he is musical director for the Crane Opera Ensemble. Severtson also coaches singers and pianists, and teaches classes in art song repertoire and accompaniment at Crane. A versatile collaborative artist, he appears frequently as pianist and harpsichordist in song and chamber music recitals, and as principal keyboardist with the Orchestra of Northern New York. A two-term member of the Board of Directors of the National Opera Association, he works actively with that organization, also serving as its webmaster. He holds degrees from the University of Cincinnati (including his master's and Ph.D. in piano performance) and Luther College (bachelor's degrees in music, math and computer science).

For more information about the many recitals offered throughout the year at SUNY Potsdam's Crane School of Music, 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, and is celebrating its 125th anniversary in 2011-12.

-www.potsdam.edu/crane-