Crane School of Music Welcomes Guest Conductor Michael Haithcock for Residency

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Michael Haithcock will visit SUNY Potsdam’s Crane School of Music for a conducting leadership residency from April 19 to April 22.

POTSDAM, NY (04/17/2015)(readMedia)-- SUNY Potsdam's Crane School of Music will welcome guest conductor Michael Haithcock to campus next week. The award-winning music educator and conductor will present a lecture and work with classes and ensembles from April 19 to April 22.

This is the second conducting leadership residency to be underwritten by the Band Guest Artist Fund, which was established by Col. Thomas H. Palmatier '75, a Crane alumnus who retired as the leader and commander of the U.S. Army Band, "Pershing's Own."

All events are free, and the public is invited to attend.

Here is an overview of Haithcock's residency:

• Sunday, April 19: There will be a workshop, titled "Expectations for Becoming a 'Good Conductor,'" followed by a question and answer session from 5 to 6:30 p.m. in Crane Room C119.
• Monday, April 20: Haithcock will lead an open conducting masterclass and workshop with four Crane students directing an ensemble from 3 to 4 p.m., in C119. At 4 p.m., there will be an open rehearsal workshop with the Crane Concert Band in Crane Room C107, followed by another open rehearsal with the Crane Wind Ensemble in the Helen M. Hosmer Concert Hall, from 5 to 6 p.m.
• Tuesday, April 21: Haithcock will speak to conducting classes in the morning. At 2 p.m., he will work with the Crane Symphonic Band in C107.
• Wednesday, April 22: Haithcock will serve as a guest conductor during the Crane Wind Ensemble concert, directing two pieces by William Bolcom, as well as the "William Byrd Suite" by Gordon Jacob. The concert will be offered at 7:30 p.m. in Hosmer Hall. This event is free, and will also stream live online.

About the guest artist:

Michael Haithcock assumed his duties as the Arthur F. Thurnau Professor of Conducting and director of bands at the University of Michigan in 2001, following 23 years on the faculty at Baylor University. Following in the footsteps of William D. Revelli and H. Robert Reynolds, Professor Haithcock conducts the internationally renowned University of Michigan Symphony Band, guides the acclaimed graduate band and wind ensemble conducting program, and provides administrative leadership for all aspects of the University of Michigan's diverse and historic band program. Ensembles under Haithcock's guidance have received a wide array of critical acclaim for their high artistic standards of performance and repertoire. These accolades have come through concerts at national and state conventions, performances in major concert venues, and recordings on the Albany, Arsis and Equilibrium labels. Haithcock was selected to conduct the world premiere of Daron Hagen's "Bandanna," an opera for voice and wind band, commissioned by the College Band Directors National Association, and is a leader in commissioning and premiering new works for concert band. He has earned the praise of both composers and conductors for his innovative approaches to developing the wind ensemble repertoire and programming. Haithcock is also in constant demand as a guest conductor and as a resource for symposia and workshops in a variety of instructional settings, as well as festival and all-state appearances throughout the country. A graduate of Baylor University and East Carolina University, where he received the 1996 Outstanding Alumni Award from the School of Music, Haithcock has done additional study at a variety of conducting workshops, including the Herbert Blomstedt Orchestral Conducting Institute.

The Crane Wind Ensemble 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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