POTSDAM, NY (02/18/2014)(readMedia)-- The Crane Symphony Orchestra will present a thrilling concert, featuring both a beloved symphony and a contemporary work inspired by Dr. Seuss, on Thursday, Feb. 27 at 7:30 p.m. in the Helen M. Hosmer Concert Hall at SUNY Potsdam's Crane School of Music.

Lorenzo Palomo's symphonic poem, "Dr. Seuss' 'The Sneetches,'" will feature the orchestra performing a contemporary piece inspired by the timeless children's book. Dr. Lonel Woods, an assistant professor of voice at Crane, will narrate the performance.

"The Sneetches" tells a story of class and prejudice within a community of yellow, bird-like animals. The Star-Belly Sneetches must learn to accept the Plain-Belly Sneetches after a stranger with a bizarre machine visits their beach, and turns their world upside down.

One of the most successful contemporary Spanish composers, Palomo was commissioned to write the symphonic poem inspired by Theodore Geisel's message of tolerance.

Dr. Sidney H. Sobel, a physician from Rochester, N.Y., who originally commissioned the piece, visited The Crane School of Music this fall.

"The Dr. Seuss story 'The Sneetches' describes the senselessness of acts of discrimination and prejudice in a way that is at once instructive and entertaining. I have read this story countless times to children and adults, and have repeatedly observed how captivating the musical verse and its powerful message are," Sobel wrote.

Following an intermission, the Crane Symphony Orchestra will conclude its performance with César Franck's Symphony in D-Minor, his most famous orchestral work and the only full symphony he ever wrote.

The Crane Symphony Orchestra is the premier, 90-member performing ensemble at SUNY Potsdam's Crane School of Music. The ensemble performs great orchestral masterworks from the standard and contemporary orchestral literature.

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

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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Posted Tuesday February 18, 2014 at 02:12 pm by SUNY Potsdam
Last Updated Thursday February 20, 2014 at 01:39 pm