Crane Symphony Orchestra Tour Presents Concerts in Long Island, Capitol Region

Students and Faculty from SUNY Potsdam's Crane School of Music Visit Herricks Union Free School District & Colonie Central School District

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The Crane Symphony Orchestra performed under the baton of the distinguished conductor and composer Gunther Schuller in Fall 2012.

POTSDAM, NY (02/13/2013)(readMedia)-- Students and faculty members from The Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam will travel to school districts in Long Island and the Capitol Region to present concerts and educational clinics from Feb. 27 to March 1.

The Crane Symphony Orchestra will travel to the Herricks Union Free School District and the Colonie Central School District, along with members of the renowned music school's faculty. They are set to present concerts, meet with students and work with educators, including Crane alumni.

The Crane Symphony Orchestra is a 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.

"As one of the leading music education institutions in the nation, beyond performing in prestigious concert halls, we want to reach out to our public schools for this tour. I am grateful that the Herricks and Colonie high schools will provide the performance space for this year's Crane Symphony Orchestra tour," Crane Director of Orchestras Ching-Chun Lai said. "The students in the orchestra are excited about the opportunity to share their passion for music and performance with audiences in Long Island and Albany. I believe this tour will be an invaluable experience for our students, many of whom are future educators."

The concert schedule is as follows:

  • Wednesday, Feb. 27: Concert at 7 p.m. at Herricks Middle School, located at 7 Hilldale Drive in Albertson, N.Y. For ticket information, please contact Anissa Arnold Wilensky, Herricks High School director of music and performing arts, at (516) 305-8768.
  • Thursday, Feb. 28: Concert at 7 p.m. at Colonie Central High School, located at 7 Raider Drive in Albany, N.Y. Admission to this concert is free.

The concert program will include "Commemorative Fanfare" by John Cheetham, "Finlandia, Op. 26" by Jean Sibelius, "Sinfonia Concertante in B-Flat Major, Op. 84," by Franz Joseph Haydn and "Symphony No. 2 in B-Minor" by Alexander Borodin.

The visiting faculty from SUNY Potsdam's Crane School of Music will include: Anna Hendrickson, oboe; John Lindsey, violin; Carol Lowe, bassoon; Matt Wexler, cello, and the Potsdam Brass Quintet, featuring John Ellis and James Madeja on trumpet, Kelly Drifmeyer on horn, Mark Hartman on trombone and Charles Guy on tuba.

The Crane professors will present music performance clinics with students from Herricks High School on Thursday, Feb. 28, and with students from Colonie Central High School on Friday, March 1.

The Crane Symphony Orchestra performed in Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center last year, and works with major conductors from across the world. For more information about the tradition of innovation at SUNY Potsdam's Crane School of Music, visit www.potsdam.edu/crane.

About The Crane School of Music:

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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