Crane Wind Ensemble to Present Concert of 'Crane Songs' During Family Weekend

POTSDAM, NY (09/11/2015)(readMedia)-- The Crane Wind Ensemble will present a special commemorative concert in honor of SUNY Potsdam's bicentennial during Family Weekend 2015.

Titled "Crane Songs: A Bicentennial Celebration of Band Music," the concert will be offered on Friday, Sept. 25 at 7:30 p.m. in the Helen M. Hosmer Concert Hall at The Crane School of Music.

In honor of the SUNY Potsdam bicentennial, each Crane Wind Ensemble performance during the 2015-16 academic year will feature works written specifically for that group.

During this concert, the ensemble will pay tribute to a well-loved Crane composer, Professor Emeritus Arthur Frackenpohl, by performing three of his works. Dr. Frackenpohl was a faculty member from 1949 to 1985, and composed these pieces specifically for the Crane bands.

The Crane Wind Ensemble will open the concert with "Americans We" by Henry Fillmore, as well as "O Magnum Mysterium," composed by Morten Lauridesen, translated by H. Robert Reynolds.

The concert will continue with the "Artful Trio" of the three Frackenpohl works. The compositions include a 1989 piece, "Madstop Twostep: A North Country Rag," followed by "Cantilena for Band," written in 1964, as well as "March and Interlude: 'We Like It Here,'" composed in 1960.

The performance will conclude with "First Suite in E-Flat, Op. 28, No. 1," composed by Gustav Holst.

About the ensemble:

Formed in 1956 by Willard Musser, the Crane Wind Ensemble comprises 58 of the most outstanding wind and percussion majors at SUNY Potsdam's Crane School of Music. Directed by Dr. Brian Doyle, the ensemble performs as a full wind band and also in smaller chamber groups with varied instrumentation. The group is dedicated to the performance of the finest wind repertoire, regardless of period or disposition of instrumental forces. The Crane Wind Ensemble is also committed to performing music of our time, and is active in working with composers in the commissioning of new works to support this goal. The ensemble presents at least three performances each fall and spring, and also tours regularly. Recent off-campus performances have included concerts at the NYSSMA Winter Conference and at the NYSBDA Winter Symposium. The Crane Wind Ensemble will perform in March for the Eastern Division Conference of the College Band Directors National Association at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. The ensemble released its album "Adirondack Songs" in 2014, and is set to record a new album this academic year as well.

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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