Crane School Of Music
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The Crane School of Music is located in
Potsdam, New York Potsdam ( moh, Tsi tewate’nehtararénies) is a town in St. Lawrence County, New York, United States. The town population was 14,901 at the 2020 census. The ZIP Code is 13676. When SUNY Potsdam and Clarkson University are in session, the popul ...
, and is one of three schools which make up the State University of New York (SUNY) at Potsdam. Crane consists of approximately 630 undergraduate and 30 graduate students and a faculty of 70 teachers and professional staff in a college of 4300 students and 250 faculty. Crane is housed in the Julia E. Crane Music Center on the north side of the campus. The complex consists of four buildings: two classroom buildings (Bishop and Schuette Halls), three concert areas (the newly renovated Helen M. Hosmer Concert Hall, 1290 seats, the Sara M. Snell Music Theater, 452 seats, and the Ralph Wakefield Lecture and Recital Hall located within Bishop Hall, 130 seats) as well as extensive supporting areas. Located within Schuette Hall is the Crane Music Library, which includes an extensive collection of literature, scores, and recordings. Located within the music library is a
MIDI MIDI (; Musical Instrument Digital Interface) is a technical standard that describes a communications protocol, digital interface, and electrical connectors that connect a wide variety of electronic musical instruments, computers, and re ...
Computer Lab. All four of Crane's buildings are connected underground. Crane became an All-Steinway School following the acquisition of 141 Steinway pianos beginning January 24, 2007. This $3.8 million purchase included three new concert grand pianos and was the largest purchase order that Steinway had ever received in the history of the company.


History

The Crane School was founded in 1886 by Julia Etta Crane (1855–1923) as the Crane Normal Institute of Music, and was one of the first institutions in the country to have programs dedicated to training public school music teachers. The school suffered from financial difficulties and in the 1920s Julia Crane petitioned the
Juilliard Foundation The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely regarded as one of the most elit ...
to purchase the school, which was eventually bought by the State of New York in 1926. In addition to the permanent faculty, memorable performances by the Wind Ensemble and Symphony Orchestra have been given by such guest conductors as Franz Allers, Nadia Boulanger, Igor Buketoff, Sarah Caldwell, Stanley Chapple, Aaron Copland, Rodney Eichenberger, Alfred Gershfeld, Howard Hanson, Lukas Foss, Thor Johnson, Ann Howard Jones, Jan Meyerowitz, Charles O’Neill, Christof Perick, Eve Queler, Vincent Persichetti, Helmuth Rilling, Adnan Saygun, Gunther Schuller, Robert Shaw, Michael Tilson Thomas, Virgil Thomson. Select Crane School students also have the opportunity to perform with professional ensembles in the North Country. Each year, The Northern Symphonic Winds and The Orchestra of Northern New York invite Crane students to play in their groups. Many Crane School faculty and alumni are full-time members of both NSW and ONNY.


The Crane Symphony Orchestra

The Crane Symphony Orchestra was formed in 1939, the second-earliest college orchestra in the country after Harvard. The permanent conductors have been Samuel Spurbeck, Maurice Baritaud, John L. Jadlos, Richard Stephan, Christopher Lanz, Ching-Chun Lai, and Adrian Slywotzky.


The Crane Wind Ensemble

The Crane Wind Ensemble comprises the most outstanding wind and percussion majors at The Crane School of Music. The CWE performs as a full wind band and also in smaller chamber groups with varied instrumentation. This group is dedicated to the performance of the finest wind repertoire, regardless of period or disposition of instrumental forces. The Crane band program is lead by Dr. Brian K. Doyle, Director of Bands.


Crane Chorus

The Crane Chorus was founded in 1931 by Helen M. Hosmer. It is composed almost entirely of music majors at the Crane School of Music, and usually numbers between 185 and 200 singers. Principal conductors have included Helen M. Hosmer, Brock McElheran, Calvin Gage, Stanley Romanstein, Rick Bunting, Daniel Gordon, and Jeffrey Francom.


Crane Opera Ensemble

The Crane Opera Ensemble offers students performing opportunities in operatic and musical theatre productions. The ensemble began producing shows in 1924 and several recent productions have been the recipients of national awards. Two fully staged productions are performed each year. The ensemble also hosts an opera education outreach program. The program brings in large groups of children from local schools to experience opera and engage in post-performance workshops with cast members and faculty. To date, over 4,000 children have participated in the program.


Pellicciotti Opera Composition Prize

Once every four years, the Domenic J. Pellicciotti Opera Composition Prize is awarded to a composer/librettist team developing an operatic work which explores and celebrates themes of tolerance, inclusion or diversity. Winning teams earn a commission and production award with the premiere of their work at the Crane School of Music. The prize was founded by Gary C. Jaquay to honor his life partner Domenic J. Pellicciotti, an ardent fan of opera. The premiere of the first winners of the Pellicciotti Opera Composition Prize took place in November 2014, with the second cycle completed in November 2018 with the premiere of Tom Cipullo's ''Mayo''. The following is a list of the winning works: *''Mayo'' (Tom Cipullo), Nov. 2018 *''In a Mirror, Darkly'' (Christopher Weiss, Libretto by S. O’Duinn Magee), Nov. 2014 *''The Fox and the Pomegranate'' (Matt Frey, Libretto by Daniel J. Kushner), Nov. 2014 *''A Letter to East 11th Street'' (Martin Hennessey, Libretto by Mark Campbell), Nov. 2014


Community Performance Series

Crane has played home to the Community Performance Series (CPS) since 1989. CPS brings outside artists in to perform at Crane. Often a visiting artist will also conduct a master class during their time at the school. A pre-concert lecture is also given by a member of the faculty on the evening of the concert.


Notable faculty and alumni

* Jonathan Babcock (1991 and 1993) – conductor; Associate Director of Choral Activities, Texas State University *
Stephanie Blythe Stephanie Blythe (born 1970) is an American mezzo-soprano who has had an active international career in operas and concerts since the early 1990s. She is particularly associated with the Metropolitan Opera in New York City, with whom she has perfo ...
(1992) – operatic mezzo-soprano and contralto * Margaret Chalker - American operatic soprano *
Michael J. Colburn Michael J. Colburn (born 1964,Virginia) is the Director of Bands at Butler University and was the 27th Director of the United States Marine Band and a colonel in the Marine Corps. Colburn joined "The President's Own" Marine Band in 1987 as a eupho ...
– 27th Director of the
United States Marine Band The United States Marine Band is the premier band of the United States Marine Corps. Established by act of Congress on July 11, 1798, it is the oldest of the United States military bands and the oldest professional musical organization in the ...
*
Daniel Decker Daniel Decker is a Puerto Rican composer, singer and recording artist, who has produced work blending musical influences (classical, jazz, pop and world music) from many cultures. Decker was born in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico. He was raised in So ...
– composer and recording artist *
Renée Fleming Renée Lynn Fleming (born February 14, 1959) is an American soprano, known for performances in opera, concerts, recordings, theater, film, and at major public occasions. A recipient of the National Medal of Arts, Fleming has been nominated for 1 ...
(1981) – operatic soprano *
Stacey Fox Stacey Fox (born June 21, 1965 in Ithaca, New York) is an American transdisciplinary artist, animator, master percussionist, composer and filmmaker. Education Fox graduated in 1983 from Saratoga Springs High School, Saratoga Springs, NY. She went ...
(1987 and 1989) - percussionist, composer, filmmaker and animator *
Arthur Frackenpohl Arthur Roland Frackenpohl (23 April 1924 – 8 June 2019) was an American composer and Professor Emeritus at the Crane School of Music at the State University of New York at Potsdam. Frackenpohl was born in New Jersey. He held degrees from the Ea ...
– Professor Emeritus *
Donald George Donald George is an American operatic tenor. He is a Professor of Voice at State University of New York, Potsdam's Crane School of Music. He has performed in major opera houses and concert halls of Europe. Biography George was born in Pitts ...
- American operatic tenor *Dan Graser - soprano saxophonist
Sinta Quartet The Sinta Quartet is an American saxophone quartet, founded at the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance in November 2010. All members of the quartet studied with the group's namesake, University of Michigan Professor of Saxophone ...
, Professor of Saxophone
Grand Valley State University Grand Valley State University (GVSU, GV, or Grand Valley) is a public university in Allendale, Michigan. It was established in 1960 as Grand Valley State College. Its main campus is situated on approximately west of Grand Rapids. The universit ...
*
Marilyn Klerx-Hardie Marilyn may refer to: * Marilyn (given name) * Marilyn (singer) (born 1962), English singer * Marilyn (hill), a type of mountain or hill in the British Isles with a prominence above 150 m * 1486 Marilyn, a Main-belt asteroid * ''Marilyn'' (1953 f ...
(1968 and 1974) – violist,
Radio Filharmonisch Orkest Holland Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmitt ...
, retired *
Margaret Lattimore Margaret is a female first name, derived via French () and Latin () from grc, μαργαρίτης () meaning "pearl". The Greek is borrowed from Persian. Margaret has been an English name since the 11th century, and remained popular througho ...
(1991) – operatic mezzo-soprano *
Brock McElheran Brock McElheran (6 January 1918 – 23 September 2008) was a conductor and professor at the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam and a published author. Early life and education McElheran was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, the son of Robert and Ire ...
– Professor Emeritus *
Barton McLean Barton McLean (born 8 April 1938) is an American composer, performer, music reviewer, and writer. Life Barton McLean was born in Poughkeepsie, New York, the son of John and Grace McLean, on April 8, 1938. He graduated from State University of New ...
– composer *
John O'Reilly (composer) John O'Reilly (November 25, 1940 –) is an American composer and author of several successful instruction books. He has received numerous ASCAP awards and studied composition with Robert Washburn (composer), Arthur Frackenpohl, Charles Walt ...
* Thomas H. Palmatier – Commander and Leader of the US Army Band "Pershing's Own" * :de:David Pittman-Jennings - American opera singer * Dimitri Pittas (1999) – operatic tenor *
Jessica Suchy-Pilalis Jessica R. Suchy-Pilalis (born 1954) is an American specialist in the theory and practice of Byzantine chant, Byzantine singer, composer, harpist, and music educator. Life and career Jessica Suchy-Pilalis grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, wit ...
– harpist, Byzantine singer and composer * Paul Tynan (1998) – jazz musician and composer * Brian Vlasak (2003 and 2004) – composer *
Lisa Vroman Lisa Vroman (born 1956) is an American lyric soprano and stage actress. Vroman's mother and stepfather teach music, and her father was a singer. She graduated from the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam in 1979. She earned a master of fine ...
(1979) – musical theatre
The Phantom of the Opera ''The Phantom of the Opera'' (french: Le Fantôme de l'Opéra) is a novel by French author Gaston Leroux. It was first published as a serial in from 23 September 1909 to 8 January 1910, and was released in volume form in late March 1910 by Pierr ...
and opera Crossover * Robert Washburn – Dean Emeritus * Paul Wyse – pianist * James Petercsak – SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor of Percussion * Carol "Kickie" Britt – Professor Emeritus of Music Business *
Jay Wanamaker Jay Wanamaker is a percussionist and the president and CEO of Roland Americas and formerly held executive positions at Fender and Guitar Center. He also worked for Yamaha, Alfred Publishing, and the University of Southern California, and was chai ...
– President and CEO, Roland Corporation U.S. * Emma Simon – Actress, singer, theatrical instructor


References


External links


The Crane School of MusicCommunity Performance Series (CPS)Crane Opera Ensemble
{{authority control Music schools in New York (state) Educational institutions established in 1886 Tourist attractions in St. Lawrence County, New York Universities and colleges in St. Lawrence County, New York 1886 establishments in New York (state)
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...
Musical groups from New York (state)