Dean Michael Sitton conducts the audience, along with the Crane Chorus and Crane Symphony Orchestra, at the annual Crane Candlelight Concerts.
More than 250 student and faculty musicians from SUNY Potsdam’s Crane School of Music will join together on Sunday, Dec. 2 to celebrate the holiday season, with the 2018 Crane Candlelight Concerts.
The Crane Chorus and Crane Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Jeffrey Francom and Joel Schut, will present two performances on Sunday, Dec. 2, at 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Both concerts will be offered in the Helen M. Hosmer Concert Hall.
The annual Crane School of Music holiday celebration performances are a major highlight of the Crane concert season. The holiday concert tradition began in the 1930s, at what was then the Crane Institute of Music at Potsdam Normal School, and has continued to grow in prominence ever since.
Mountain Lake PBS will film this year’s concerts for a nationally syndicated public television broadcast.
The 2018 Crane Candlelight Concerts will feature a special guest artist, the Broadway and opera star Lisa Vroman ’79, soprano. She will perform alongside the chorus and orchestra for several pieces, as well as taking the microphone for several solo works.
The orchestra will be performing music of Georges Bizet, Nikolai Rimsky Korsakov and Manheim Steamroller. Combined forces will perform holiday favorites, including “O Holy Night,” “Hine Ma Tov” and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.” Vroman will be singing arrangements of “The Secret of Christmas” (from “Say One for Me”), “Wexford Carol” and “Go, Tell It on the Mountain,” as well as joining the choir and orchestra for several pieces.
The Crane West African Drum and Dance Ensemble will be featured in a performance of “Mangisondele Nkosi Yam,” a traditional Zulu praise and worship song. Assistant Professor of Saxophone Casey Grev will be a soloist in an arrangement of “Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming.” As always, the audience will be invited to join in on the fun, with sing-alongs planned for the concert as well.
SUNY Potsdam and The Crane School of Music invite you to join us for this family-friendly event. While both concerts are free, audience members are invited to bring a donation of canned goods or non-perishable items to benefit area food pantries.
Donations to support the Crane Chorus Endowment will also be accepted at the door, or can be given online, by visiting securegiving.potsdam.edu/giving, and indicating “Crane Chorus Endowment.”
The Crane Candlelight Concert evening performance will also be broadcast live on The Crane School of Music YouTube channel, at 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 2. To watch these and other Crane concerts live online, visit www.potsdam.edu/academics/Crane/streaming.
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. For more information, please visit www.potsdam.edu/crane.
Arts & Culture