From May 19 to 31, a group of 16 current and former Crane students traveled to South America for an epic journey through the Andes in Peru with Dr. Jeffrey Francom, an associate professor and coordinator of the choral area at SUNY Potsdam's Crane School of Music. They started by learning traditional Andean music at a workshop in Calca, Peru—playing panflutes and singing music in the traditional Quecha language.
Then they embarked on a seven-day backpacking trip along the Salkantay and Inca Trails, an arduous trek through high mountain passes where they visited mountain lakes, slept in tents at high-altitude camps, walked on a glacier, traveled through the Andean jungle and visited beautiful Inca ruins. The physically and mentally demanding travel course ended in Machu Picchu, an Incan city set high in the Andes Mountains, above the Urubamba River valley.
The students included:
- Keri Lorenz '21, music education major
- Dominique Santiago '20, music education major with a music performance concentration
- Zachary Balquin '20, music business major
- Jaci González '20, music major
- Natalie Bunta '21, music education
- Chris Sarkis '20, music education
- Grace Craig '21, vocal performance and music education double major
- Claudia Hovey '20, music education major
- Mayr Sawyer '19, music education and theatre education double major
- Mikaela Salem '19, music education major
- Alanna Pinard-Brace '19, music education major
- Sara Beth Lieberman '20, music education major
- Gianna Tucci '20, music education major
- Kristen Grajek '20, music education major
- Tony DeLousia '19, music education major
- Hannah Gaither, former Crane student
Photos by Jason Hunter
Join us for a look back at their incredible journey...