Belgium's Thelema Trio to Present Three World Premieres During Crane School of Music Concert

The Thelema Trio will present three world premieres during their guest artist performance at SUNY Potsdam’s Crane School of Music on Oct. 31.

SUNY Potsdam’s Crane School of Music will host the acclaimed Thelema Trio from Belgium, who will present a special concert filled with new music, on Tuesday, Oct. 31 at 7:30 p.m. in the Sara M. Snell Music Theater.

The Thelema Trio will also conduct a reading session of student works during their visit, to be held on Wednesday, Nov. 1 at 10 a.m., also in Snell Theater.

Comprised of clarinetist Rik De Geyter, saxophonist Peter Verdonck and pianist Ward De Vleeschhouwer, the Thelema Trio draws on an unusually broad range of experience in a great variety of styles. 

The concert program features music by composers from Belgium, the United States and Canada. Included are the world premieres of pieces by Francis Ubertelli, Lucien Posman and Chris Arrel, plus works by two members of the trio. The Thelema Trio will also present a work by Crane School of Music composer David Heinick, whose “Quiet Man” for baritone saxophone was written for Verdonck.

This performance, which is sponsored by Crane’s Department of Music Theory, History and Composition, is free and open to the public. 

About the performers:

The Thelema Trio is an unusual ensemble that believes in music without boundaries. They promote and perform new music from the 21^st century. and use their unique instrumentation beyond the borders of their classical training, which has made them a voice for many contemporary composers. Their programming offers a wide range of styles, new performance techniques and a chance for each performer to really shine. The Thelema Trio performs a variety of contemporary composition styles, going from a filmic blaze of colors and an orchestral lushness, to the energy and power of avant-garde, in which emotion and story are primary and thoughts can roam free. The trio’s sound comes from its unique instrumental combination—an inviting, engaging and constantly surprising sound that bears memories of the trio’s contrasting backgrounds, as well as their travels around the world.

This concert will be broadcast live on the Crane School of Music YouTube channel 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.