More than 100 choral alumni from around the country will return to SUNY Potsdam’s Crane School of Music this weekend, to remember two faculty members who influenced their lives and work.
The Crane School of Music will pay tribute in song to two late vocal faculty members, Dr. Rebecca Reames and Dr. Heather Eyerly, with a memorial concert on Saturday, Nov. 11 at 7:30 p.m. in the Helen M. Hosmer Concert Hall.
Reames and Eyerly were both former associate professors of choral conducting at Crane, and both passed away this past spring, after long battles with cancer.
The chorus will feature an alumni choir comprising more than 100 graduates, who will return to campus for rehearsals beginning on Friday night. Dr. Kevin Fenton, a professor of choral conducting at Florida State University and a dear friend of Dr. Reames, will conduct the choir. The alumni choir will perform “Wana Baraka” arranged by Shawn Kirshner, “Sleep” by Eric Whitacre, “No Time” by Susan Brumfeld, “Evening Prayer” by Ola Ggeilo, “Stand Together” by Jim Papoulis and “Let Peace Then Still the Strife” by Mack Wilberg.
In addition, several campus ensembles will also take the stage, including the Crane Chorus, the Crane Concert Choir, the Phoenix Club, the Hosmer Choir and the A-Sharp Arrangement. A faculty quartet, including voice faculty members Colleen Skull, Lorraine Yaros Sullivan, Donald George and Jonathan Stinson, will also perform.
The memorial concert will also include remarks from students, alumni and colleagues, as well as from Crane School of Music Dean Michael Sitton. This concert is free, and the public is invited to attend.
The 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.
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