Potsdam, NY, Dec 09, 2010 — SUNY Potsdam will bestow an honorary degree on jazz legend Wynton Marsalis this week. He thought it would be nice to have some company at the event, so Marsalis invited five jazz students from the Crane School of Music to play in New York City on Friday at the gathering.

The students and professor Bret Zvacek, director of Crane's Jazz Studies program, will perform as part of a ceremony to award an honorary Doctorate of Music to Marsalis. They hope to play at least one song with the internationally known trumpet player. Todd Moe has more.  Go to full article

Potsdam, NY, Nov 10, 2010 — Love and adventure in Manhattan in the 1940s comes to the Snell Music Theatre at SUNY Potsdam this weekend. More than 70 drama, dance and music students are part of the collaborative production of On the Town. The show opens Thursday night (7:30 pm) and continues through Saturday night.

On the Town premiered on Broadway in 1944 and features the music of Leonard Bernstein. It includes numerous dance numbers and memorable songs like "New York, New York" and "I Can Cook Too." Todd Moe spoke with the show's musical director, choreographer and five members of the cast who are from the North Country.  Go to full article

Potsdam, NY, Sep 24, 2010 — Broadway and opera star Lisa Vroman returns to her musical roots in Potsdam on Saturday night. Perhaps best known for her role as Christine in The Phantom of the Opera during it's record breaking run in San Francisco, Vroman is a versatile performer with symphonies, Broadway and opera. She grew up in Adams, NY and majored in music education at the Crane School of Music at SUNY-Potsdam. Community Performance Series presents her concert, "How Can I Keep from Singing" Saturday night (7:30 pm) in Potsdam's Hosmer Hall. Todd Moe spoke with her about the music industry, her career and returning to the North Country.  Go to full article

Potsdam, NY, Apr 14, 2010 — The Crane School of Music's Opera Ensemble presents Maurice Ravel's classic fantasy opera, L'Enfant et les Sortileges, or The Child and the Enchanted Ones this weekend. The opera opens tomorrow morning with a special education outreach performance for children and families, and continues Friday and Saturday night. The fantasy opera includes fairy tale characters, furniture and little animals which come to life to chastise a child who has been tormenting them. Todd Moe spoke with some of the cast and Crane Opera Ensemble director Carleen Graham who says Ravel's opera is the fable of a rude child who finds that the objects and animals of his childhood have their own lessons to teach.  Go to full article

Potsdam, NY, Apr 09, 2010 — Months before the opening night of any theatrical production, the drama starts backstage with the set, lighting and costume designs. Props, makeup and clothing are created by folks you won't see in front of the curtain, but by a crew of hidden artists.

For today's "Heard Up North," we step behind the scenes. Julia Ferreri is the costume shop manager at SUNY Potsdam. She's designing the costumes for next week's opera production of Ravel's The Child and the Enchanted Ones - the story of a rude child whose toys and furniture one day retaliate as they come to life. The designer draws inspiration from the story, the characters and the director. In between is a lot of common sense and creativity. And it's more of a challenge when the characters are chairs, a teacup or a grandfather clock.  Go to full article

Potsdam, NY, Mar 26, 2010 — No doubt, we've all tried making rhythms and sound effects using the mouth and voice, at one time or another. Some people have made vocal percussion into an art-form. It's entered the music world in the form of "beat box", the art of making drum beats, cymbal crashes and other sound effects using one's mouth, lips, tongue and voice. "Beat boxing" is an element of "hip hop" that originated in the early 80's. Today, it's making a comeback in college and professional a cappella groups to accompany their pop music. One of the vocal percussionists with SUNY-Potsdam's all male group, the "Pointercounts", is today's Heard up North.  Go to full article

Potsdam, NY, Mar 24, 2010 — The Crane Latin Ensemble mixes up a selection of classical salsa and Latin jazz tonight (7:30) in Snell Theater in Potsdam. They'll perform favorites like Tito Puente's Frenzy and Eddie Palmieri's Bilongo. Last spring, Todd Moe sat in on a rehearsal and spoke with some of the students and director Marsha Baxter who started the group when she arrived ten years ago with a passion for Latin music.  Go to full article

Potsdam, NY, Nov 13, 2009 — The Crane School of Music at SUNY-Potsdam celebrates National Opera Week with a production of "Albert Herring". Benjamin Britten's comic opera opens tonight in Snell Music Theater. Set in a fictitious English village in 1900, it's the story of an outsider -- Albert Herring -- in conflict with the norms of his small community. Some of the cast and crew say the chamber opera is complex and a challenge. Todd Moe visited Crane after a rehearsal and has this preview.  Go to full article

Potsdam, NY, Oct 29, 2009 — She grew up in a small Illinois town, and is renowned for what's been called her "sumptuous voice". Soprano Christine Brewer gives a recital in Hosmer Hall at the Crane School of Music in Potsdam tonight (7:30). She's performed all over the world in concert, recital and operatic performances, including London, Chicago and New York City. Todd Moe spoke with Brewer about her musical career. She began as a violinist, went to college wanting to be a teacher and hasn't forgotten her love of working with students.  Go to full article

Potsdam, NY, Sep 08, 2009 — There's new leadership at SUNY-Potsdam's Crane School of Music this year. Michael Sitton replaces Alan Solomon, who retired this summer. Sitton comes to Crane from Eastern New Mexico University where he was Dean of Fine Arts. The North Carolina native is an accomplished pianist and composer of liturgical choral music. Todd Moe spoke with Michael Sitton about music education and his goals for Crane.  Go to full article