SUNY Potdam
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World premiere honoring CYM directors featured at final concert
06.25.09
The final concert of SUNY Potsdam’s distinguished Crane Youth Music (CYM) Summer Camp will feature a world premiere piece written to honor the camp’s past three directors. The composition by SUNY Potsdam alumnus Dr. Rob Smith ’90, titled “Beacon Fires,” will be presented by the Crane Youth Music Wind Ensemble, directed by Dr. Brian K. Doyle, on Saturday, July 11, at 1 p.m. in the Helen M. Hosmer Concert Hall. “We wanted to celebrate CYM’s 37th season, so we approached Dr. Smith in August 2008 to compose a work for wind band that would be performed by the CYM students,” said Dr. Mark Hartman, immediate past director of CYM and Crane professor of trombone. “As an alumnus of The Crane School of Music, Rob offers his knowledge of the school, College and the youth program to this work. It was his idea to honor the work of the three previous directors of CYM, who are all personalities that he knew as a student. “Beacon Fires” honors the program’s first three directors, Roy Schaberg, Scott LaVine and Dr. Hartman. “The title refers to fires that can be seen from a great distance because of their high vantage point – usually a hill or tower,” said Dr. Smith. “This seems a fitting metaphor for these directors who have served as important role models for our youth.” The first movement, “Ignite,” is dedicated to Schaberg and features his instrument, the horn. “Glow,” the second movement, is dedicated to LaVine and features the woodwinds and harp. The third movement, “Blaze,” is dedicated to Dr. Hartman and features the trombone and the low brass. Dr. Smith will be on campus and working with the students in the final days of rehearsal and in attendance for the first performance. The three former directors will be recognized at the concert. Assistant Professor of Music Dr. Julianne Kirk is beginning her first year at the helm of CYM. More than 330 junior and senior high school students are enrolled in this year’s camp. In addition to the wind instruments students can participate in the choral, string and orchestral, jazz and piano programs. During the two-week program, students receive daily master classes, chamber and large ensemble rehearsals and elective classes. These electives include topics such as music theory, conducting, the music of the Beatles, the music of Beethoven and jazz improvisation, among others. Dr. Smith directs the AURA Contemporary Ensemble and teaches composition and music theory. He also serves as one of the artistic directors of Musiqa, a Houston-based contemporary chamber ensemble. His music is frequently performed throughout the U.S. and abroad, and he has received numerous awards, including those from ASCAP and the National Band Association. His commissions have come from the Texas Music Festival Orchestra, the New York Youth Symphony Chamber Music Program, the American Composers Forum (as a part of their Continental Harmony project) and several nationally renowned university wind ensembles, among others. Boosey & Hawkes, Carl Fischer, Southern Music, C-Alan Publications, and Skitter Music Publications publish his music. The CYM concert is free, and the public is invited to attend.