SUNY Potsdam’s Crane School of Music Announces Full Slate of Spring Performances, Featuring Guest Artists, Faculty and Student Ensembles
Acclaimed mezzo-soprano Margaret Lattimore ’91 will return to her alma mater, SUNY Potsdam’s Crane School of Music, for a masterclass and public recital on March 16 and 17. Her recital, to be held on Tuesday, March 17 at 7:30 p.m. in the Sara M. Snell Music Theater, will be dedicated to the late Crane Professor Emerita Patricia Misslin.
SUNY Potsdam’s Crane School of Music is continuing its robust spring concert season with a diverse lineup of free performances, spotlighting returning alumni, distinguished guest artists, and the talents of Crane faculty and student ensembles.
On Tuesday, March 3, Dr. Julianne Kirk Doyle, clarinet, will present a faculty recital at 7:30 p.m. in the Sara M. Snell Music Theater. She will be joined by Keilor Kastella on piano, presenting works by Claude Debussy and Igor Stravinsky, alongside modern works by Amanda Harberg and Paquito d’Rivera. Doyle chose the program based on a survey of Crane clarinet students, who chose the pieces they most wanted to hear. “These works are not without difficulty and each would be a cornerstone on a recital program. Together, they create a robust glimpse into the great repertoire written in the last 100-plus years,” she said.
The Crane School of Music will then welcome back acclaimed mezzo-soprano and proud alumna Margaret Lattimore ’91 for a special residency. The Grammy nominee will present a public recital on Tuesday, March 17 at 7:30 p.m., also in Snell Theater. The program will include music by Bach, Händel and Brahms, followed by an all-American second half. Lattimore will be joined onstage by Crane collaborative pianist Jeanne-Minette Cilliers and woodwind faculty members Julianne Kirk Doyle, Brian Dunbar and Jill Rubio. The recital program will be dedicated to the memory of beloved late long-time Crane Voice Professor Emerita Patricia Misslin, who nurtured the voices of numerous rising young singers throughout her career, including Lattimore herself. Ahead of the recital, Lattimore will lead a masterclass for select Crane vocal students on Monday, March 16. A free reception will follow the recital.
Lattimore has been praised for her “glorious instrument” and as an “undisputed star ... who has it all” by the Boston Globe. After winning the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions at the age of 24, Lattimore became a member of the Metropolitan Opera Lindemann Young Artist Development Program. While she began her career singing the florid works of Handel, Rossini and Mozart, Lattimore has expanded her repertoire in recent seasons to include the works of Mahler, Verdi and Wagner, making her one of the most versatile mezzo-sopranos performing today. New music has been central to Lattimore’s career, and she has been honored to work with some of the most gifted American composers in the 20th and 21st centuries.
The concert series continues on Wednesday, March 18, with the Chamber Music Competition Winners’ Concert at 7:30 p.m. in Snell Theater.
Visiting conductor and performer Jonathan Russell will present a concert of his original works for clarinet and bass clarinet at SUNY Potsdam’s Crane School of Music on Thursday, March 19 at 7:30 p.m., in Snell Theater (Photo credit: Molly Decoudreaux).
The following evening, visiting artist Jonathan Russell, clarinet/bass clarinet, will take the stage for a guest artist recital featuring a full program of his own original compositions, on Thursday, March 19 at 7:30 p.m., also in Snell. Russell will be accompanied by Crane faculty members Keilor Kastella on piano, Julianne Kirk Doyle on clarinet and Christine Hoerning on bass clarinet. Russell’s appearance is made possible by Henri Selmer Paris and Crane.
Rounding out the month, Crane will host a series of evening concerts at 7:30 p.m.:
- Tuesday, March 24: Faculty recital featuring Christopher Keach, trumpet, Snell Theater
- Wednesday, March 25: Crane Wind Ensemble concert in the Helen M. Hosmer Concert Hall
- Thursday, March 26: Faculty recital featuring Isabella Kolasinski, horn, in Snell Theater
- Monday, March 30: Potsdam Brass Quintet performance in Snell Theater
- Tuesday, March 31: Crane Symphony Orchestra concert in Hosmer Hall
The events are a community benefit of being home to one of the premier schools of music in the nation—and thanks to livestreaming, anyone anywhere can watch and enjoy. For program details and more information on these and other upcoming performances, please visit www.potsdam.edu/cranelive.
About The Crane School of Music:
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 and was one of the first Yamaha Institutions of Excellence. For more information, please visit www.potsdam.edu/crane.
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