- Crane School of Music
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Crane School of Music 
Motto "To learn -- to search -- to serve" Established 1886 Type Public Dean Michael Sitton Academic staff 70 Undergraduates 630 Postgraduates 30 Location Potsdam, New York, United States Campus Rural University State University of New York at Potsdam Mascot Bear Website www.potsdam.edu/CRANE 
The Crane School Quad at SUNY Potsdam
The Crane School of Music is located in Potsdam, New York, and is one of three schools which make up the State University of New York (SUNY) at Potsdam.
Crane consists of approximately 630 undergraduate and 30 graduate students and a faculty of 70 teachers and professional staff in a college of 4300 students and 250 faculty. Crane is housed in the Julia E. Crane Music Center on the north side of the campus. The complex consists of four buildings: two classroom buildings (Bishop and Schuette Halls), three concert areas (the newly renovated Helen M. Hosmer Concert Hall, 1290 seats, the Sara M. Snell Music Theater, 452 seats and the Ralph Wakefield Lecture and Recital Hall located within Bishop Hall, 130 seats) as well as extensive supporting areas. Located within Schuette Hall is the Crane Music Library, which includes an extensive collection of literature, scores, and recordings. Located within the music library is a MIDI Computer Lab. There are also extensive rehearsal rooms and a large number of practice rooms. All four of Crane's buildings are connected underground.
Crane is an All-Steinway School following the acquisition of 141 Steinway pianos beginning January 24, 2007. This $3.8 million dollar purchase includes 3 new concert grand pianos and coincidentally makes this the largest purchase order that Steinway has ever received in the history of the company. [1]
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History
The Crane School was founded in 1886 by Julia Etta Crane (1855-1923) as the Crane Normal Institute of Music and was one of the first institutions in the country to have programs dedicated to training public school music teachers.
The school suffered from financial difficulties and in the 1920s Julia Crane petitioned the Juilliard Foundation to purchase her school. In 1922 she appeared before the Board of the Normal School to get the State Legislature to purchase the Crane Institute. She asked a price of $20,000 to incorporate the Crane Institute with the Normal School under the Department of Education. The bill was brought before the State Legislature and defeated.
In 1923 she was granted a leave of absence due to ill health. She died unexpectedly June 11, 1923 in her sister's home at 8 Lawrence Avenue, Potsdam. She is buried in Bayside Cemetery at Potsdam, New York.
Her will offered the State of New York first choice to purchase her school. In case of the State's rejection, the school would be offered to any private buyer who would carry on her work. After two attempts the legislature passed a bill to purchase the school in 1926. Her curriculum for music teacher education had been approved in 1924 by the State Education Department. The class of 1927 was the first to graduate from the Crane Department of Music of Potsdam State Normal School.
The Crane Symphony Orchestra was formed in 1839, the second earliest college orchestra in the country after Harvard. The permanent conductors have been Samuel Spurbeck, Maurice Baritaud, John Jadlos, Richard Stephan, Christopher Lanz, and Ching-Chun Lai. For many years a tour was undertaken every year, until financial restrictions curtailed the practice.
The orchestra has performed many concerts with Crane Chorus. Founded in 1931 by Helen M. Hosmer, the chorus is composed of almost entirely music majors of the Crane School of Music, the State University College in Potsdam, New York. Franklin Bishop conducted the orchestra from 1917 to 1940, and he made important contributions to Crane's reputation during that period. Other permanent conductors have been Helen M. Hosmer, Brock McElheran, Calvin Gage, Stanley Romanstein, Rick Bunting, and Daniel Gordon.
In addition to the permanent faculty, memorable performances have been given by such guest conductors as Franz Allers, Nadia Boulanger, Igor Buketoff, Sarah Caldwell, Stanley Chapple, Aaron Copland, Rodney Eichenberger, Alfred Gershfeld, Howard Hanson, Lukas Foss, Thor Johnson, Jan Meyerowitz, Charles O’Neill, Eve Queler, Vincent Persichetti, Helmuth Rilling, Adnan Saygun, Gunther Schuller, Robert Shaw, Michael Tilson Thomas, Virgil Thomson.
Notable faculty & alumni
- Renée Fleming (1981) operatic soprano
- Stephanie Blythe (1992) operatic mezzo soprano & contralto
- Lisa Vroman (1979) musical theatre Phanotm of the Opera and opera Crossover
- Margaret Lattimore (1991) operatic mezzo soprano
- Dmitri Pittas (1999) operatic tenor
- Daniel Decker - Composer and Recording Artist
- Brock McElheran - Professor Emeritus
- Arthur Frackenpohl - Professor Emeritus
- Robert Washburn - Dean Emeritus
- Paul Wyse - Pianist
- John O'Reilly (composer)
Community Performance Series
Crane has played home to the Community Performance Series (CPS) since 1989. CPS brings outside artists in to perform at Crane. Often a visiting artist will also conduct a master class during their time at the school. A pre-concert lecture is also given by a member of the faculty on the evening of the concert.
External links
Categories:- Music schools in New York
- Educational institutions established in 1886
- Visitor attractions in St. Lawrence County, New York
- Universities and colleges in St. Lawrence County, New York
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