December 5, 2014 – WPBS-TV, the two-nation public broadcast station is pleased to announce the Crane Candlelight Concert “Around the World”. The Crane Chorus and the Crane Symphony Orchestra come together to present a very special Holiday concert, filmed in 2013 by WPBS-TV and set to air nationally December 2014. Conducted by Jeffrey Francom and Ching-Chun Lai, and featuring over 300 carolers and musicians from the renowned Crane School of Music at the State University of New York at Potsdam, the concert includes traditional Christmas and seasonal hymns along with popular favorites. This concert features the intensive Finnish orchestral piece Karelia Suite, Op. 11; the Ukrainian melody Carol of the Bells, performed by the Candlelight Bell Choir; a rousing rendition of the Nigerian carol, Betelehemu, performed by the Crane West African Ensemble; Mi Zeh Y’Maleil, a Sephardic folksong performed by amazing baritone Brady Walsh to choral and tambourine accompaniment; and the world premiere of Mitt Hjerte Alltid Vanker, a Scandinavian carol arranged by the Crane School of Music’s own Dean, Michael Sitton.
The renowned Crane School of Music, part of The State University of New York at Potsdam, was founded in 1886 by Julia Crane and was one of the first institutions in the country to have programs dedicated to preparing specialists in teaching music in public schools. Crane’s primary mission has always been to educate music teachers with an emphasis on excellence in performance. Crane is proud to have many of the finest music educators, scholars, and performers in the United States as members of the faculty. Over 550 undergraduate students and a faculty of 70 teachers and professional staff work hard to make The Crane School of Music a vital, innovative and exciting place.
The Crane Candlelight Concert “Around the World” will air on WPBS-TV Monday, December 8th at 10pm and again Wednesday, December 24th at 10pm. WPBS-TV will once again be on location December 2014 to film this year’s Crane Candlelight Concert, which will air December 2015.
Sponsored in part by: The Potsdam College Foundation & the SUNY North Country Consortium
WPBS-TV is a non-profit public television station serving approximately 650,000 households throughout Northern New York and Eastern Ontario. WPBS-TV’s mission is to educate, entertain and inform our two-nation audience through superior local and national content and media engagement in order to enhance the lives of those it serves.
More information about PBS is available at www.wpbstv.org, or by following WPBS on Twitter and Facebook.
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