Watertown, NY – November 17, 2011 — Every year during the first weekend in December, crew members and television equipment from WPBS-DT invade the Helen M. Hosmer Hall, part of the campus of the Crane School of Music at the State University of New York at Potsdam. Since 2001, WPBS-DT has recorded and televised the annual Crane Candlelight Concert, featuring over 300 carolers and musicians from the Crane Chorus and Crane Symphony Orchestra.
“It’s one of our biggest productions, involving a lot of people,” says Tracy DuFlo, Director of Production at WPBS-DT. “A crew spends most of the day on Friday setting up, placing cameras, monitors, headsets, etc., and stringing what probably amounts to miles of cables.
This year, we have a new HD video switcher and new HD cameras and monitors. In addition, we’ll have a remote-control camera in the loft behind the chorus; it’ll be focused on a shot of the conductor.” On Saturday, the crew spends the evening rehearsing with the chorus and orchestra, getting a feel for the songs and going over cues with a score-reader.
Both performances on Sunday are taped, and the conductors then choose which performance to use for each song for the final program. The final program will be broadcast on WPBS-DT and offered nationally to other PBS stations in December of 2012. Since 2003, every Crane Candlelight Concert has been broadcast nationally on PBS stations throughout the United States.
Last year’s concert, “December Wonderland,” will be broadcast on WPBS-DT on Tuesday, December 6th at 8:00 pm; Saturday, December 17th at 3:00 pm; and Sunday, December 18th at 1:30 pm. “Home and Hearth,” taped in 2008, can be seen on WPBS-DT on Monday, December 12th at 10:00 pm. “Family Traditions,” taped in 2007, will be broadcast on Monday, December 5th, at 10:00 pm.
This year, WPBS-DT is offering something new. All of the Candlelight concerts will be available for viewing on wpbstv.org courtesy of the station’s new COVE video player. Click on “Watch Online,” which will take you to a carousel of available on-line programs, and select the Crane Candlelight Concert carousel. “We’re really excited to offer this feature,” says Tracy DuFlo. “We are unable to make DVD copies of the concerts, because of music synchronization rights. This way, if a viewer has missed the broadcast, or if friends or relatives from out of state couldn’t make it to the concert or see it broadcast, they can now watch it on-line at their convenience.”
Following is a listing of the concerts that will be on-line and the year they were taped:
2001 A Very Special Holiday
2002 Shining Bright
2003 Holiday Lights
2004 Winter Warmth
2005 Season’s Songs
2006 Holly and Ivy
2007 The Gift of Giving
2008 Family Traditions
2009 Home and Hearth
2010 December Wonderland.
Because it is new and has not been previously aired, “December Wonderland” will not be available for viewing on-line until its final broadcast date of the season on December 18.
The Crane Candlelight Concerts have received national underwriting support for two years from 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 in order to enhance the lives of those it serves.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Tracy DuFlo
Director of Production
