The Crane School of Music

08/28/2026

Alumni News: Georgie Rickard (2017 Piano Performance/Music Business double major) reached out with an update. She notes that since graduating from Crane, her career “has expanded from performance and music business into composing music for film and video games.” In 2025, Georgie earned a Master of Music in Screen Scoring from New York University, and she is pictured here on her NYU graduation day. Her work in film music has included composing music for the feature film “Boxcutter,” and her video game audio work has received an Honorable Mention for Best Audio at NYC Global Game Jam and second place in the IGDA | Unlikely Collaborators Game Jam. She also wrote “I’m grateful for my time at Crane!” Thank you, Georgia, and best wishes in all your creative endeavors.

If you are an alum with news to share, feel free to reach out anytime to [email protected]

08/27/2026

We are excited to welcome the Class of 2030 to the SUNY Potsdam campus! Welcome Weekend activities are kicking off - get the full schedule here: https://bit.ly/4wRivt2

08/24/2026

08/21/2026

One more week... It is far too quiet at Crane right now, the halls are empty, and the building seems lonely. We are all looking forward to everyone returning to campus and welcoming those new students who are joining us for the first time! Safe travels, everyone!

08/19/2026

SUNY Potsdam's Crane School of Music Officially Dedicates Rehearsal Room in Honor of Francis C. & Marilyn A. Horner.

Marilyn A. Horner recently made a historic gift of $2 million to the Potsdam College Foundation to support scholarships and programs at Crane, demonstrating her deep commitment to supporting Crane students and music education. In honor of the gift, the College recently dedicated the recently renovated C107 rehearsal room in Bishop Hall in honor of Mrs. Horner and her late husband, Francis C. Horner. "We are profoundly grateful to Marilyn Horner for her extraordinary generosity and her unwavering belief in the transformative power of music education," said SUNY Potsdam President Dr. Suzanne R. Smith.

Pictured are SUNY Potsdam representatives with Marilyn Horner and some of her family members during a visit to her residence in Bonney Lake, Wash. Marilyn Horner (second from left) is flanked by SUNY Potsdam President Suzanne Smith (center) and her husband, Brett Lloyd (far left), along with Horner’s daughter and son-in-law, Lisa and Stan Hernacki (right).

For more about Marilyn and this gift, see the news release at https://potsdam.meritpages.com/news/SUNY-Potsdams-Crane-School-of-Music-Receives-2-Million-Donation/61108

08/17/2026

The SUNY Potsdam Crane Opera Ensemble is proud to host the Domenic J. Pellicciotti Opera Composition Prize, initiated by Dr. Gary C. Jaquay ’67 to honor his life partner, an ardent fan of opera. Every four years, a panel of distinguished opera professionals awards a $25,000 commission and a full production to the winning composer/librettist team. We are excited to open our submissions portal from September 15th, 2026 through January 15th, 2027 for a Spring 2030 world premiere! To find out more about this initiative and prepare your application, visit the The Crane School of Music website at https://www.potsdam.edu/academics/crane-school-music/about-crane-school-music/conferences-special-events/pellicciotti

08/16/2026

Student/Alumni News: We wanted to share this feature article on Casey DeJesus-Webb ('25 BM Music Education/Euphonium & '27 MM Music Education) which covers his groundbreaking work with 3D printing in SUNY Potsdam's Makerspace. Casey's contributed so much to Crane and SUNY Potsdam during his time on campus, and we are excited to see what he does next! Check it out at
https://www.potsdam.edu/academics/crane-school-music/departments-programs/music-education/DeJesus-Webb

08/15/2026

Alumni News: Emily Wiggett ('14, Music Education and Flute Performance) was recently promoted and is now commissioned as a Major in the Vermont State Militia. She will also take on a new role, leading Norwich University’s Regimental Band, the nation’s oldest collegiate regimental band. Emily will be the second female Director of Bands in Norwich University’s 206-year history; her selection followed regional search and intensive on-campus interview process. In addition to the Regimental Band, she will oversee the Concert Band, Grenadiers Jazz Band, Commandant's Own Choral Cavaliers, and other musical ensembles.

Prior to joining Norwich University, Emily had been the music director at Danville School (VT) and was recognized as the Danville School as Teacher of the Year in 2025. (In 2017, Wiggett received the VMEA’s Outstanding New Music Educator Award; she is also a Past-President of the VMEA. There is also a SUNY Potsdam feature about Emily from a few years ago archived at
https://www.potsdam.edu/academics/crane-school-music/EmilyWiggett.)

Many congratulations to Emily!

08/14/2026

Audition Registration for spring or fall 2027 entry into the Crane School of Music is now open! High school seniors and transfer students who are interested in auditioning for a degree program at Crane can begin the audition process through our auditions portal. Please go to our website at https://www.potsdam.edu/academics/crane-school-music/crane-admissions for all of the details and links. Questions? Reach out to [email protected] anytime.

08/09/2026

ONNY's Summer Chamber Concert Series "Music Amid the Pines" continues this week with Crane School of Music faculty members pianist Keilor Kastella and clarinetist Christine Hoerning ('09) performing in Childwold, NY (at the Memorial Pyesbyterian Church) on Thursday, August 13 at 7pm. Christine and Keilor will present "Tin Pin Alley - Jazz & Pop in the the Concert Hall," a high-energy program that explores 20th and 21st-century classical music.

Later this month and in Septembmer are events featuring Crane faculty members Liesl Doty, Marie-Elaine Gagnon, Shelly Tramposh, Nils Klykken, and others. For information on all of this summer's ONNY chamber events, see https://onny.org/event/upcoming.