POTSDAM -- SUNY Potsdam's Crane School of Music will welcome distinguished visiting artists and present a special concert to close the 2018 LoKo Arts Festival.

Maestro Antony Walker is set to conduct the Crane Chorus and the Crane Symphony Orchestra in a performance of Sergei Prokofiev's "Alexander Nevsky, Op. 38," and Ralph Vaughan Williams' "Dona Nobis Pacem," on Saturday, May 5 at 7:30 p.m., in the Helen M. Hosmer Concert Hall.

Three vocal soloists will also take the stage, including guest artist Suzanne Hendrix (mezzo-soprano), and Crane faculty members Suzanne Kantorski (soprano) and Johnathan Stinson (baritone).

The concert will close out 10 days of activities taking place all across campus during the LoKo Arts Festival, including an array of masterclasses, presentations and performances at The Crane School of Music. All events are free, and the public is invited to attend. For a full schedule of events, visit www.potsdam.edu/loko.

"We are enthusiastically looking toward this year's LoKo Arts Festival, and are very proud of its growth over the past seven years, especially in the way it has now embraced and been embraced by all of SUNY Potsdam, both with respect to events occurring in every part of our campus, and with the very wide range of events that are part of its schedule," said Crane School of Music Dean Dr. Michael Sitton. "I'm especially excited by the way in which it both engages our campus with distinguished guest artists, and, at the same time, engages our own students and puts the spotlight on their wonderful creative work. How appropriate to celebrate the evidence of student applied learning in the LoKo Festival, as we celebrate Don and Kathy Lougheeds' recent historic gift to SUNY Potsdam in support of applied learning!"

Maestro Walker will complete a residency on campus during the festival, as the 2018 Dorothy Albrecht Gregory Visiting Conductor. Both he and visiting guest artist Hendrix will lead masterclasses, in conducting and voice, respectively.

The concert is free, but tickets are required, as there is limited space. To reserve free tickets, contact the Community Performance Series Box Office at 315-267-2277.

The May 5 performance will stream live online at the concert time, so that alumni, parents and friends who can't make it to Potsdam can experience the artistry from home. To view this and other upcoming livestreaming performances, visit www.potsdam.edu/academics/Crane/streaming.

The festival's musical highlights include:

Friday, April 27: The opening day of the festival will include a Crane Latin Ensemble concert at 7:30 p.m., in the Sara M. Snell Music Theater. Dance to the pulsing rhythms of Latin American classics and the new mambo sounds with this energetic ensemble.

Wednesday, May 2: Visiting conductor Antony Walker will lead an open Q&A session at noon in Snell Theater, followed by a conducting masterclass on operatic repertoire at 2 p.m., also in Snell. At 6 p.m., Crane faculty members Tim Sullivan (percussion), Casey Grev (saxophone) and Max Howard (piano) will perform improvisations to a soundscape of electronic music composed by Jerod Sommerfeldt, in an immersive "Meditation Room" presentation. Audience members are invited to bring yoga mats if they wish, although seating is provided. This event will be held in the Black Box Theater, located in the Performing Arts Center.

Friday, May 4: Visiting mezzo-soprano Suzanne Hendrix will lead a vocal masterclass with Crane voice students at 1 p.m. in Snell Theater.

Saturday, May 5: Crane Audio Engineer Emeritus Gary Galo will offer a presentation about Stanley Chapple, who appeared eight times as a guest conductor at Crane, at 9:30 a.m., in the Ralph Wakefield Recital Hall. Immediately following, Galo will offer a "centennial tribute" to Brock McElheran, who would have turned 100 this year, with excerpts of performances that he conducted during his 41 years at Crane. This presentation will be at 10:45 a.m., also in Wakefield. At noon, SUNY Potsdam student musicians will perform downtown at Brick & Mortar Music, located at 15 Market St. That evening, Dr. Gary Busch will offer a pre-concert presentation, titled "Visions of War and Peace," exploring the history, ideas and music to be presented in the concert. The presentation will be at 6:30 p.m. in Wakefield. The concert featuring the Crane Chorus and Crane Symphony Orchestra, along with the three vocalists, conducted by Maestro Walker, will begin at 7:30 p.m. in Hosmer Hall. Audience members are invited to enjoy an exhibition of recent acquisitions of Andy Warhol prints in the Hosmer Hall Gallery, located in the lobby, prior to and following the performance.

The LoKo Arts Festival is made possible by the generosity and artistic vision of Kathryn Kofoed Lougheed '54 and Donald Lougheed (Hon. '54). SUNY Potsdam will celebrate the Lougheeds during the festival they founded, on Friday, May 4 at 3 p.m., as the College renames its library building in their honor. In recognition of the couple's historic gift in support of applied learning, the College will dedicate the Lougheed Learning Commons in a ceremony featuring live music, refreshments and tours.

North Country Public Radio is the media sponsor for the 2018 LoKo Arts Festival at SUNY Potsdam.

For a full schedule and listing of events, visit www.potsdam.edu/loko.

You can also stay up-to-date with the festival's free mobile app, including the schedule, artist bios, updates and more. Just download the Guidebook app and search for "LoKo."