New dean at SUNY Potsdam's Crane School of Music will start by listening

POTSDAM — Michael R. Sitton plans to spend his first weeks as dean of SUNY Potsdam's Crane School of Music listening — both to the college community's thoughts and to the music being created there.

"At the moment, I'm in listening mode. I'm going to spend some serious time thinking about what I hear from faculty, staff, administrators and students to get a picture of where they think the opportunities are," he said. "One of the special things about listening is actually listening to the music itself. That also tells me about how we do things here."

Mr. Sitton, who came from a position as dean of the college of fine arts at Eastern New Mexico University, replaces Alan L. Solomon, who led Crane for nine years before retiring June 30.

The North Carolina native's arrival at the school has coincided with the annual Crane Youth Music camp, which attracted 300 talented high school students this year. He has attended all of the concerts offered during the two-week camp, and is looking forward to meeting Crane alumni this weekend during SUNY Potsdam's reunion.

An accomplished solo pianist, Mr. Sitton also has checked out the college's biggest musical investment in years — the 142 Steinway & Sons pianos that arrived in 2007 to make Crane an "All-Steinway School." The dean said his own prize possession is a Steinway piano from the 1920s, which he brought with him from New Mexico.

"Pianos require a great deal of attention and care. These are legacy investments, but only if they're properly maintained," he said. "The stewardship of those pianos and all the other facilities that make up Crane are an important part of my job."

Mr. Sitton said he thinks the two things that make Crane remarkable are its national reputation for music education and its history of advancement in the arts.

"It's a combination of a commitment to a very long tradition and an openness to innovation," he said.

The economic downturn has weighed heavily on Mr. Sitton's mind as he thinks about how to lead the Crane School of Music in coming years.

"For a place with a tradition as long as Crane's, it's been through many economic times, good and bad. Our commitment to fine music-making is not diminished," he said. "The challenge for somebody in administration is to figure out how to make do with fewer resources or different resources. It doesn't change what we're doing or our commitment to doing it well."

Mr. Sitton said he has really enjoyed life in Potsdam so far, and is looking forward to kayaking and cycling in the Adirondacks.

Before his time at Eastern New Mexico University, Mr. Sitton was associate provost, acting vice president for academic affairs and music department chairman at Hollis University, Roanoke, Va.

"Concern about teaching has always been central to my own role as a musician," Mr. Sitton said. "Administration is the extension of teaching by other means."

He studied at Schola Cantorum in Paris before receiving his doctorate in musical arts from the University of Illinois. Mr. Sitton's honors have included the Leschetizky New York Debut Prize and the French Embassy performance prize from the French Piano Institute.

Mr. Sitton has a special interest in French piano repertoire. He has performed as a solo recitalist, as well as presenting concertos with the Roanoke Symphony and other orchestras. He also has received accolades as a composer of mostly liturgical choral music.