POTSDAM -- The Crane School of Music announced the lineup for the 2016 Fall Island Vocal Arts Seminar, which will be held from May 23 to May 29 at The State University of New York at Potsdam.

The Fall Island Vocal Arts seminar was founded by Artistic Director Stephanie Blythe '92, Metropolitan Opera star and SUNY Potsdam alumna, along with Executive Director Carleen Graham, SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor at SUNY Potsdam's Crane School of Music, as a venue for emerging singers and pianists to cultivate their artistry through contemporary American art song.

Nine artists, including six singers and three pianists between the ages of 23 and 35, were selected from a competitive international audition for a fellowship to work with Blythe and Music Director Alan Smith. Smith is a noted pianist, vocal coach and composer, who is a member of the faculty at the University of Southern California's Thornton School of Music and the Tanglewood Music Center.

This year's seminar includes a special guest, the noted composer Tom Cipullo, and the festival will culminate in an evening celebrating his work. Smith will engage Cipullo in a lively discussion about his life and work on stage in the event, which will also feature performances by Blythe, Smith and the 2016 Fellows.

"An Evening with Tom Cipullo" will be offered on Wednesday, May 25 at 7:30 p.m. in the Sara M. Snell Music Theater on the SUNY Potsdam campus. The event will also be livestreamed online, at www.potsdam.edu/academics/Crane/streaming.

Tickets for this event are $18 for general admission and $15 with a SUNY Potsdam ID. To purchase tickets, contact the Community Performance Series Box Office at (315) 267-2277 or visit www.cpspotsdam.org. All proceeds will benefit the Fall Island Vocal Arts Seminar.

Additional livestreaming events include: Thursday, May 26 at 10:30 a.m.: Masterclass featuring Stephanie Blythe and Alan Smith working with the 2016 Fellows.

Sunday, May 29 at 2 p.m.: Final concert featuring the 2016 Fellows performing the music of living American composers.

The 2016 Fall Island Vocal Arts Seminar Fellows are:

• Fleur Barron, a mezzo-soprano from St. Ives, Cornwall, United Kingdom

• Wee Kiat Chia, a countertenor from Johor Bahru, Malaysia

• Keith Colclough, a bass from Claremont, Calif.

• Lucy Fitz Gibbon, a soprano from from Davis, Calif.

• Bridget Hough, a pianist from Santa Barbara, Calif.

• Mario Antonio Marra, a pianist from New Haven, Conn.

• Amy Petrongelli, a soprano from Harrison, Mich.

• Annie Rosen, a mezzo-soprano from New Haven, Conn.

• Blair Salter, a pianist from Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada

The Fall Island Vocal Arts Seminar also offers a Program for Auditors, targeting collegiate-level voice and collaborative piano teachers and master's or doctoral-level students of vocal pedagogy or collaborative piano. Participants in the 2016 program include Judith May from the University of San Francisco, Dr. Kathleen Roland-Silverstein from the Setnor School of Music at Syracuse University and Dr. Colleen Skull from The Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam.

A complete list of all public performances that will take place at SUNY Potsdam's Crane School of Music for the Fall Island Vocal Arts Seminar can be found at www.fallisland.org.