POTSDAM -- The Crane School of Music will host a renowned conductor Ann Howard Jones for a residency and series of events showcasing student talent and potential April 23 to 28.

The 2012 Dorothy Albrecht Gregory Visiting Conductor is director of choral activities at Boston University. Jones is also a distinguished clinician, adjudicator, teacher and conductor. She is also known for her long association with the legendary American choral conductor, Robert Shaw.

As part of the inaugural Lougheed-Kofoed Festival of the Arts, the Crane Chorus and Crane Symphony Orchestra will perform Verdi's monumental Messa da Requiem under Jones' baton, first in Potsdam and then in New York City, at Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center.

The culminating Potsdam performance will be presented at 7:30 p.m. on April 28 in Hosmer Concert Hall, after a week of masterclasses, lectures and workshops.

All events are free and open to the public, space permitting. There is no cost for the April 28 concert, but tickets must be reserved by calling The Crane School of Music at 267-2812 or the Community Performance Series Box Office at 267-2277.

The week's highlights include:

• Throughout the week: The Crane Music Library lobby will offer an exhibit entitled "The Legacy of Robert Shaw."

• Monday, April 23: Jones will lead a conducting masterclass with Crane students and the Potsdam Community Chorus, performing Maurice Duruflé's Requiem.

• Tuesday, April 24: Open rehearsals with Crane Symphony Orchestra and the Crane Chorus will be held in Hosmer Hall from 2 to 5 p.m. and 7 to 10 p.m., respectively.

• Wednesday, April 25: Mezzo-soprano Margaret Lattimore '91 will lead a voice masterclass from 1 to 2:45 p.m. in Sara M. Snell Music Theater, followed by a student question and answer session with Jones from 3 to 4 p.m. in Ralph Wakefield Recital Hall. There will be an open rehearsal with both the Crane Chorus and the Crane Symphony Orchestra from 7 to 10 p.m. in Hosmer Hall.

• Thursday, April 26: There will be a music education workshop, entitled, "A Walk through Verdi's Requiem," from 12:30 to 1:45 p.m. in Wakefield Hall. Dr. Carleen Graham and students Audrey Saccone and Chelsea Zalikowski will speak about the unique interactive lesson plans they created for New York City high school students who have been given tickets to the Lincoln Center performance. There will be an open rehearsal with the orchestra and soloists from 2 to 4 p.m. in Hosmer Hall. From 4:15 to 5:30 p.m., Audio Engineer Emeritus Gary Galo will present a lecture, "Verdi's Requiem in Historical Performances," in Wakefield Hall. Galo will present a survey of seven different conductors leading the work, with just as many notable singers of the past. From 7 to 10 p.m., there will be an open rehearsal with the chorus and orchestra in Hosmer.

• Friday, April 27: A student Q&A session with the guest soloists will be offered from 1 to 2 p.m. in Wakefield Hall. From 3 to 4:30 p.m., Linda Fairtile, head of the University of Richmond Music Library, will present a lecture entitled "A Man Like Verdi Must Write Like Verdi: Religion, Theatricality and the Requiem," in Wakefield. The full dress rehearsal with the soloists and students will be held from 7 to 10 p.m. in Hosmer Hall.

• Saturday, April 28: Jane Subramanian '72, college archivist emerita, will lecture about "Significant Elements of the Crane Chorus, Robert Shaw and the Spring Festival of the Arts" from 10:30 to 11:45 a.m. in Wakefield Hall. Crane Professor Nelly Case will offer a photograph tour in the Hosmer Hall Lobby from noon to 12:30 p.m. Author Keith Burris will present "In Pursuit of a Reluctant Maestro: The Life and Music of Robert Shaw" from 2 to 3:45 p.m. in Wakefield. From 3:45 to 4:15 p.m., there will be simultaneous book signings by the authors of four history books about the College, including Nelly Case, author of "Worry Early: The Life of Brock McElheran" and "Helen Hosmer: The Spirit of Crane," Caron Collins, author of "Messengers of Music: The Legacy of Julia E. Crane," and Jane Subramanian and Virginia Cayey, co-authors of the recently released Arcadia Publishing photographic history of the College. Immediately before the concert, from 6:15 to 7 p.m., Linda Fairtile from the University of Richmond will offer a pre-concert lecture from the Hosmer stage. The Verdi Requiem concert will begin at 7:30 p.m.

The concert will also be broadcast live online, at www.potsdam.edu/academics/crane/streaming

The partnership of the Dorothy Albrecht Gregory Visiting Conductor Fund, established by Dorothy Albrecht Gregory '61, and the Adeline Maltzan Crane Chorus Performance Tour Fund, brings distinguished conductors to The Crane School of Music for festival performances by the Crane Chorus and Crane Symphony Orchestra, and funds travel for major performances to venues outside of Potsdam.