Only at one of SUNY’s premier arts campuses would you find a fusion of talent like this! At SUNY Potsdam, home to the world-renowned Crane School of Music, the College performed a unique arts experiment to cap off the fall semester.

Bringing together the Crane Symphony Orchestra and Crane Chorus with SUNY Potsdam graduate student Elijah Foulks, also known as Knowle’ge ReignSupreme, who picked up the mic and began to rap as the musicians started improvising to back him up.

Check it out above.

“This collaboration shows just how chameleon-like hip hop can be,” Foulks told the student newspaper, The Racquette. “Even this freestyle had jazz influences and classical influences that combined with my hip hop flow.”

The impromptu performance took place on the Helen M. Hosmer Concert Hall stage in between back-to-back Candlelight Concerts on Dec. 4, 2011. The project was the brainchild of Director of Marketing Deborah Dudley, who wanted to showcase the arts diversity that makes Potsdam stand out. Videographer Doyle Dean captured the experience. Continue reading →