A mixed quartet of flute, clarinet, violin, and cello, Hub New Music are trailblazers forging new paths in 21st century music. Performing works by Carlos Simon, Takuma Itoh, and many other innovative pieces.
Michael Avitabile……….Flute | Founder & Executive Director
Nicholas Brown……….Clarinet
Alyssa Wang……….Violin
Jesse Christeson……….Cello
PROGRAM
Takuma Itoh, Wavelengths (2019)
Carlos Simon, excerpts from Requiem for the Enslaved (2020)
Kati Agócs, Rogue Emoji (2019)
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Called “contemporary chamber trailblazers” by the Boston Globe, Hub New Music — comprised of flute, clarinet, violin, and cello — is forging new pathways in 21st-century repertoire. Through adventurous programming and commissioning projects, the ensemble celebrates the rich diversity of today’s classical music landscape. In the 2020/21 concert season the ensemble tours new works tailor made for HNM by Christopher Cerrone, Eric Nathan, and Carlos Simon, performs recent commissions by Hannah Lash, Kati Agocs, Takuma Itoh, and Michael Ippolito, and releases its debut album Soul House on New Amsterdam Records. The ensemble’s name is inspired by its founding city of Boston’s reputation as a hub of innovation.
Michael Avitabile
Flute | Founder & Executive Director
Praised for playing that is “warm and vocal” (Boston Musical Intelligencer), Michael Avitabile is a flutist, entrepreneur, and educator dedicated to the music of our time. He is the Founder and Executive Director of Hub New Music, a Boston-based mixed quartet that has quickly become a prominent force among younger contemporary music organizations.
Under his leadership, HNM has commissioned quartets and collaborative projects from a diverse cohort of innovative musical minds including Hannah Lash, Robert Honstein, Kati Agocs, Takumah Itoh, Angel Lam, and the composer-collective Oracle Hysterical. He has also spearheaded collaborations with Boston’s Urbanity Dance, the Silk Road Ensemble’s Kojiro Umezaki, and the Asia-America New Music Institute. The ensemble maintains an active touring schedule and has been featured in the Boston Globe, WQXR (NYC), WFMT (Chicago), New York Times, WBUR (Boston), and the Oregon Artswatch among several others.
As an educator, Avitabile focuses on empowering students with skills to build the arts organizations of tomorrow. His lectures translate the day-to-day experiences of running an artist-led organization into a series of workshops covering topics such as self-management, non-profit development, and commissioning new work. He has been a guest lecturer on Arts Entrepreneurship and Contemporary Music at institutions such as Harvard University, the University of Michigan, University of Colorado Boulder, New England Conservatory, University of Texas at Austin, and others.
Outside of his work with HNM, Avitabile has worked with prominent composers including Harrison Birtwhistle, John Zorn, Brett Dean, and Christian Wolfe. As an orchestral musician, he has received fellowships to play with the National Repertory Orchestra, Banff Festival Orchestra, and has also performed with the New World Symphony.
He holds degrees from the University of Michigan (BM) and New England Conservatory (MM), graduating with top honors from both schools. At Michigan, he was a Shipman Scholar, one of the highest awards given to an incoming student university-wide. While at NEC, he received the John Cage Award for Outstanding Contribution to Contemporary Music. In his free time, Avitabile enjoys developing recipes, practicing yoga, and exploring Boston’s many coffee shops. Avitabile is a Powell Flutes Artist.
Nicholas Brown
Clarinet
Originally from Portland, ME, Nicholas Brown is Second/Bass Clarinet with the Boston Lyric Opera, Principal Clarinet with the New Bedford Symphony Orchestra, and Principal Clarinet of Phoenix. He has performed with such groups as Chicago Symphony, Boston Philharmonic, and New World Symphony, and regularly appears with many other orchestras throughout New England.
Nicholas has appeared as soloist with the Boston Pops Orchestra, Symphony Nova, and will be performing Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto at the Boston Festival Orchestra’s inaugural concert. In Fall 2019, he was a featured musician with the Celebrity Series of Boston’s Concert for One installation. He was the recipient of the 2019 Harold Wright Merit Award (Boston Woodwind Society), Jean & Harvey Picker Prize (Bay Chamber Concerts), Award for Woodwind Excellence (Boston University), and Emily K. Rand Scholarship (Portland Rossini Club). Beyond his solo engagements, Nicholas has been a Festival Artist at the Newport Music Festival in addition to performing in major concert halls throughout the world.
A dedicated educator, Nicholas teaches at the North End Music & Performing Arts Center, Natick Public Schools, and Wayland Public Schools where his students have been selected to participate in Massachusetts District and State Festivals. He has given talks, lectures, and masterclasses as a Visiting Artist with Hub New Music.
Nicholas received his Bachelor of Music from Boston University and a Master of Music from New England Conservatory of Music. His primary mentors include Thomas Martin, John Bruce Yeh, David Martins, and Ethan Sloane. For more information, visit nbclar.com.
Alyssa Wang
Violin
Alyssa is a passionate violinist and an emerging conductor. In 2016, she earned her Bachelor’s Degree from Carnegie Mellon University under the tutelage of Andres Cardenes (Concertmaster, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, 1989-2010). In 2016, she was the winner of the Carnegie Mellon School of Music Concerto Competition, the Pittsburgh Female College Association Prize, the Carnegie Mellon Women’s Award, and the Senior Leadership Award. She won first prize in the Silbermann Chamber Music Competition and was the recipient of the 2015 Presser Undergraduate Scholar Award, Harry G. Archer Award, and Paul J. Baum Fund Award. She has soloed with the Carnegie Mellon Philharmonic and the Pittsburgh Philharmonic. During her senior year at Carnegie Mellon she helped to run the Heritage Scholarship Campaign, which raised over $180,000 to start a substantial undergraduate merit scholarship for future School of Music students. Alyssa is also an Andrew Carnegie Scholar.
Alyssa completed two Master’s Degrees in violin performance and conducting at the New England Conservatory. She has won fellowships as a violinist with the Grammy-nominated ensemble, A Far Cry, and the Boston Chamber Music Society. Her primary violin teacher at NEC was Malcolm Lowe (Concertmaster, Boston Symphony Orchestra). During the summers she has been assistant conductor for the Colorado College Summer Music Festival with Scott Yoo and a conducting fellow at Eastern Music Festival under the tutelage of Gerard Schwarz. In the summer of 2019 she was the assistant conductor to Paul Polivnick at the New Hampshire Music Festival.
Alyssa is the most recent member to join Hub New Music, and is excited for the artistic journey ahead! In her spare time she enjoys social dancing, photography, and dim sum.
For more information please visit alyssa-wang.com.
Jesse Christeson
Cello
Versatile cellist Jesse Christeson wears a number of musical hats around the country. Usually in the creative workshop with Boston-based Hub New Music, he also travels to serve as Principal Cellist of the Huntsville (AL) Symphony. He held the same position in the Mississippi Symphony for several years prior. Jesse is a founding member of the Inaugural Piano Trio in Jackson, MS, and also returns to collaborate with New JXN. In Boston, he can often be heard performing with start-ups Phoenix and Cape Cod Chamber Orchestra.
For several years Jesse was very active as a multi-faceted performer and teacher in Houston, TX. In addition to working as a freelance cellist, he performed as a vocalist in the Houston Grand Opera and Bach Society of Houston choruses. He taught a cello studio at the Rice Preparatory Program and local public schools.
Mr. Christeson has frequently spent summers performing at the Tanglewood Music Center, where he featured in the New Fromm Players and orchestra festival. His other summer engagements have included the festivals of Aspen, Brevard, and the National Orchestral Institute. Jesse received his MM from Rice University (studio of Norman Fischer), and his BM from Stetson University in DeLand, FL, where he studied cello (studio of David Bjella), voice, and philosophy.
