Andy Hudson
Clarinetist • Performer • Educator • Collaborator
Celebrated artist-teacher Andy Hudson joined the faculty of the Lawrence University Conservatory of Music as Associate Professor of Clarinet in the Fall of 2023. His performances have been praised for their “uncommon singularity of purpose, technical virtuosity, youthful vigor, and mature sensitivity” (The Clarinet), with additional acclaim describing his playing as “a treat for the listener” (IAWM Journal), “inspiring” (MMR), and “fearless” (Cacophony).
Hudson has performed widely across North America, Europe, and Africa in solo, chamber, and orchestral settings. He has been featured at national and international gatherings of the College Music Society and the International Clarinet Association, as a concerto soloist at The Midwest Clinic, and at the 2011 World Congress of the International Alliance for Women in Music. His artistry has earned recognition for "measured sophistication and expansive phrasing" (Voix des Artes), and he has secured top prizes in the MTNA National Woodwind Competition and other contests.
As a versatile performer, Hudson has collaborated with renowned ensembles such as the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, the Charlotte Symphony, the Sarasota Orchestra, and the North Carolina Symphony. In 2020, he was appointed Bass/3rd Clarinetist of the Cabrillo Festival Orchestra. His festival appearances also include the Lucerne, Bang on a Can, Hot Air, Sound Atlas, and Great Lakes Chamber Music festivals.
An active advocate for contemporary music, Hudson has premiered over 100 works and has performed with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra's MusicNOW series. He is the clarinetist and bass clarinetist for Miami’s Nu Deco Ensemble and the Raleigh-based group earspace. As the Artistic Director and Clarinetist with the international sextet Latitude 49, he can be heard on albums such as The Bagatelles Project, Wax and Wire (hailed as “a must-have album for any lover of contemporary music” by The College Music Symposium), and Don't Say A Word. His debut solo album, halfway home, released in 2022 on Potenza Music, was described as “exceptional” by The Clarinet.
Hudson is also a dedicated educator, known for his passion for teaching. He has given guest masterclasses at many leading music institutions worldwide, including Egypt’s Cairo Conservatory, Romania's National University of Music Bucharest, South Korea’s Inje University, the Peabody Conservatory, the San Francisco Conservatory, and the University of British Columbia, among others.Before joining Lawrence University, Hudson spent five years on the faculty at the University of North Carolina Greensboro, where he was nominated for the James Y. Joyner Award for Teaching Excellence and served as the NC State Chair for the International Clarinet Association. He has also taught at Lake Forest College, Northwestern University, and the Tennessee Valley Music Festival.
Hudson holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in Clarinet Performance with a Cognate in Music Theory from Northwestern University, where he also earned his Master of Music. His Bachelor of Music degree was obtained from Columbus State University’s Schwob School of Music. His primary teachers include Steve Cohen, J. Lawrie Bloom, and Lisa Oberlander.In addition to his performance and teaching career, Hudson is a Buffet Crampon Artist-Clinician, Vandoren Performing Artist, and Rovner Products Ambassador. When not practicing, he enjoys cycling, trail running, reading, playing guitar, listening to baseball on the radio, and collecting obscure instruments.
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David Troy Francis, piano
Two time Pulitzer Prize winning composer Ned Rorem says of Mr. Francis: He plays the right note with the right tone at the right time. (what more can you ask of any performer?) And with this, he adds that indefinable element of himself, which is the magic of all true interpreters.
Mr. Francis has enjoyed a 50+ year career of musical excellence and performs in recital throughout America and Europe. He has ten cds available including the world premiere recording of Mr. Rorem's Eight Etudes for Piano on the cd entitled The Americans. The Los Angeles Times raves of Mr. Francis’ playing: consistently absorbing whether in lyrical repose or propulsive fury. Two of his best selling CDs include his unique and compelling arrangements of American Hymns.
Mr. Francis is the recording pianist for such films as Pursuit of Happyness, Elegy and Fame. He has composed music for film and television.
Mr. Francis is the creator, composer, musical director and executive producer of the runaway smash hit musical BARK! - the 3rd longest running production in Los Angeles theatrical history. The wildly successful show has been mounted in theatres from Florida to Alaska and internationally in Brazil and Scotland. BARK! has been selected critics’ choice by the Los Angeles Times and The Chicago Tribune.
David Troy Francis was born in Memphis, Tennessee, and is best known for his steadfast championing and performance of contemporary American music. Now living in Roswell, Georgia, he is an esteemed concert pianist and recording artist as well as a respected composer, arranger and accompanist.
