Hub New Music, a Boston based contemporary quartet of winds and strings, had their Baltimore debut at Goucher College on the brisk evening of November 14. Hub New Music aims to foster togetherness through new art as a touring ensemble, their season beginning this past October.
The group extends their creativity through commissioned pieces by various artists, the works of this night’s show by composers Dai Wei, Nina C. Young, Aaron Holloway-Nahum, and Christopher Cerrone.
The ensemble performed at Goucher between Philadelphia and North Carolina on their seasonal tour. Musician Gleb Kanasevich (clarinet) opened with a short speech introducing the group and the unorthodox method they used to play their instruments, setting the scene for an intriguing show.
The performance began with an upbeat tune, a playful flute introduction by Micheal Avitabile, followed by fast paced puffs in the clarinet, creating a sound akin to percussion. This was the first method I observed to be unorthodox in the playing of the instruments.
The show held more creative outlets introduced in the experience such as a spoken word recording played over a melody and a short film to accompany another piece.
Another notable manner used to express sharper notes found in the violin by Meg Roher and cello by Jesse Christeson was the use of a wire wrapped bow, bouncing lightly on the strings to create a melodic tapping sound.
The accumulation of these arts exposed the crowd to an immersive listening experience one would not soon forget. Hub New Music can be found and streamed on Spotify, Youtube, and Bandcamp.
Feature image: Hub New Music’s musicians (pictured left to right): Gleb Kanasevich, Micheal Avitabile, Meg Roher, and Jesse Christeson. Courtesy of https://hubnewmusic.org/
