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. Performances by Hudson have been hailed as "a treat for the listener" (IAWM Journal) and have been praised for "an uncommon singularity of purpose, technical virtuosity, youthful vigor and a mature sensitivity" (The Clarinet). An "inspiring" (MMR) and "fearless" (Cacophony) performer, he has performed widely across North America, Europe, and Africa in solo, chamber, and orchestral settings. Hudson has been featured at national and international gatherings of the College Music Society and the International Clarinet Association, and in 2011 he appeared at the World Congress of the International Alliance for Women in Music. Praised for his "measured sophistication and expansive phrasing" (Voix des Artes), he has been a top prizewinner at the MTNA National Woodwind Competition and has received other prizes in numerous competitions. He has recently performed with the North Carolina Symphony, Charlotte Symphony, and North Carolina Opera, and is an in-demand orchestral and chamber performer for ensembles across the country. He was appointed Bass/3rd Clarinetist of the Cabrillo Festival Orchestra in 2020; other festival appearances include the Lucerne, Bang on a Can, Hot Air, and Great Lakes Chamber Music festivals.
"Truly a performer for the moment" (CVNC), Hudson is a noted interpreter of contemporary music and has premiered 100+ works to date. He has performed with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra on their MusicNOW series and is clarinetist/bass clarinetist with Miami's Nu Deco Ensemble and the Raleigh-based ensemble earspace. Hudson is co-Artistic Director with the international sextet Latitude 49, with whom he can be heard on the albums The Bagatelles Project, Wax and Wire (called "a must-have album for any lover of contemporary music" by The College Music Symposium), and Don't Say a Word (in collaboration with avant-folk vocalist and composer Annika Socolofsky). His debut solo album halfway home (called "exceptional" by The Clarinet) released in 2022 on Potenza Music, and he has also recorded for the Sony Masterworks, Naxos, and New Amsterdam record labels.
Hudson is regarded as a leading ambassador for the music of our time and his books Elements of Contemporary Clarinet Technique and SPACE BASS: Advanced Explorations for Bass Clarinet are co-authored with Roger Zare for Conway Publications. A passionate educator, he has given guest masterclasses at South Korea's Inje University, Egypt's Cairo Conservatory, Bucharest's National University for Music, the Peabody Conservatory, the University of Michigan, the San Francisco Conservatory, the University of British Columbia, the Boston Conservatory, and many more.
Before coming to Lawrence, Hudson spent five years on faculty at the University of North Carolina Greensboro, where he was a nominee for the James Y. Joyner Award for Teaching Excellence and served as the NC State Chair for the International Clarinet Association. He held prior teaching positions at Lake Forest College and Northwestern University, and the Tennessee Valley Music Festival. Hudson earned his DMA in Clarinet Performance with a Cognate Certification in Music Theory from Northwestern University, where he also earned his Master of Music degree. He earned the BM in Clarinet Performance at Columbus State University's Schwob School of Music. His primary professors have included Steve Cohen, J. Lawrie Bloom, and Lisa Oberlander.
Hudson is an Artist-Clinician for Buffet Crampon and an Ambassador for Rovner Products, and performs exclusively on Buffet clarinets and Rovner ligatures. When he's not practicing, Hudson enjoys running, reading, playing guitar, eating local food, listening to baseball on the radio, and collecting obscure instruments.
