booking information

Hub New Music is available for performances of The Bird-While and The Great Nothing with both professional ensembles and student ensembles as part of school residencies.

Please contact Hub New Music Executive Director, Michael Avitabile, for booking inquiries and a perusal score of The Bird-While.

The Bird-While by Gala Flagello

The Bird-While is a 20-minute concerto for flute, clarinet, violin, cello, and symphonic winds commissioned by Hub New Music. The concerto is titled after and based on Keith Taylor’s poem “Acolytes in the Bird-While,” which explores the flora and fauna of Michigan and the struggle to persist in the face of climate change. Flagello aimed to write a concerto for an unconventional group of instruments that demonstrates their virtuosity while providing a platform for raising awareness of and education around environmental and climate justice. Each movement derives its title from Taylor’s poem, drawing attention to pivotal lines in the poem’s narrative.

The Bird-While has commissioned by Hub New Music and premiered with Michael Haithcock & the University of Michigan Symphony Band in March 2023.

The Great Nothing by J. Clay Gonzalez

The Great Nothing is a 20-minute chamber concerto for quartet and band, featuring an open-score format, aleatoric soundscapes, folk-inspired melodies, and lush modal harmonies. The four solo parts—Flute, Clarinet, Violin, and Cello —are composed for the instrumentalists of Hub New Music. This piece draws from themes and aesthetics of Appalachian old-time music, American folk balladry, and shape-note singing. In creating this work, Gonzalez was inspired by the musical styles and philosophies of Julius Eastman, Pauline Oliveros, and John Luther Adams.

The Great Nothing was commissioned by a consortium of Wind Ensembles, led by Daniel Johnson & Wingate University. Premiered with Johnson at Wingate in February 2027.