Mary Hubbell, soprano

Alice Jones, flute

A program of 20th and 21st music for soprano and flute, including a world premiere by Gregory W. Brown.

This program features music by a wide variety of composers; however, they are connected by the unusual origins of their inspiration. Each piece is inspired by a far-off vision: an ancient poet, a foreign poetic form, or a distant culture. In the combination of flute and voice, the composers find opportunities for spare harmonies and clear tones to invoke an exotic or hazy horizon. The program includes music by André Caplet, Albert Roussel, John Corigliano, Inés Thiebaut, and Michael Head. Flutist Alice Jones will present her original work, and the ensemble will premiere a new piece by composer Gregory W. Brown.

Voice and flute duo conText consists of Mary Hubbell and Alice Jones, musicians known for their colorful, thoughtful, and sensitive performances. The ensemble was founded in 2011 at the City University of New York Graduate Center, and their repertoire emphasizes new music while celebrating the entire common practice era. They have performed at Boston College, Cornelia Street Café, The Firehouse Space, Elebash Recital Hall, Symphony Space, Westbeth Art Gallery, and the Composers’ Voice Series at Jan Hus Church in New York City.  

Gregory W. Brown

Composer Gregory W. Brown's music has been heard on American Public Media’s Performance Today, BBC Radio, Minnesota Public Radio, Kansas Public Radio, and Danish National Radio; his Missa Charles Darwin received its European debut in March 2013 at the Dinosaur Hall of Berlin’s Museum für Naturkunde. Brown's works have been performed across the United States and Europe — most notably at Cadogan Hall in London, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, and Carnegie Hall in New York City. His latest major work — Fall & Decline — was released on Navona Records in 2021.

Alice Jones

Raised in Austin, TX, Alice Jones welcomes new listeners into the world of music through music creation, education, and collaboration. She was praised by Mario Davidovsky as “the flute player who could really play” and Fanfare Magazine called her 2017 album with Ensemble 365 “pretty music faultless... required listening.” Her composition projects include the #tinyefforts series, as well as recent commissions from Gaudete Brass, Decoda, Amity Trio, Millikin University, Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, and the Phoenix Orchestra (Boston). In 2018 she was named to the inaugural CreateNYC Leadership Accelerator cohort by the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs. Alice teaches flute in Juilliard’s Music Advancement Program and Luzerne Music Center. In 2020, she became the Assistant Dean of Community Engagement and Career Services at The Juilliard School. Alice graduated from Yale University, SUNY Purchase, and the CUNY Graduate Center. She lives in New York City, where, when she's not musicking, she’s likely walking her dogs or making ice cream.

Mary Hubbell

Mary Hubbell, described in the New York Times as “a soprano with a sweetly focused tone,” enjoys performing a wide variety of music, including art song, chamber music, and oratorio. She holds degrees from Boston College; the University of California, Santa Barbara; the Royal Conservatory in The Hague; and The Graduate Center of the City University of New York. While living in the Netherlands, she was a frequent soloist with early music ensembles, and often appeared at the contemporary venues of the Young Composer’s Festival in Apeldoorn and the Gaudeamus Festival in Amsterdam. She enjoys living and performing in western Massachusetts, where she lives with her husband, composer Gregory W. Brown and their dog Millie.