Clarinetist Catherine Hudgins began her career in Caracas, Venezuela with the Orquesta Filarmónica de Caracas, later holding positions in the Sinfonica Municipal de Caracas, the Charleston Symphony, and the Boise Philharmonic. A busy career as an orchestral and chamber musician has led her to perform throughout North America, Europe, and in South America, the Caribbean, Africa, and the Far East. Ms. Hudgins currently serves as the principal clarinetist with the Plymouth Philharmonic and the Eb clarinetist for the Portland (ME) Symphony, and she frequently performs as an extra musician with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, as well as many other orchestras.

As a duo-soloist, she performs with her husband, Boston Symphony clarinetist William Hudgins, most recently on Daniel Crozier’s Spirit, which was written for them and premiered with the Knoxville Symphony in 2019. Other solo appearances include duo-soloist performance with the Boston Classical Orchestra, as soloist with Assisi Performing Arts, and with the Plymouth Philharmonic in Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante.

Ms. Hudgins' chamber music concerts include performances at Assisi Performing Arts and the Spoleto, Rockport, and Scotia Festivals, as well as with Ensemble Chamarré (dedicated to the performance of Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time), and the West Stockbridge Chamber Players, a group that she founded in 2010. She has performed with the Saito Kinen Festival Orchestra in Matsumoto, Japan, Tokyo Opera Nomori, and the Mito (Japan) Chamber Orchestra, all under the direction of Seiji Ozawa. She served as principal clarinetist for the 75th anniversary tour of Gershwin's Porgy and Bess, which performed throughout much of the eastern half of the United States. Her chamber music performances have been broadcast on National Public Radio, German Radio, RAI (Italian Radio), SCETV, and the CBC, among others. She can be heard on recordings by Chandos, Decca, Deutsche Grammophon, and the BSO Classics labels, including three Grammy-winning performances. She studied clarinet with Robert Marcellus. Her website is www.catherinehudginsclarinet.com

CATHERINE HUDGINS, CLARINET

Photo by Tiziana Rozzo