ARTISTS

Hugh  Hinton,  piano

PictureHugh Hinton
Pianist Hugh Hinton has performed widely as a concerto soloist, in recitals, and as a chamber musician, with a special interest in modern and contemporary music. Mr. Hinton has been a member of the imaginative and pioneering contemporary music group Core Ensemble since its founding in 1993. The group, which has performed throughout the US, Russia, Ukraine, England, and Australia, has received national recognition for their programs that meld chamber music with theatre, creating a style of presentation dubbed “chamber music theatre.” Mr. Hinton performs widely in Boston and New England, including performances at NEC’s Jordan Hall, Longy’s Pickman Hall, and at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. He has been heard on WGBH radio in Boston, and his performances have been broadcast internationally on “Art of the States.” Mr. Hinton performed throughout the Middle East as a United States Information Agency Artistic Ambassador, performing in Syria, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Oman. Mr. Hinton began to study piano at age six with an aunt in his native Louisiana and to perform in public at age eight, soon appearing with local orchestras. He studied with Constance Knox Carroll in Louisiana and Jack Roberts and Jonathan Woods in Texas before coming to New England to study. While in high school, he studied with Wha-Kyung Byun at New England Cconservatory (NEC) Prep, and performed with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Dallas Symphony, and New Orleans Philharmonic (currently Louisiana Philharmonic). He earned a bachelor’s degree from Harvard University, majoring in music, and a Master of Music degree from NEC in piano performance, studying with Russell Sherman. Mr. Hinton graduated with a DMA degree from NEC in piano performance, studying piano with Lev Vlassenko and Mykola Suk. Mr. Hinton has earned awards and prizes from the Robert Casadesus (Cleveland) International Piano Competition and the Washington International Piano Competition, as well as from the Harvard Musical Association and the St. Botolph Club. A passionate teacher, Mr. Hinton has taught piano at the Longy School of Music of Bard College since 1998. Previously, he taught piano at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA, music history at NEC, and figured bass at Harvard. Currently, he also serves as director of campus music activities at Merrimack College in North Andover, MA. Mr. Hinton has also developed an interest in arranging and composition, arranging many jazz and popular pieces for Core Ensemble and composing original music, such as the incidental music for Kirsten Greenidge’s play Hinges Keep a City, produced by the Huntington Theatre Company at the Stanford Calderwood Pavilion at the Boston Center for the Arts. His many recordings of contemporary and chamber music can be found on the Naxos, Etcetera, CRI, Newport Classics, New World, and MMC labels.