Music

Photo of Dr. Holly Hubbs
Photo of Dr. Holly Hubbs

Holly J Hubbs

Professor Dr. Holly Hubbs currently holds the William F. Heefner Endowed Chair of Music at Ursinus College. She teaches courses in music history and directs the jazz ensemble. A native of St. Louis, Missouri, Hubbs holds music education degrees from Quincy University (Quincy, IL) and Western Illinois University (Macomb, IL), and received her Doctor of Arts degree in saxophone performance from Ball State University (Muncie, IN). In spring 2018, Hubbs was recognized with Ursinus’ Laughlin Award for Professional Achievement, and in 2015 she received the Laughlin Award for Distinguished Teaching. As a saxophonist, Hubbs has performed in venues in both the United States and Europe and is currently an active recitalist in the Philadelphia area. Hubbs’ fourth recording, “Crossing the Break” (Weston Sound, 2014) featured all clarinet transcriptions. Also an active scholar, Dr. Hubbs has published articles in the Saxophone Symposium, and presented papers at conferences of the North American Saxophone Alliance, College Music Society, and the American Culture Association.

Department

Music

Degrees

  • B.S. Quincy University
  • M.A. Western Illinois University
  • D.A. Ball State University

Teaching

Director, Jazz Ensemble
History of Jazz
World Music
Foundations of Music
Applied Single Reeds
Chamber Music

Research Interests

Saxophone performance and chamber music
Jazz History
Early 20th-century vernacular music
Women in Music

Recent Work

2014 CD Release “Crossing the Break: The Saxophone Plays Clarinet Transcriptions”

Paper entitled “Whose Rhythm Is It Anyway?: Creation and Appropriation
1950’s Rock ‘n’ Roll” presented at American Culture Association National Conference (Chicago, IL, April 2014)

Lecture recital on music of 1920’s composer/saxophonist Kathryne E. Thompson presented at 2014 Biennial Conference of the North American Saxophone Alliance (Univ of Illinois, March 2014)