Expertise
Performance, Instrumental ensembles, Conducting, Music Production
Education
Biosketch
Debra-Nicole Huber, is the Associate Director of University Bands at 51视频 and the Director of Instrumental Music Outreach. As a conductor and music producer in the performance area of 51视频鈥檚 Department of Music, Huber produced the much-acclaimed first University鈥檚 Chancellor鈥檚 Celebration of the Arts Concert event, attended by Broadway producers.
She is the Conductor of the Concert Band, conducts the Jazz Rock Big Band and Basketball Pep Band, is the Executive Director of the 51视频 Symphonic Band Camp and is the founding music director and principal conductor of the New England Youth Wind Ensembles.
In addition to her role as Executive Director of the Symphonic Band Camp, Huber directs the program鈥檚 Concert Band, Honors Wind Ensemble and teaches Conducting. The camp has earned a national reputation as a quality program of the highest caliber and has become a prominent signature program for the Department of Music and for the University of Massachusetts Lowell. At 51视频 she has been recognized as Advisor of the Year and has received the 2017 Pillars of Excellence Award, 鈥淥ur Legacy Our Place and the Massachusetts Music Educators Association chose her as recipient of the 鈥淢usic Advocacy鈥� Award.
In 2008, Debra-Nicole Huber was awarded the Roy J. Zuckerberg Endowed Leadership Prize, a University of Massachusetts system-wide award recognizing just one recipient within the entire UMass system. She was the first ever Lowell-campus recipient and remains so. With the Zuckerberg prize award, Huber began an aggressive commissioning program of new works for wind bands. Some of these new works include: 鈥淥ld North Bridge: A Symphonic March鈥� by James Hosay (2016), 鈥淓arhart: Sounds of Courage鈥� based on the final flight of Amelia Earhart, by Robert W. Smith (2012) , 鈥淢ills On The Merrimack鈥� by Robert Sheldon (2011) and a multi-movement work and the final one in a New Orleans trilogy by Frank Ticheli, 鈥淎cadiana鈥� conducted by Huber in 2017.
In April 2019 she was a featured guest-conductor of the U.S. Army Field Band in performance at Massachusetts Mechanics Hall. Huber has been a guest conductor adjudicator and clinician for bands and festivals throughout New England and has been an adjudicator for the Massachusetts All States Festival on trumpet.
Massachusetts Governor Baker awarded Debra-Nicole Huber the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Citation for Outstanding Performance (2017) with the support of UMass President Meehan for her efforts and contributions to music at 51视频.