Meet the Insigators

About the ensemble

Hot Wrk Ensemble is diverse, genre-defying “chamber grooves.”  A saxophone/woodwind and percussion trio founded in 2020 by award-winning and innovative saxophonists Lois Hicks-Wozniak and Brad Hubbard, the trio explores, deconstructs and “wrks out” concepts of traditional chamber music and the concert experience. Performances can include everything from contemporary art music, jazz, world music styles, original compositions, early Baroque, and even arrangements of popular selections by Dolly Parton, The Beatles, The Black Eyed Peas, Stevie Wonder and more!  Through grants awarded to them by Arts MidHudson, Hot Wrk has collaborated with Fulbright awardee and Grammy nominated violinist, Gwen Laster to present concerts throughout the Greater Hudson Valley region. They were featured artists at the Orange County NY Arts Council Art Affair ‘25: Interwoven, performing a commissioned work specifically for the event. Hot Wrk has presented at ArtPort, the Beacon Bonfire Festival, Beattie-Powers Place, Concerts Con Brio, CRS: Center for Remembrance and Sharing (NYC), Elysium Furnace Works, Howland Cultural Center, Old Dutch Church, Kingston, the Players Theatre (NYC), Savage Wonder Parlor and Savage Wonder Festival, SUNY Schenectady, Upfront Exhibition Space/GroovePort Series, the Wallkill River Center for the Arts, and numerous public libraries and community centers.  

Lois Hicks-Wozniak

Saxophone

Lois Hicks-Wozniak is an active saxophonist and educator in the New York Metropolitan and Hudson Valley region, committed to community engagement through new music and global music styles. A D’Addario Woodwinds Artist, her many awards include winning the Special Presentation Winners Recital Series, sponsored by Artists International Presentations; earning her a New  York Recital Debut at Weill Recital Hall in Carnegie Hall. She is described in performance as having “tremendous technique and fidelity to tone  without sacrificing musical line,” and a “beautiful soprano saxophone sound…preserving the  beauty and consistency of her sound regardless of the technical or musical demands of the  moment” (Saxophone Symposium). Her album Playback: Music for Saxophone and Bass Trombone features Matt Wozniak,  trombone and Nadine Shank, piano.  She has performed and recorded with the Albany Symphony, the Hudson Valley Philharmonic, the New York City Ballet Orchestra and the first Burmese-American Hsiang Waing ensemble, among many others. She served in the U.S. Army as a member of the West Point Band and taught at Marist College, Montclair State University, and SUNY New Paltz. She holds degrees from Florida State University and Montclair State University.

Brad Hubbard

Woodwinds

Brad Hubbard is a composer who plays baritone saxophone, flute and bass clarinet. He is a  member of 3rd Bell quartet combining jazz, world, and electronic music, The David Sanford  Big Band with the recently released “A Prayer for Lester Bowie”, Neil Alexander’s X Ensemble, a modern Chamber Jazz Octet and from 1988-2004 The New Century Saxophone  Quartet. In May of 2024 Brad performed the World Premiere of his “Concerto for Baritone Saxophone  and Concert Band.” He has commissioned and premiered Benjamin Boone’s “Concerto for  Baritone Saxophone and Orchestra” as well as pieces from Sherwood Shaffer, Monica  Ashton, Mark Taylor and Michael Bellar and is also a composer and performer with Composers Concordance in New York City. As a sideman Brad has appeared with a broad range of artists and ensembles including Corey Glover of Living Colour, Nancy Wilson, Pinetop Perkins, Joe Lovano, Lew Tabackin, Lenny Pickett,  Boots Randolph, Roy Clark, The Monica Ashton Jazz Band, the New York City Ballet Orchestra, among many others.  Brad is currently the Woodwind Instructor at The Beacon Music Factory in Beacon NY,  where he lives with his family.

Dave Previ

Percussion

Dave Previ has served as a sideman and member of many bands through his 26 year career as a working drummer covering the gamut of musical palettes from Rock to Jazz, Progressive to Country as well as musical theater around the globe.  Teaching the drum set is also a passion which has also been a path to world travel; especially during 2017-2018 when he toured China as a Drum Set clinician.  In 2025 Dave opened “Beacon Drum Studio” where he teaches and records both online and in person.

Angel Michael Lau

Percussion

Angel Michael Lau, based in Newburgh, NY, is passionate about percussion, drawing inspiration from his Peruvian heritage. He leads Illari, a project centered on identity, migration, and cultural continuity and performs regularly as a percussionist for the Hot Wrk Ensemble. His musical journey spans Afro-Peruvian and Brazilian music, as well as various percussion styles, characterized by a commitment to lifelong learning with an early drumming education with Jeff Haynes, classical studies at Purchase College, and guidance from mentors in NYC. As a member of “Odeon” by Ephrat Asherie, Angel has showcased his talents at renowned venues across the US, including the Spoleto Festival, Vail Dance Festival, and Fall for Dance. Currently serving as a dance accompanist at Bard College, Angel eagerly collaborates on an upcoming project with Bessie Award Winner Souleymane Badolo from Burkina Faso. His diverse collaborations with artists such as Kala and the Lost Tribe, Bobby Previte, Jason Clotter, Wallace Roney Jr., DreHall, Anaïs Maviel, Decora, and Nkodia highlight his dedication to enriching music's vibrant tapestry.