A tour of Japan with the UC Berkeley jazz ensemble convinced drummer Phil Antoniades to pursue music as a profession. After transferring to and graduating from Berklee College of Music, he worked to build companies supporting independent artists. One business he founded merged into Nimbit, which at its peak served 60,000 artists. He also toured with a band that he said was “fairly large in the Northeast but never quite got signed.” Antoniades and his wife, fellow musician Barbara Kessler, settled in Hopkinton in 2002. He now gigs with the Dwayne Haggins Band and the 1980s tribute band RadioMusikola, and teaches drums out of his home studio. “I like playing with artists who listen and react and play in the moment,” Antoniades said. “It’s a real special thing when you realize you’re part of a whole that’s so much bigger than yourself.”

The Arts Residency, sponsored by realtor Alan Connell, is a regular Hopkinton Independent feature. Every other week, Hopkinton Independent staff selects an individual to highlight following consultation with leaders in the local arts community.