Hudson recently conducted the Royal Scottish National Orchestra (RSNO) for a special concert celebrating the 30th anniversary of Classic FM in the presence of HM King Charles III on a live broadcast to 12 million listeners. Hudson has collaborated as the piano soloist premiering Paul Mealor’s Piano Concerto with the London Mozart Players which was praised by the Financial Times saying: “…the premiere of Paul Mealor’s Piano Concerto, a glittering conclusion, played with flair by John Frederick Hudson.” (Richard Fairman, Financial Times). As composer, Hudson was commissioned by the Aix-en-Provence festival to set the Oscar Wilde text, VITA NUOVA, for orchestra, choir and soloist; the premiere received much acclaim.

Hudson has both performed in the BBC Proms as well as assisting Simon Halsey in the preparation for Verdi’s Requiem with Marin Alsop, and for Beethoven’s Symphony No.9 with Donald Runnicles. In addition, he is conductor and founding supporter of Opera Festival Scotland, which in collaboration with the RSNO (Royal Scottish National Orchestra), provides professional operatic performances and education to the northeast of Scotland. Hudson has also performed at the Spoleto Festival, American’s premiere international performing arts festival, as well as serving as répétiteur and chorus manager for Joseph Flummerfelt and Joe Miller for the festivals’ operas and major choral-orchestral works including the North American premiere of Phillip Glass’ Kepler. Additionally, Hudson was awarded a full scholarship as a conducting fellow at multiple Oregon Bach Festivals, firstly with Helmuth Rilling and secondly with Matthew Halls, both of which focused on the masterworks of JS Bach. As a conductor, Hudson has studied with nationally acclaimed conductors such as James Jordan, Gary Graden, Joe Miller, Amanda Quist, Jerry Blackstone, Matthew Halls, Andrew Megill, and Charles Bruffy. He has also performed under significant conductors such as Sir Simon Rattle, Gustavo Dudamel, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Andris Nelsons, Daniel Barenboim, Alan Gilbert and Esa-Pekka Salonen.

Hudson has a diverse portfolio of compositions ranging from choral music to orchestral and opera. He has also written music and performed for the late Queen Elizabeth II at Balmoral Castle in a celebration marking her as the longest reigning monarch and for His Majesty King Charles III at Buckingham Palace for a private event.

Hudson is highly commissioned as a composer and has many publications on his website John Frederick Hudson Music, and with publishers GIA Publications, Ty Cerdd, and Beckenhorst Press. As a regular guest conductor with the Aberdeen Sinfonietta Orchestra, Hudson was commissioned for an exciting 20 minute work, Concerto for Percussion and Orchestra, also conducting the premiere performance. In addition, Hudson was commissioned by the Con Anima Chamber Choir to compose and conduct the premiere of Epitaphs of War — a 25 minute meditation for Remembrance. “Hudson had given it so much care, attention and often startling imagination” remarked music critic Alan Cooper.

Hudson currently serves as the Head of Operations of the John Armitage Memorial Trust (JAM). In this role, Hudson has brought a sharp creative design to the branding and design of the festival and has given creative and inventive input to the artistic vision of the festival. He has collaborated with esteemed British music groups such as VOCES8, Onyx Brass, London Mozart Players and Canterbury Cathedral. In 2022, Hudson partnered with the VOCES8 Foundation creating an interactive and innovative education series to help composers write for choral ensembles.

Hudson serves on the board of the Same Stream — a professional choral ensemble with Grammy-nominated conductor and prolific author, James Jordan. He has regularly taught in Oxford at the Choral Conducting Symposium alongside James Jordan and James Whitbourn. Hudson has previously collaborated with James Jordan on Inside the Choral Rehearsal, A Harmonically Based Application of the Music Theory of Edwin E. Gordon (2015) and Intonational Solfege: Teaching Lifelong Music Literacy through Audition and Harmonic Context (2022).

Hudson completed his PhD studies in music composition with ‘royal composer’ Professor Paul Mealor at the University of Aberdeen, with guest tutors Sir James MacMillan and James O’Donnell. Hudson earned a Bachelor’s degree in piano performance before turning to composition for his Master’s degree studying with Dan Forrest. He completed a second Master’s degree in conducting, graduating with distinction from Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey.