Gareth Hudson - Music Director / Conductor
Gareth Hudson conducts and acts as Music Director across many musical strands with artists as diverse as Kathryn Jenkins, Jason Donovan, Hayley Westenra, Alfie Boe, Perry Como, Bernadette Greevy, Westlife, Marti Webb, Paul Nicholas, The Chieftains and many more artists from the UK, USA, Scandinavia and Ireland. His work in musical theatre has included collaborations with directors such as Hal Prince and choreographers Gillian Lynne and Nicola Traherne. He has compiled concerts in association with presenters/actors Terry Wogan, Spike Milligan, Barry Norman, Howard Blake, Honor Blackman, Richard Baker, Alasdair Malloy, Don Black and Ron Goodwin amongst many others.
Gareth Hudson has been conducting the RTE Concert Orchestra in Dublin for many years, latterly as its Associate Conductor, developing the orchestra's light music, family concert and entertainment programmes for broadcast and public concerts. He works with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London's Royal Festival Hall and elsewhere and has conducted BBC Radio 2's "Friday Night is Music Night". Recent seasons have seen him conducting productions of "South Pacific" and "Zorba" for Malmö Opera and he returns there for "Jesus Christ Superstar" in '08/9. Recent immediate re-invitations have come from the Sønderjyllands Symfoniorkester, Aalborg Symfoniorkester, Odense Symfoniorkester, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestra of Opera North and NDR Radiophilharmonie in Hanover in programmes ranging from New Year concerts through Family and Children's Concerts, in addition to returns to the Ulster Orchestra and the RTE Concert Orchestra. He has conducted well over 300 concerts and broadcasts with the RTECO and he also conducts the BBC Concert and BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestras. He has received a major national award for his "Outstanding Contribution to Music in Ireland" in recognition of his work with the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, the RTE Concert Orchestra and the Ulster Orchestra.
Gareth Hudson's abilities on the podium as a conductor and presenter are matched by his innovative programming ideas using the lighter classical repertoire and the finest quality light music. These programmes include "Elation", Movie Classics", "Divas", "It Takes Two", "Shaken Not Stirred", "The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber", "Supertroupers", "Showstoppers", "Valentine Day Classics", "Love Against the Odds", "Unforgettable" and "Songs for a Swingin' Orchestra" as well as a set of programmes for the Christmas period. His own programmes are tailored to the individual needs of each orchestra using music from classical, light classical and ballet music, music theatre and film music (including silent film accompaniment). He has conducted over 100 concerts in his series of family concerts "Music for Fun" with the RTE Concert Orchestra; these concerts, using music from a wide variety of backgrounds, are devised to give a unique insight into the inner-workings of orchestras and often feature audience participation. The series was also presented over a 3-year period in 45 concerts with the Ulster Orchestra. He has also conducted several TV series with the RTE Concert Orchestra including two series of "Make Mine Music" which he both conducted and presented. His work in Ireland has also included being Principal Conductor of the Irish National Ballet (choreographer Domy Reiter Soffer.) He has conducted concerts for various International Film Festivals including 2 gala performances of silent screen accompaniment for the classic film "The Passion of Joan of Arc."
Gareth Hudson has a close association with the world of musical theatre.
He was Principal Conductor and Musical Director for Andrew Lloyd Webber's
own production of "The Phantom of the Opera", recruiting singers
and musicians from over 25 countries for the production in Basel, Switzerland.
This production ran for two years and was recorded by Polygram and he was
subsequently asked by Cameron Mackintosh to conduct the production in the
West End. His work for the BBC has included a very favourably reviewed production
of Lerner and Loewe's "Camelot", starring Paul Nicholas and Jason
Donovan, for BBC Radio 2.
March 2008