About the Artist

Benjamin Hudson was born in the State of Illinois and grew up in California. He studied with celebrated teachers Donald Weilerstein, Oscar Shumsky, Joseph Gingold, Joseph Silverstein and Henryk Szeryng.

During Hudson's years in New York from 1975-1995, he was concertmaster of the Brooklyn Philharmonic, the Clarion Chamber Orchestra, Carnegie Hall's New York Pops Orchestra and the Dance Theatre of Harlem Orchestra. He was also concertmaster of Sweden's Drottningholm Court Theatre Orchestra for nine seasons and concertmaster of the Hanover Band in London. As soloist and concertmaster, he has worked with well-known conductors such as James Levine, Pierre Boulez, Lukas Foss and Dennis Russell Davies. While in New York, Hudson was first violinist of the Columbia String Quartet, well known for its performances and recordings of contemporary music. He was also first violinist of Speculum Musicae and the Group for Contemporary Music, New York's two leading contemporary music ensembles.

Since 1995, he has been concertmaster/director of the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra, at that time, under chief conductor Dennis Russell Davies.  Over the years, Hudson has led a significant percentage of the season's concerts from the violin.  He has led numerous tours of Japan, Korea, China, India and South America.

Throughout his career, Hudson has been very active in the performance of baroque and classical music on period instruments. He has also specialized in contemporary music. He has performed and recorded works by such composers as Elliott Carter, Charles Wuorinen, Morton Feldman, John Cage, Steve Reich, Philip Glass and John Adams. In the area of baroque and classical music, Hudson has directed recordings of J.S. Bach's complete Violin Concerti, Brandenburg Concerti and Bach's complete "Art of the Fuge" with the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra. He has also recorded Bach's Violin Sonatas in a version for Violin, Guitar and Cello. On period instruments, he has recorded the highly acclaimed version of Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto with the Hanover Band as well as the complete Beethoven Violin Sonatas with pianist, Mary Verney, for Nimbus Records.

Since 2005, Hudson has been a frequent guest concertmaster with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra in Munich, the SWR Radio Symphony Orchestra in Stuttgart and the WDR Radio Symphony Orchestra in Cologne. In 2008, Hudson was concertmaster of the Basel Symphony orchestra under conductor Dennis Russell Davies and continued with his post as concertmaster of the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra through 2011. He then embarked on a new phase of his career, concertizing as a guest director and soloist throughout Europe and the United States. Mr. Hudson has been particularly active with directing and solo engagements in Sweden. In 2012, he joined the faculty of Oberlin Conservatory of Music teaching violin, baroque violin and directing the Oberlin Conservatory Baroque Orchestra.

Since 2015, Hudson has had an active period in Los Angeles recording in the major film studios as well as teaching violin and chamber music both privately and as guest instructor at California Institute of the Arts. In 2018, Hudson moved to Berlin and is teaching privately and performing chamber music.