Biography
Hudson O'Reilly stands as a rising saxophonist, currently pursuing his studies at the Bienen School of Music at Northwestern University. Before joining the Northwestern community under the tutelage of Professor Taimur Sullivan, Hudson was a student of Dr. Jonathan Wintringham.
Hudson has found success in a variety of competitions, most recently winning first prize in the Vandoren Emerging Artist competition 2025. He has also been named a finalist in Northwestern University’s 2025 Concerto & Aria Competition, a semi-finalist at the North American Saxophone Alliance 2024 competition, and awarded honorable mention in the 2023 International Saxophone Academy’s Grand Finals competition.
Currently serving as an intern at the International Saxophone Academy and International Saxophone Publishing, Hudson engages in music engraving work, video editing, social media management, photography, and graphic design. He has previously interned for Sheldon Artists LLC, creating promotional materials for artists and assisting in the marketing for large-scale projects, including the 2024 premiere of Augusta Read Thomas’ Concerto for Saxophone and Orchestra: Haemosu’s Celestial Chariot Ride at Carnegie’s Zankel Hall with saxophonist Steven Banks.
Hudson has made consistent efforts to engage with emerging composers, regularly premiering new works for saxophone in chamber and solo settings. As a part of the Northwestern University Saxophone Ensemble, Hudson has premiered several new works by student composers at the University, and taken part in the ensemble’s long-standing collaboration with Chicago-based composer Stacy Garrop, premiering several of her choral works as arranged for saxophone ensemble. In the fall of 2024, the Northwestern University Saxophone Ensemble launched a collaboration with the University’s jazz program, culminating in a concert of genre-bending saxophone music inspired by the legendary Prism Quartet’s Heritage / Evolution project.
Hudson has recently performed with the Chicago Metropolitan Orchestra, participated in the Chicago premiere of Susan Botti’s Sull'ala for saxophone and wind ensemble, and was featured on composer Jasmine Thomasian’s refractions concert at the Bramble Arts Loft in Chicago, IL. In June of 2025, he performed at the Ann Arbor Summer Fest as soprano chair of the ASA Saxophone Ensemble, and has previously appeared on stage beside renowned saxophonists Claude Delangle and Sandro Compagnon while participating in the European University of Saxophone.
