Thanks for visiting my website. My name is John C. Hughes, and I enjoy a multifaceted career as a professional conductor based in Chicago.

I am the Music Director of Chicago Master Singers and the Director of Choral Programs at the Green Lake Festival of Music in Wisconsin, where I conduct the annual Choral Institute and am the founding conductor of the Composer Residency. Additionally, I frequently serve as a guest conductor, clinician, and adjudicator.

Each season, I perform a wide variety of repertoire, including beloved choral-orchestral and unaccompanied works from many eras, as well as world premieres. As a strong advocate for living composers, I have commissioned new works from Dale Trumbore, Elaine Hagenberg, and Reena Esmail and premiered additional pieces by Tim Blickhan and Wayland Rogers. Since the Green Lake Composer Residency’s inception in 2018, I am honored to have collaborated with luminary composers Ola Gjeilo, Shawn Kirchner, Morten Lauridsen, Elaine Hagenberg, and Reena Esmail.

In addition to my busy conducting schedule, I enjoy writing and scholarship. My book, Letters to a Young Conductor: Thoughts on Music and Life, is available in print and as an ebook. I have authored peer-reviewed articles in the Choral Journal, The Choral Scholar, and The Diapason, written numerous reviews of choral music, books, and recordings, and created a modern edition of Leonhard Lechner’s 1593 Passion setting. For several years, I hosted a weekly podcast, Choir Chat.

I previously served as a college professor and department chair, church musician, and K–12 music teacher. I earned my undergraduate degree from Augustana College, M.M. from Northern Illinois University, and D.M.A. from the University of Iowa.

Thanks again for stopping by. Feel free to contact me—I’d love to hear from you!