Who we are

FOUNDER, Managing Director

Michaël Hudetz – Artistic Director

Tenor Michaël Hudetz is a founder and Managing Director of Bach on the Fox, an early music festival based in his hometown of Batavia, Illinois. A versatile performer praised for his expressive musicianship and clarity of tone, Michaël is increasingly in demand as an interpreter of Bach, Handel, and the early music repertoire.

His career has brought him to some of the world’s most renowned stages, including the BBC Proms at London’s Royal Albert Hall, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and as a featured soloist at St. Martin-in-the-Fields, London. He has collaborated with internationally acclaimed ensembles such as Bach Collegium Japan, Carmel Bach Festival, Grammy-Winning Choir: The Crossing, and his work as both a soloist and ensemble artist has taken him across Europe and North America.

In the upcoming season, Michaël will appear as Acis in Handel’s Acis and Galatea with the Atlanta Baroque Orchestra, further cementing his reputation as a leading interpreter of Baroque opera and sacred music.

Michaël earned his Master of Music in Vocal Performance from Northwestern University and a Master of Musical Arts from the Yale Institute of Sacred Music. While building an international performing career, he has remained committed to education and mentorship, launching the Bach on the Fox Fellows program to provide training and performance opportunities for young artists in the Fox River Valley.

By founding Bach on the Fox, Michaël seeks to bring the artistry and vitality of historically informed performance to his home community, making Batavia and the surrounding Fox River cities a new center for early music in the Midwest.

When not performing or directing, Michaël enjoys running along the Fox River, exploring forgotten gems of the 17th and 18th centuries, and building connections between audiences and the timeless power of music.

FOUNDER, Assisting Director

Walter Aldrich is a singer, pianist, and conductor based in Chicago, Illinois. He holds a Master’s Degree in Music from Northwestern University’s prestigious Bienen School of Music, and has studied as an Apprentice Artist  with the Aspen and Tanglewood Music Festivals. As a pianist, Mr. Aldrich has maintained a long career as a collaborative pianist with soloists and choirs, and has worked continuously as a staff pianist for colleges and churches for over 17 years. As a singer, he has performed around the country in operas and choruses -- most notably, in 2019 he starred in the American premiere of a new opera The Cricket Recovers with the Tanglewood Music Festival under Thomas Ades, and appears regularly in concert and on recording with the multi-Grammy Award winning vocal ensemble The Crossing. In Chicago, Mr. Aldrich serves as the Director of Music for St. Elisabeth’s Episcopal Church in Glencoe, and sings regularly with Chicago Opera Theatre, Stare at the Sun (a Chicago-based chorus specializing in new works), Ensemble Affekten (a chamber ensemble dedicated to early music), and the Grant Park Chorus.