He was a composer, pianist, and conductor. He is known for his zarzuela compositions and has a total of more than 100 authored or co-authored compositions. He is considered one of the founding fathers of Spanish musical nationalism. He attempted to create a Spanish national opera.
Oudrid founded the Zarzuela Artistic Society (in 1851) and the Teatro de la Zarzuela in Madrid, along with Francisco Asenjo Barbieri, José Ynzenga, Rafael Hernando, Joaquín Gaztambide, Emilio Arrieta, Luis de Olona and Francisco Salas. He was the director of several theaters such as: Teatro del Circo, Teatro de la Zarzuela, among others