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Celebrated for his stunning musicianship and dazzling stage presence, American pianist Brian Woods has emerged as an exciting performer of international acclaim. His 2024-2025 Season includes numerous solo and collaborative appearances, including concerto performances with the Chamber Music Society of St. Louis, St. Louis Philharmonic, and on a subscription weekend with the North Carolina Symphony. His 2023-2024 Season included concert tours across the United States, including performances for the L'ermitage Foundation (Los Angeles, CA), the Dana Center for the Performing Arts at Saint Anselm College (Manchester, NH), Connect2Culture (Joplin, MO), the Glema Mahr Center for the Arts (Madisonville, KY), the Keokuk Concert Association (Keokuk, IA), the Steinway Society of Western Pennsylvania (Pittsburgh, PA), and more. Woods is also honored to serve as Music Director for Classical Programming at the World Chess Hall of Fame, one of the premier venues for chamber music in Missouri.
Woods’ debut studio album Wanderings was released to great acclaim in 2024 by the Grammy Award-winning Navona Records of PARMA Recordings. Featuring the complete Ballades of Frédéric Chopin alongside groundbreaking compositions by women composers, Wanderings was hailed as “a recorded introduction to a musician of rare technical faculty and interpretive insight” (Joseph Newsome, Voix de arts) and was included in St. Louis Magazine's Top Albums of 2024. The recording has been streamed by thousands worldwide, and is available on every major online platform.
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A native of St. Louis, Woods has enjoyed success in numerous distinguished competitions, including the Verona International Piano Competition, The American Prize, the Beverly Hills National Auditions, and the Artist Presentation Society Auditions. Following his debut concerto performance at age eighteen, he maintains an extensive concerto repertoire, from Liszt and Tchaikovsky's First Concerti to Beethoven's Fifth, Brahms' Second, and Rachmaninoff's Third. Woods has recently performed with such ensembles as the Gateway Festival Orchestra, the Quincy Symphony Orchestra, the Belleville Philharmonic, the Manassas Symphony Orchestra, the Southeast Missouri Symphony, the University City Symphony Orchestra, and the Southern Illinois Symphony.
Past seasons have included solo recitals in Toronto, Washington D.C., Nashville, St. Louis, San Diego, Kansas City, Chicago, and Dublin, Ireland. Hailed as “representing the next generation of professional touring artists” (Robert Hart Baker), Woods’ performances continue to receive high acclaim, with audiences and critics alike praising his playing as “astonishing” (KDHX St. Louis), “inspiring” (Encinitas, CA), and “taking the audience on a journey” (Watertown, NY). Woods has collaborated with tenor Vinson Cole and cellist Julian Schwarz, among many other partners in the United States and Canada. His artistic partnership with Canadian violinist Daniel Dastoor as the Dastoor-Woods Duo has led to notable performances for Music Toronto and the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity.
Past mentors include Craig Nies, Robert Weirich, Stanislav Ioudenitch, and Donna Vince. Woods holds degrees from Vanderbilt University, University of Missouri - Kansas City, Shenandoah University, and the Royal Conservatory's Glenn Gould School, where he completed the Artist Diploma Program on full scholarship with famed Irish pianist and Beethoven interpreter John O'Conor. Visit brianwoodspianist.com to learn more or follow Brian on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube @brianwoodspianist.