By Margit Resch
Special to The Island News
Have you ever read a review of a musical performance that sounded like it was assessing a visual art form, using words like “paint” or “color” to describe the character of a recital?
Well, Brian Woods’ concert appraisals often sway into visual vocabulary, as if we, the audience, can see the music he renders rather than just hear it: “Mr. Woods combines flawless technique with rare and creative artistry. The colors he achieves and the emotions he elicits cannot fail to touch the soul.”
So says Rebecca Casey, music professor from North Ohio University. And, according to Tim Jansen, pianist and critic from St. Louis: “Brian has a marvelous command of the keyboard and paints sound with a beautiful pastel brush.”
And this compliment by the Keokuk Concert Association: “Brian has an extraordinary ability to captivate audiences of all ages. His impeccable finger control and moving dynamics paint a picture with each note.”
Wow, Brian can capture the attention of all ages? That means that the students of the Beaufort school, where he will play and present on the Monday morning following the Fripp concert, will love him just like adult audiences do.
While Brian’s choice of music and style of playing may conjure up beautiful images in the listeners, he is really aiming at their emotions. “Music is always about people, their experiences and emotions,” he wisely claimed. “While I’ve been lucky to travel the world with my music, my most rewarding experiences are absolutely on a personal level,” he said. “Especially when audience members approach me following a performance to tell me how deeply they were moved by my playing.”
Woods attended Shenandoah University in Virginia to study piano and improve his playing skills. His favorite professor, John O’Connor, one of the most respected piano teachers in the country, Distinguished Artist-in-Residence and Chair of Keyboard Division, not only taught Brian, in his words, “how to play the piano at the highest level, but he taught me how to live a life in music that is filled with passion, hard work, and laughter.”
“Whether we are having a drink together or perfecting a Beethoven sonata in the studio, he continues to teach me so much about how to be the best version of myself, both as a musician and a human being.”
What a unique compliment by a student for his mentor.
After graduating in 2019, Brian started touring and performing in the United States and Canada, both as a solo pianist and in collaboration with singers, instrumentalists and orchestras. He especially likes to visit universities, where he teaches piano masterclasses and career workshops.
For the last few years, he has served as the music director for the Music Series of the World Chess Hall of Fame & Galleries (WCHOF) in St. Louis, Mo., scheduling their many concerts. The WCHOF is an international chess destination, but it is also known for its art exhibits and educational outreach, and it is one of the premier chamber music venues in the Midwest.
Woods’ debut album, “Wanderings,” released to great acclaim in 2024, features the complete Ballades of Frédéric Chopin and groundbreaking compositions by women composers. “Wanderings,” hailed as an “introduction to a musician of rare technical faculty and interpretive insight” by Joseph Newsome, Voix des Arts, and included in St. Louis Magazine’s Top Albums of 2024, has already been streamed by thousands all over the world.
In slightly more than two decades of playing the piano, Woods has certainly developed the skills necessary to “play the piano at the highest level.” Only counting the pieces of music listed in his repertoire as a soloist and as a collaborator with other musicians, he has mastered 149 pieces of music by 31 classical composers. Those numbers don’t include the many additional pieces of music he knows, but doesn’t necessarily play in concert halls. Oh, and get this: He seems to play everything without sheet music in front of him. Amazing.
You can see Brian Woods’s musical pictures at 5 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 16 in Fripp Island’s Community Centre. I expect that I will be able to tell him what he likes to hear: that I was deeply moved by his playing. And I bet you, too, will tell him that, when you get a chance to talk to him at the reception following the concert, while enjoying delicious hors d’oeuvres prepared fresh by Harold’s Chef Services, and more.
Consider becoming a member of FIFOM. The basic membership, $100, gives you access to all concerts (four remaining) and includes the receptions. It also helps fund FIFOM’s charitable Music-in-the-Schools mission. Tickets at the door are $30.
FIFOM is supported by the South Carolina Arts Commission. To become a member, text or call Rebecca Climer at 615-594-1552 or email her at rebecca.climer@gmail.com. Go to frippfriendsofmusic.com for more information.
Want to Go?
Who: Pianist Brian Woods
What: Fripp Island Friends of Music (FIFOM) Concert Series
When: 5 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 16
Where: Fripp Island’s Community Centre
Tickets: $30 at the door. Consider becoming a member of FIFOM. Basic membership, $100, gives you access to all concerts (four remaining) and includes receptions. It also funds FIFOM’s charitable Music-in-the-Schools mission. To become a member, text or call Rebecca Climer at 615-594-1552 or email her at rebecca.climer@gmail.com.
More information: Go to frippfriendsofmusic.com.
