"For the Love of Music ...Since 1866"
Contact Us:
info@bellevillephilharmonic.org
618.235.5600
116 North Jackson St
Belleville, IL 62220
Program
Gabriel Fauré: Élégie, Op.24
Ethan Edwards, cello
Edward Elgar: Enigma Variations, Op. 36
Sergei Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 18
Brian Woods, piano
Intermission
Johannes Brahms: Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 73
Dr. Robert Hart Baker
Music Director
Ethan Edwards
Cello
This concert celebrates the diverse International styles of the Romantic Music Tradition.
Brian Woods
Piano
Artist Profiles
Brian Woods
Celebrated for his stunning musicianship and dazzling stage presence, American pianist Brian Woods has emerged as a rising star of international acclaim. His 2022-2023 Season includes concert tours of the United States, concerto appearances with the Quincy Symphony and Belleville Philharmonic, numerous collaborations with the Chamber Music Society of St. Louis, and a Southern California debut as Winner of the Beverly Hills National Auditions, a nationwide search for the most talented young artists in the country. Woods has recently been appointed Music Director and Artist-in-Residence at the World Chess Hall of Fame, one of the premier venues for chamber music in Missouri.
A native of St. Louis, Woods has enjoyed success in numerous distinguished competitions, including the Verona International Piano Competition, The American Prize, 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 since performed with such ensembles as 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., St. Louis, Kansas City, Chicago, and Dublin, Ireland. As a passionate chamber musician, Woods has collaborated with tenor Vinson Cole and cellist Julian Schwarz, among many other partners in the United States and Canada. He is equally at home with new music as he is with classical repertoire, and his work with the EDGE Ensemble in Virginia featured a complete program dedicated to the music of Avner Dorman, as well as performances of pieces by Ana Sokolovic and Joseph Schwantner.
Woods holds degrees from Vanderbilt University, University of Missouri - Kansas City, and Shenandoah University. Past mentors include Craig Nies, Robert Weirich, Stanislav Ioudenitch, Donna Vince, and Margaret Kitto. In 2021, Woods completed the Artist Diploma Program at The Royal Conservatory's Glenn Gould School, where he studied on full scholarship with legendary Irish pianist and Beethoven interpreter John O'Conor.
The Great Romantics
Saturday, March 25, 2023
7:30 pm
Holy Trinity Catholic Church
505 Fountains Parkway, Fairview Heights, IL