Seth Parker Woods

PUBLIC PRESENTATION ON ZOOM Monday, April 5, 5:15pm EST 

Hailed by The Guardian as “a cellist of power and grace,” Seth Parker Woods has established himself as an in-demand soloist, chamber musician, pedagogue, and curator both in the USA and throughout Europe and Asia. A Performative Rebirth will take a candid and direct look at a series of interdisciplinary works from the past 6+ years, including Woods’s latest solo project, Difficult Grace, which features collaborative works with composers Fredrick Gifford, Monty Adkins, Nathalie Joachim, Freida Abtan and Pierre Alexandre Tremblay.

Woods’ body of work investigates extending the cello through dance and soundscapes based on present and past histories, the development of instruments made of ice and digital prosthetics, and how musicians consider work engages with the world. His compositions and performances include intersections with projection, film, poetry, and visual and installation art, and engage with issues of social justice and race, mental illness, and immigration among others. 

Woods serves on the performance faculty at the University of Chicago as a Lecturer/Artist in Residence for Cello and Chamber Music. He previously served on the music faculties of Dartmouth College and the Chicago Academy of the Arts. At present, he is the Artist in Residence with the Kaufman Music Center, and former AiR with Seattle Symphony and the interactive concert hall, Octave 9: Raisbeck Music Center.

In anticipation of his presentation, Dr. Woods has shared some previous work that can inform the upcoming talk: