Hailed by The Guardian as “a cellist of power and grace” who possesses “mature artistry and a willingness to go to the brink,” three-time GRAMMY^®-nominated cellist Seth Parker Woods has established a reputation as a versatile artist and innovator across multiple genres. According to The New York Times, “Woods is an artist rooted in classical music, but whose cello is a vehicle that takes him, and his concertgoers, on wide-ranging journeys.”

Woods starts his 26/27 season in Belgium with the Orchestre Philharmonique Royal de Liège before making his debut with the Boston Symphony conducted by Andris Nelsons. On both occasions he is joined by his longtime collaborator Hilary Hahn for performances of Carlos Simon’s Double Concerto Suite, which they premiered in Spring 2026 with the Saint Louis Symphony. Simon’s work is the latest of a series of concertante works written for Woods by distinguished and emerging composers and premiered by major orchestras: Tyshawn Sorey’s For Roscoe Mitchell with the Seattle Symphony; Nathalie Joachim’s Had To Be at Spoleto Festival USA and with the New York Philharmonic, Orchestre Métropolitain (Montreal), and Chautauqua Symphony; Julia Adolphe’s Chrysalis with the Los Angeles Philharmonic; and the American premiere of Rebecca Saunders’s Ire with the Seattle Symphony.

Further highlights this season include Woods’ concerto debut in Finland with the Tampere Philharmonic; a celebration of Julius Eastman at the LA Philharmonic’s Minimalist Icons festival; and recital and chamber music appearances at the Yale Schwarzman Center, Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, and Washington Performing Arts, among others. He also returns to Brazil for the Ilumina Festival.

Released in March 2026, Woods’ first recording on Apple’s Platoon label, “From Ordinary Things,” earned critical acclaim and earned an “Editor’s Choice” nod by Gramophone. His discography also includes the GRAMMY-nominated Difficult Grace (Cedille Records, 2023); music by Anna Thorvaldsdottir with Claire Chase (New Focus); and multiple recordings as part of Wild Up’s Eastman Project, including the GRAMMY-nominated Eastman Vol. 4: The Holy Presence, which features Woods as soloist in Eastman’s The Holy Presence of Joan of Arc.

As a soloist, Woods has further appeared with the São Paulo State Symphony Orchestra, Atlanta Symphony, and Ensemble Resonanz, among others. Recital and chamber music appearances have taken him to Carnegie Hall, the Barbican Centre, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, the Kennedy Center, Chicago Symphony Centre, and the Library of Congress.

His GRAMMY^®-nominated, autobiographical multimedia tour-de-force Difficult Grace has been performed to critical acclaim at 92NY, the Harris Theater in Chicago, CAP UCLA, the San Diego Symphony, and the University of Pennsylvania. He has curated and performed in tributes to the music of Julius Eastman at Lincoln Center and the Barbican and to the chamber music of George Walker at The Phillips Collection.

Since 2022, Woods has served on the faculty of the Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California and was appointed the Robert Mann Chair in Strings and Chamber Music in 2024. He has also taught at the Music Academy of the West. He holds degrees from Brooklyn College and the Musik-Akademie der Stadt Basel, as well as a PhD from the University of Huddersfield. Woods has served as Artist in Residence with the Kaufman Music Center and the Seattle Symphony, was honored at the Seattle Symphony’s 25th Anniversary Silver Gala in 2023 and received the 2022 Chamber Music America Michael Jaffee Visionary Award.

Woods is also recognized for his distinctive personal style, having appeared on Best Dressed lists in Variety, WWD, Texas Monthly, and the OC Register.