Robert Brooks Carlson

Originally from a small town in central Virginia, American pianist Robert Brooks Carlson began playing piano at the age of eight. Currently, Robert resides in New York City where he is a Doctor of Musical Arts student at the CUNY Graduate Center, adjunct faculty of music at Hunter College, and a student of Soyeon Kate Lee.

Robert has performed extensively throughout Europe and the United States as both a recital soloist and chamber musician. Recent highlights feature guest appearances at the Seattle International Piano Festival and Randolph College, as well as multiple appearances for Music in Midtown in Manhattan. Notable collaborations include performances alongside clarinetist Alexander Fiterstein, violinist Alexi Kenney, cellist Jennifer Culp, pianist Julio Elizalde, and violist Vicki Powell. Recently, he completed fellowships at Music Academy of the West, Olympic Music Festival, and the Gilmore Piano Festival. Robert has also been awarded prizes from the National Federation of Music Clubs Young Artist Competition and the Seattle International Piano Competition.

Notable recent influences include Jeremy Denk, Conor Hanick, and Julio Elizalde, and previous full-time teachers include Paulo Steinberg, Emily Yap Chua and Nicholas Ross. Prior to his studies in New York City, Robert received degrees from the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music and James Madison University. Until 2020, Robert also studied applied Mathematics at JMU as a student of the Honors College. In his free time, Robert enjoys baking, coffee, and relaxing with his cat, Olive.