Originally from a small town in central Virginia, American pianist Robert Brooks Carlson began playing piano at the age of eight. Now, Robert performs extensively throughout the United States and Europe as both a recital soloist and chamber musician.

Robert’s 2025 season features appearances on the Dame Myra Hess Concert Series of Chicago, NYC’s Little Island series at The Grove (curated by Jeremy Denk and Conor Hanick), and numerous chamber appearances throughout New York City. Recent highlights feature guest appearances at the Seattle International Piano Festival and Randolph College. Notable collaborations include performances alongside distinguished artists such as Alexander Fiterstein, Alexi Kenney, Jennifer Culp, Julio Elizalde, and Vicki Powell. Recently, he has appeared at Music Academy of the West, Olympic Music Festival, and the Gilmore Piano Festival.

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. 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.