Liam Wooding

Liam Wooding is an Associate Lecturer at the Conservatorium of Music, The University of Western Australia. A concert pianist of Te Atihaunui a Pāpārangi, Ngāti Tuera and Ngāti Hinearo descent, he is praised for his 'chameleon-like ability with keyboard colour' and performs globally as a soloist and chamber musician. He is a recipient of the Arts Foundation Te Tumu Toi Springboard Award and serves as an examiner for the Australian Music Examinations Board.

Wooding's educational background includes:

• Professional Performance Program, Australian National Academy of Music (2019)
• Master of Music, University of Waikato (2018)
• Postgraduate Diploma, University of Waikato (2017)
• Bachelor of Music, University of Auckland (2014)

His research centers on Music Performance with specialization in Piano Performance, Chamber Music, and Contemporary Music, particularly exploring New Zealand Music and Experimental Music. Wooding bridges cultural traditions through collaborative projects like commissioning new piano etudes and investigating Māori musical expressions, emphasizing cross-cultural dialogue and technical innovation in performance practice.

Recent creative outputs (2023-2025) reveal a trajectory focused on contemporary piano repertoire development, Indigenous cultural expression, and genre fusion. Key projects include commissioning new piano etudes, recording William Bolcom's Cabaret Songs with jazz-classical synthesis, and creating multidisciplinary works exploring Māori identity. His output consistently merges performance practice with artistic research, highlighting Australasian composers and experimental spatial techniques.

Wooding's accolades include:

• Springboard Award (Arts Foundation Te Tumu Toi, 2025)
• Creative and Performing Arts Person of the Year (2022 and 2021)
• Fulbright General Graduate Award (2021)
• Ngaporo Waimarino Forest Trust Postgraduate Scholarship (2021)

As an educator, he actively mentors students at UWA's Conservatorium and conducts school workshops, while his research is sustained by significant Creative New Zealand funding including the International Market Development Fund (2024), Arts Grant (2023), and Toi Tipu Toi Rea Emerging Māori Artist Grant (2021). His community engagement spans 60+ activities including adjudication, curriculum assessment, and public performances at venues like Banff Centre and Yale University.

Wooding collaborates extensively through the Morton Trio and partnerships with artists like soprano Stephanie Acraman and percussionist Steven Schick. He is currently pursuing doctoral research at the University of Waikato, focusing on artistic methodologies in contemporary piano performance.