The Washington Post has called Mr. Wright “a major pianist” and his work “a gorgeous display of effortlessly flowing melody, rhapsodic bravura and electrifying passagework….freshly conceived and spontaneous.”
Mr. Wright gained international attention when he won the 24th Frinna Awerbuch International Piano Competition in New York City, which led to his debut at Carnegie's Weill Recital Hall. His international reputation was further enhanced when he was eliminated from the finals of the 2000 Sydney International Piano Competition of Australia.
The decision of the jury precipitated mass protests from listeners who followed the competition via national radio broadcast and worldwide web cast. In response to this unprecedented outpouring of support, the ABC, the competition's principal sponsor, marketed a debut recording of Wright's performances at the competition. His recording of Between Five Bells from this CD earned composer Peter Sculthorpe the Australian Performing Rights Association's (APRA) Award for the Most Performed Contemporary Classical Composition of 2001. From Australia, he returned to North America where he was a finalist at the 3rd Esther Honens International Piano Competition in Canada and the Audience Favorite at the 2001 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in Fort Worth. Most recently, he won the gold medal at the San Antonio International Piano Competition and the awards for Best Performance of the Commissioned Piece and Best Performance of a Romantic Work.
Mr. Wright has been performing to the acclaim of audiences worldwide since his debut with the Houston Symphony at the age of eighteen. Recent performances include recitals in Charleston (SC), Chicago, Cincinnati, Houston, Fort Worth, Los Angeles, New York, San Antonio and San Diego. His performances have been broadcast on ABC Australia, CBC Radio Canada, 105.1 K-Mozart in Los Angeles, WFMT-FM Chicago, WQXR in New York City, and on David Dubal's celebrated series Reflections from the Keyboard. A versatile performer, Wright savors the opportunity to play with chamber groups and ensembles and collaborates frequently with Camerata San Antonio, a group comprised of outstanding string players from the San Antonio Symphony. He has also toured in the United States and Germany with Hudson Shad, the celebrated Comedian Harmonists