Biography

Noted for his "elegant and brilliant pianism" (South Florida Classical Review), Wesley Ducote is a pianist/arranger based who has led a diverse musical career pursuing an extensive range of interests. He joined the Houston Symphony as Principal Keyboard in 2026.

As a collaborator, Mr. Ducote has been featured with many of today’s brightest stars including composer/vocalist Kate Soper, Emmy Award-winning composer and Vietnamese folk musician Van Anh Vo, flutists Leone Buyse and Carol Wincenc, clarinetist Evan Ziporyn, soprano Ana Maria Martinez, and many others. He has served as a keyboardist with the Houston Grand Opera Orchestra, The Florida Orchestra, Grant Park Festival Orchestra and has been guest principal keyboard with Naples Philharmonic, Jacksonville Symphony, and Britt Festival Orchestra.

An enthusiastic performer of new and contemporary music, Mr. Ducote has premiered over 40 new works and worked with faculty at institutions in China, South Korea, Canada and all over the United States. His new music experience includes works for solo piano, chamber ensembles, orchestra and even a piano concerto written for him. Recent projects include The Devils Staircase, a program pairing Ligeti's etudes with analogous works from the classical canon and a program utilizing the sonic and lighting capabilities of James Turrell's Twilight Epiphany in an evening of contemporary solo piano music at Rice University.

Mr. Ducote is the recently appointed Artistic Director of the Louis Moreau Institute in New Orleans and has also been a guest artist at MIT, Rocket City New Music, and the Great Falls Symphony. He has held fellowships with the New World Symphony, Da Camera of Houston, the Cortona Sessions for New Music, Encore Chamber Music, Round Top Festival Institute and Aspen Music Festival. Mr. Ducote earned graduate and undergraduate degrees in music from Rice University, where he studied with Brian Connelly, as well as an undergraduate degree in mathematics.