Praised for his uncommon versatility as coach, pianist, organist, and répétiteur in a career that spans academia, church music, concertizing, and opera, Brian Locke has been heard by discerning audiences throughout North America and Europe in both recital and liturgical settings and has been called "a stand out" (Whole Note, Toronto). 

Equally at home as a soloist and a chamber player, Brian has a vast piano repertoire from nearly every period and genre and is lauded for his piercing tone and a deep well of colors drawn from the instrument. He has frequented festival stages and studios throughout the United States and Canada including Aspen, Brevard, Festival Napa Valley, Heifetz, Interlochen, Southeastern Piano Festival, Toronto Summer Music and has been heard in Merkin Hall (NYC), Hill Auditorium (Ann Arbor), Ganz Hall (Chicago), and Steinway Salon (Paris) to name but a few. Brian was soloist with the Atlanta Community Symphony Orchestra, the Brevard Music Center Orchestra, the President’s Own Marine Corps chamber orchestra, and has coached operatic repertoire with companies including Opera Birmingham and at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis as Music Director of the Artists-in-Residence. Highlights just since 2020 include acclaimed recitals with Kelley O’Connor for Festival Napa Valley, Kongsgaard Hausmusik, and Art Song Chicago; a recital tour with cellist Adam Collins sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts; recitals alongside Emanuel Ax, Renee Fleming, Garrick Ohlsson, Nick Phan, and Matthew Polanzani; and chamber concerts with members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Because his specialty lies in chamber music and repertoire for the voice, Brian is increasingly in demand by instrumentalists and singers to coach and perform with him in this specialized niche. Many of his recital partners can be heard at the Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, San Francisco Opera, Santa Fe Opera, the symphonies in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago Civic, Cincinnati, Dallas, and include Grammy winners and an Emmy nominee.

For nearly 20 years, Brian has worked as a church musician in some of the most dynamic parishes in the United States including Trinity Cathedral, Columbia SC; the Cathedral of St. Philip, Atlanta; St. James Cathedral, Chicago; and others. As Director of Music and Organist at St. Mary’s Church, Park Ridge IL, he oversaw a 60% growth in the music program and choir participation, introduced the parish to regular pattern of Evensong, Compline, and Lessons & Carols, and began a multi-year collaboration of cross-diocesan choral partnerships with other medium-sized music programs. While rare among organists, his distinct background coaching the voice from the piano has directly benefitted his work conducting and coaching from the organ console, and his reputation for this inclusionary work is well known for its results. In the wider singing realm, Brian has worked with the Bach Week Festival Chorus, the Chicago Mastersingers, multiple opera choruses around the US, and the University of Michigan Glee Clubs both in Ann Arbor and on tour. 

Brian is a member of the Association of Anglican Musicians and the American Guild of Organists. He has served on the music faculty at Loyola University, Chicago and the Interlochen Center for the Arts; and as coach/pianist at DePaul, Northwestern, and the University of Michigan. His teachers and mentors include Katherine Collier, Barry Snyder, André Watts, Douglas Weeks, and he holds degrees from the University of South Carolina (BM) and the University of Michigan (MM) in the studios of Marina Lomazov and Martin Katz.