Born in the county of Lancashire, Wood belongs to the generation of British composers who felt compelled to explore the evolution of music, not only through their own cultural heritage, but also through those of other cultures, notably by interacting with foreign composers, in contrast to the preceding generation (Vaughan Williams, Holst, etc.) which respected the stylistic borders of their homeland.

His music is powerful and impassioned; the subtle way in which he sets text to music (e.g., Cantate (1989) and his choral works) is evidence of his mastery as a composer of melody and the acuity of his taste in literature.

Wood’s works and his contribution to contemporary music are widely recognised in Europe and the USA. In 1989, a Koussevitzky Music Foundation grant allowed him to compose Trio with horn. He has received commissions from, among others, the BBC Symphony Orchestra, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and the London Symphony Orchestra. His Piano Concerto (1991) was commissioned by, and premiered at, the BBC Proms to great acclaim; in 1992, the London Gabrielli Brass Consort premiered his Funeral Music, for brass quintet; in 1993, the Chillingirian Quartet premiered his Fourth String Quartet, a work commissioned by the BBC.