Jon Kimura Parker and Piano
Jon Kimura Parker was born in 1959 in Vancouver, Canada. He came from a musical family with his brother, James Parker and cousin Ian Parker successful pianists. At the tender age of five years, Parker had made an appearance at Vancouver Youth Orchestra. It was there that he started his musical education journey before graduating to other schools. Parker’s musical journey and prowess can be traced back to his scholarship at Vancouver Academy of Music and University of British Columbia. At Banff Center, he studied with Marek Jablonski and schooled with Robin Wood at Victoria Conservatory. The expertise in piano has seen him scoop the gold medal at the Leeds International Piano Competition in 1984.
Parker has also won the National Arts Center Award in 1996 (A Governor General Performing Arts Awards companion). His contribution to the piano concerto field has seen positive industry nods. Such nods have resulted in his appointment as the Artistic Advisor of the Orcas Island Chamber. The platform at the international festival has enabled him to showcase works by veterans such as Jake Heggie and Peter Schickele. His soloist concerto performances with the New York Philharmonic and Bramwell Tovey have seen him garner a wider fan base. Recitals with Chio-Liang have seen him stage 20 successful concerts with the Montrose Trio in the 2016 spring season.
One of his most memorable concerts this year was the July 9 Chamber Music Concert at Portland. With Augustin Hadelich and Efe Baltacigil, the pianist gave a Mendelssohn D Minor Piano Trio in excellent reading. Hadelich played the violin and Efe Baltacigil played the cello. Jon Kimura Parker delivered on the piano in a speedy, novel and artistic performance. The nuanced performance almost cast a dark shadow over the original as the audience appreciated it more than other performance of the original have elicited in recent times. The arpeggios piano movement impressed the crowd. After the second movement, the tone was set and charged for a powerful finale. Melinda Bargreen from Classical KING FM said the moment was one of those rare lighting performances that one is lucky to witness. The thrill, she said, is one that cannot contain anything less than live music such the piano concerto.
Jon Kimura Parker is a professional pianist who has widely performed solo acts around the world. His repertoire boasts of collaboration performances with Philadelphia Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Wolfgang Sawallisch and Andre Previn. The Canadian pianist has performed for the Queen of England, Japan’s, and prime minister and as a result of these and other feats been awarded the Officer of the Order of Canada. His work in playing the piano musical instrument has led him to become a founding member of ‘Montrose Trio’ one of the most promising piano trios in the global stage. Parker is an accomplished player of the upright piano as well as the electric keyboard. With these two, he has performed memorable classical sets even rock ‘n’ roll pieces. This prowess was evident in the ‘Piano Plus’ outreach tour.
In a candid interview, Parker has said that his formative years were the defining moments of his career. It was then that he honed his skill in full understanding, foresight, and understanding. He also cites supportive teachers, students and parents as part of his success eventuality. His mother, he intimated, listened to him play every day. Such was the motivational environment that gave him the spirit of self-belief and excellence. Among those that he cites as having been influential in his career is Mr. Wood. Robin Wood from the Victoria Conservatory of Music.
Wood instilled the attitude that there was always more than one way of doing something. One only has to choose and has the power to do rightly so. The other inspiration was his Vancouver Academy teacher Mr. Lee. Lee Kum- Sing is credited by the pianist as having given him a new perspective of artistic detail never experienced before. The other figure mentioned is Marcus. Miss Marcus Adele was critical in assisting Parker to learn about tone. In a most revealing way, he says the Julliard teacher helped him to walk on stage and cause the piano to attain personified speaking.
Unlike most piano players, Parker is very versatile and creative in his musical trade. As such, he has been involved in collaborations with artists from across the board in various genres and music tastes. Audra McDonald, Doc Severinsen, Stewart Copeland and Pablo Ziegler are some of the many varied acts he has worked with over time. An obviously passionate pianist, Parker has a Youtube piano showcase titled ‘Concerto Chat’. The video series consists insightful piano concerto discussions and material. Also, Parker also has in the past played host in the Bravo! Television series ‘Whole Notes’ and radio program ‘Up and Coming’ on CBC Radio.
His knowledge and expertise with the piano are a rare one as established in his works and shows. What most people do not know is that Mr. Parker is also a University Professor of the piano. He lectures at The Shepherd School of Music, Rice University. The pianist has also been included in the ‘Off The Score’ musical group. He has shared camaraderie in this unit with Copeland Stewart, Judd Miller, Yoon Kwon, and Marlon Martinez. He has also lectured at the Julliard School, Colburn School, New York University and Yale among other institutions. He is valued as a significant resource person in piano related context. A testimonial perhaps fueled by his graduate students who have gone on to become acclaimed performers and musicians.
The Pianist reporter also boasts of an accomplished recording as well as performing musician. He has recorded Chopin, Prokofiev, Mozart, Hirtz, Di Liberto, Schumann among others. These are recorded on his music label. One of his most acclaimed works is a piano rendition and original mixes of classical music ‘Fantasy’. The album has attracted critical acclaim as a riveting reading. With impressive downloads rate on iTunes, the album has been described by ‘Musical Toronto’s’ John Terauds as ‘a rich soul’ with big artistic depth. The other CDs is the ‘Rite ‘which has Parker’s solo piano transcriptions. The world primer transcriptions include works of Stravinsky such as ‘Petrouchka’ and ‘The Rite of Spring’.
In summation, Jon Kimura Parker is an accomplished piano concerto musician. He has had a successful career as a pianist beyond his Canada home country. As a result, he has been able to command a great deal of respect and fan base in the international concerto scene. His prowess includes honors, recognitions, and positions such as that of Professor of music in various universities. With critically acclaimed CDs. Parker is also an accomplished composer, recording and performing artists in his right. As such, his concerto acts such as the Portland show remains some of the most memorable and electrifying shows. His success ties back to a supportive family and social background. His scholarship, collaborations and continued relations with renown and talented entities have also contributed to the mastery of the piano in him. He also teaches and owns a record label, a pointer to the pianist’s versatility.
Bibliography
Melinda, Bargreen. 2014. "Mendelssohn Brings ’Em To Their Feet At Chamber Fest - Jon Kimura Parker, Pianist". Jon Kimura Parker, Pianist. http://www.jonkimuraparker.com/mendelssohn-brings-%E2%80%99em-to-their-feet-at-chamber-fest/#more-1391.
