Jon Kimura Parker

Parker, Jon Kimura
Jon Kimura (b John David Kimura) Parker. Pianist, broadcaster, teacher, b Vancouver 25 Dec 1959; ARCT 1975, performance certificate (Vancouver Academy) 1977, B MUS (Juilliard) 1981, M MUS (Juilliard) 1981, DMA (Juilliard) 1989. Parker made his first public appearance at the age of five, performing First Approach to an Orchestra by Rae Perran with the Vancouver Youth Orchestra as a student of Jessie Morrison. He later studied with his uncle, Edward J. Parker, and with Kum-Sing Lee at the Vancouver Academy of Music. While at the Banff School of Fine Arts, he worked with Marek Jablonski; at the Juilliard School he was a student of Adele Marcus.

Jon Kimura Parker and Christopher Wu chat about performing the music of Rachmaninoff. From the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra Blog channel on YouTube.

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Awards
A frequent prize winner from a young age, Parker won the S.C. Eckhardt Gramatté Competition in 1978, and in 1982 was the winner of the du Maurier Search for Stars. While at Juilliard he won the Gina Bachauer Memorial Competition twice, and was guest soloist with the Juilliard Orchestra for their European tour in 1983. Also in 1983 he received the Canada Council's Virginia P. Moore Prize and won the piano category of the CBC Talent Competition. Parker had come to international attention when he won the International Piano Competition in Viña del Mar, Chile, in 1982, but his career was launched by winning the Leeds International Piano Competition in 1984. In 1985 the Canadian Music Council named Parker performer of the year.

Later honours include the Governor General's Performing Arts Award, which Parker received in 1996. Three years later, in 1999, Parker was made an Officer of the Order of Canada.

Performances
Parker has appeared as soloist with many of the world's leading orchestras, including the Bergen Philharmonic, the Berlin Radio Symphony, the Bournemouth Symphony, the Cleveland Orchestra, the London Symphony Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the National Symphony Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the San Francisco Symphony, the Scottish National Orchestra, and Christopher Hogwood's St Paul Chamber Orchestra, as well as every major Canadian orchestra. As guest soloist Parker has toured the Pacific Rim with the Toronto Symphony, Japan with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Germany with the Royal Philharmonic, western Canada with the National Arts Centre Orchestra, and North America with the Hallé Orchestra.

As a soloist and chamber musician Parker has appeared in some of the world's most prestigious performance series, such as the International Piano Series in London; and in premier festivals including Mostly Mozart, Blossom, and Aldeburgh. His concert tours have taken him to every continent, where he has performed in venues that range from the most glamorous, such as Carnegie Hall and the Sydney Opera House, to the most remote, such as those on Baffin Island and in Zimbabwe. He has performed for heads of state and dignitaries such as Queen Elizabeth II, the prime ministers of Canada and Japan, and members of the US Supreme Court.

Praise for Parker
Parker is a highly charismatic performer who has been lavishly praised by critics for qualities such as his "gargantuan technique, awesome timing, oceanic depth, and volcanic fire" as well as his sense of humour and natural showmanship (San Antonio Express, 26 Feb 2000). "He is a musician of eclectic taste who treats many types of music with uncompromising integrity" (Cleveland Plain Dealer, 12 March 1999), and one for whom it is important to engage his audiences in an experience that is "welcoming and joyful" (James Reel in Fanfare, Sept/Oct 1997). The beauty of his tone is frequently the subject of comment.

Repertoire
Parker's eclectic repertoire seems to favour both the Romantics - Rachmaninoff, Tchaikovsky, Brahms, and Chopin - and a wide variety of 20th-century composers including Stravinsky, Prokofiev and Samuel Barber. Recital programs have included his own transcription of Stravinsky's Rite of Spring. He also likes to present works with a jazz flavour, from Scott Joplin rags, through compositions and arrangements by Oscar Peterson, George Gershwin, Chick Corea and Art Tatum. His eclecticism also encompasses elements of pop culture. Much to the delight of his audiences, themes from television shows such as The Simpsons and The X-Files are at times woven into classical concertos or have appeared as encores. Performances of popular hits by such artists as Billy Joel and Alanis Morissette have also appeared on his programs.

Parker also champions Canadian music in his programs. Composer David Duke dedicated two pieces to Parker, Etude (Waterloo 1981) and Piano Sonatina (Waterloo 1985). Among the works Parker has premiered by Canadian composers are Triptych for piano and DX7 synthesizer (1986) by Steven Gellman, written for the International Year of Canadian Music; Scenes from a Jade Terrace (1988) by Alexina Louie; and Divertimento No. 10 for piano and orchestra (1988) by John Weinzweig. Parker had taken an interest in Louie's work from his student days, his doctoral thesis being titled "The solo piano music of Alexina Louie: a blend of East and West."

In 1989 he composed Pan Dreams for flute and piano, which was commissioned by the CBC and dedicated to Marina Piccinini and Andreas Haefliger.

As Broadcaster
Parker has become well-known as a media personality. In the late 1980s, Parker hosted CBC Radio's "Arts National" in 1987 and BCTV's Which Way to Carnegie Hall? The latter documentary won the Gold Medal at the 1987 New York Film and Television Festival. Since then Parker has hosted two seasons of the televised series Whole Notes on Bravo! Canada and hosted the series Up and Coming for CBC Radio. He has appeared on PBS's The Visionaries and Disney Channel's Under the Umbrella Tree, and was the subject of a documentary by Adrienne Clarkson.

Other Activities
Parker has contributed his time and talent towards education and humanitarian causes. On New Year's Eve, 1995, he accompanied an airlift of supplies to Bosnia, where he gave two performances of Beethoven's Emperor Concerto with the Sarajevo Philharmonic. He is a founding member of Piano Six, a group of eminent Canadian pianists dedicated to bringing performances to remote communities.

In 1999 Parker became professor of piano at the Shepherd School of Music, Rice University, Houston. From 2005 to 2008 he held the position of Dr. E. Stephen Purdom Distinguished Visiting Artist at the Schwob School of Music at Columbus State University. He also continues to give master classes at the Stearns Institute, the Banff Centre, the Brevard Festival and the Julliard School. He is married to the violinist Aloysia Friedmann and is the brother of Jamie Parker.

Selected Discography
Chopin Sonata No. 2, Opus 35 and 6 other pieces. 1987. Telarc CD-80147

Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1 - Prokofiev Piano Concerto No. 3. Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Previn conductor. 1985. Telarc CD-80124

P.D.Q. Bach Concerto for Two Pianos vs. Orchestra, Two Pianos Are Better Than One. 1994. Telarc CD-80376

Barber Piano Concerto, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Yoel Levi conductor, 1997. Telarc CD-80441

Author Barbara Norman, Kristina Szutor

Bibliography

Goddard, Peter. "Critic's corner," Bravo, vol 3, Jan-Feb 1985

Elder, David. "Jon Kimura Parker," Clavier, vol 25, Dec 1986

Colapinto, John. "Piano man," Saturday Night, vol 102, Jun 1987

Chatelin, Ray. "Jon Kimura Parker: post Leeds," Music, vol 11, Mar/Apr 1988

Links to Other Sites
ASIA/CANADA
This beautifully illustrated site explores the relationship between East and West from earliest times to the present with a focus on the very complex Asian experience in Canada. Search for specific topics and themes. From the Historica-Dominion Institute.

Piano Plus
The official website for the Piano Six Foundation, a non-profit organization that brought outstanding musicians to small communities across the country.

Jon Kimura Parker
A biography of the popular Canadian concert pianist Jon Kimura Parker. From the website for Opus 3 Artists.

Rice University: Jon Kimura Parker
A profile of Jon Kimura Parker, Professor of Piano, from the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University.

Jon Kimura Parker, Andre Previn, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Listen to online audio clips from this fine Telarc recording.

Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival
The website for the Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival, home of an annual two-week summer Chamber Music Festival. Offers links to online recorded music retailers that feature audio clips from their recording.

Jon Kimura Parker & Christopher Wu on Rachmaninoff
Jon Kimura Parker and Christopher Wu chat about performing the music of Rachmaninoff. From the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra Blog channel on YouTube.

Jon Kimura Parker
Pianist Jon Kimura Parker discusses Grieg's Piano Concerto in a format including interview footage and demonstrations at the piano.

Jon Kimura Parker’s work on Rite mesmerizing: album review
A brief review of pianist Jon Kimura Parker’s recording "Rite." From thestar.com.