Known for his passionate artistry and engaging stage presence, pianist Jon Kimura Parker has performed internationally in a 35-year career spanning multiple genres and collaborators. A true Canadian ambassador of music, Mr. Parker has given command performances for Queen Elizabeth II, the U.S. Supreme Court, and the Prime Ministers of Canada and Japan. He is an Officer of The Order of Canada, his country’s highest civilian honor.
An unusually versatile artist, Mr. Parker has given recitals in the Canadian Arctic on electronic keyboards, and jammed with Audra McDonald, Bobby McFerrin, Doc Severinsen, and Pablo Ziegler. Mr. Parker also debuted his new project Off The Score in a quintet with legendary Police drummer Stewart Copeland, featuring both original compositions and fresh takes on music of Ravel, Prokofiev and Stravinsky.
An active media personality, Mr. Parker hosted the television series Whole Notes on Bravo! and CBC Radio’s Up and Coming. His YouTube channel showcases the Concerto Chat video series, with illuminating discussions of the piano concerto repertoire.
A committed educator, Jon Kimura Parker is Professor of Piano at The Shepherd School of Music at Rice University and is Artistic Director of the Honens International Piano Competition, which in its search for the “Complete Artist” offers the largest prize of any competition of its kind. Mr. Parker is also Artistic Advisor of the Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival, where he has given world premieres of new works by Peter Schickele and Jake Heggie.
Jon Kimura Parker has recorded music of Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev, Chopin and PDQ Bach for Telarc, Mozart for CBC, John Adams for Canary Classics, and Stravinsky on his own label. His new CD, Fantasy, features fantasies of Schubert and Schumann, as well as the sensational “Wizard of Oz” Fantasy by William Hirtz.
Known to friends (new and old) as “Jackie” Parker, he has studied with Edward Parker and Keiko Parker privately, Lee Kum-Sing at the Vancouver Academy of Music and the University of British Columbia, Robin Wood at the Victoria Conservatory, Marek Jablonski at the Banff Centre, and Adele Marcus at The Juilliard School. He won the Gold Medal at the 1984 Leeds International Piano Competition. He lives in Houston with his wife, violinist Aloysia Friedmann and their daughter Sophie.
Other Artist
Anna Petrova
Praised for her “artistic, clear and enlightened” performances (BBC Magazine) of “technical brilliance and complete emotional engagement" (Fanfare Magazine), Bulgarian pianist Anna Petrova performs extensively as both soloist and chamber musician around the globe.
Clara Lyon
Clara Lyon is an accomplished performer and curator who forges meaningful connections across sonic languages and societal contexts to foster investigation and imagination.
Clive Greensmith
From 1999 until its final season in 2013, Clive Greensmith was a member of the world-renowned Tokyo String Quartet, giving over one hundred performances each year in the most prestigious international venues, including New York’s Carnegie Hall, Sydney Opera House, London’s South Bank, Paris Chatelet, Berlin Philharmonie, Vienna Musikverein, and Suntory Hall in Tokyo.
Eliot Heaton
Violinist Eliot Heaton is the current Concertmaster of the Michigan Opera Theatre, Des Moines Metro Opera, and the Saginaw Bay Symphony.
Eric Wong
Celebrated for a “tone like toasted caramel. Amazing.” (Musical Toronto), Eric Wong is the violist of the Cavani String Quartet.
Esther Park
Pianist Esther Park has performed as a soloist with orchestras and in recitals across the United States as well as Asia and major European cities.