Jon Kimura Parker - 2004 MTNA National Conference Artists

American Music Teacher, Feb-March, 2004 by Gail Berenson

Imagine an enormously talented pianist, passionate about communicating his love of music to his audience, with a devilish sense of humor that inspired him to play the X-Files Theme within the cadenza of the Mozart D-Minor Piano Concerto, K. 466. During another concert, he appeared in a complete Star Trek: The Next Generation outfit, including the pointy ears, came on stage and proclaimed "Minneapolis--the Final Frontier." The pianist and self-proclaimed "wild man of the cadenza" is none other than Jon Kimura Parker, one of our 2004 MTNA National Conference artists.

It is his desire to make music accessible to all, while providing performances of the highest level, that makes him so admired among audiences and his fellow musicians. Kansas City conference goers are in for a very special treat--conference artist Jon Kimura Parker will present a solo piano recital and serve as this year's advanced-level piano master class artist.

Growing up in Canada, "Jackie" Parker began lessons at age 4, working through age 15 with his uncle Edward Parker, a gifted pedagogue [profiled in Clavier, October 2003]. His mother also closely supervised his practicing, frequently sitting with him at the piano. I asked him what it was like practicing in the house with his mother listening. Oh, maddening! My mother is a highly successful piano teacher in her own right, so of course I couldn't get away with anything. But the truth is that I had the unprecedented good fortune of having committed, experienced and loving teaching on an almost daily basis.

Parker's father, a pharmacist, also was a significant influence in his life. I have to say that my father has been the most influential person in my life, especially as an inspiration to pursue a musical life. The irony in this is that he is not a musician at all and doesn't even read music. But he has been surrounded by it (his brother,, Edward Parker) and he loves music, especially piano music, more than anyone that I know. Through his observations I have been able to understand what it must be like to experience music as a non-musician, and to me that is a special girl that most musicians don't fully

For some, making career decisions can be difficult, especially when deciding if one can be successful as a performing musician. Jackie Parker obviously knew early on this is what he wanted to do. 1 spent all of grade school in a public school a few blocks from my parents' house. I actually knew that "would" grow up to be a concert pianist in first grade, and furthermore was shocked that no one else in my class had figured this out so precisely. There were vague wishes to be a fireman, hockey player (This was Canada, after all.), but I knew that 1 had a real focus already. I practiced seriously from the age of 4. Somewhere along the way a few years later, I rebelled a little, but deep dawn I understood that the dedication would be worth it.

Parker's valuable advice to young pianists: "If you can imagine yourself doing something else, you're probably better off doing it; if you can't, then give music everything you have. "And wise words about repertoire: One important thing to remember, especially as you get older, is that if you are playing masterpieces, you will never be as great as the music. You have to approach any art with humility and a desire to be a student of that art forever.

It is that reverence to music, along with his compelling desire to turn the average person on to the joys of music, that makes Parker such an outstanding educator. Taking his role of "teacher" very seriously, he hosts Whole Notes, a Canadian television series devoted to classical music. Parker also toured with a group of renowned Canadian pianists, Piano Six, now Encore Six, offering free educational programs throughout remote communities in Canada, sometimes performing on electronic keyboards, in an effort to provide access to live music for people who would not ordinarily have this opportunity. Last year Parker hosted a series of live radio programs, called "Up and Coming," across Canada, which featured interviews and performances with two dozen of Canada's most gifted teenage performers.

It was Adele Marcus, Parker's teacher at the Juillard School in New York, who encouraged him to enter the 1984 Leeds International Piano Competition, one of the most prestigious competitions in the world, which he won. This makes him eminently qualified to offer recommendations for the appropriate mindset to take into a competition. As far as competitions go, I have to admit up front that I always had a competitive spirit as a young player and that competitions were tremendously good for me--not so much that I needed the validation, but because they gave me a clear-cut goal for my practicing. But when I got to the really advanced level of competing, for example at the Leeds International Piano Competition in 1984, my thoughts were: "Make music. Pretend it's a recital. Don't worry about anyone else." One reason I was comfortable performing at Leeds was that I made myself perform for the audience and tried to forget about the judges.