Jon Kimura Parker

Known for his passionate artistry and engaging stage presence, pianist Jon Kimura Parker has performed regularly at the Berlin Philharmonic, Carnegie Hall, London’s South Bank, the Sydney Opera House and the Beijing Concert Hall. In 2019, he was appointed the Minnesota Orchestra’s first-ever Creative Partner for Summer at Orchestra Hall, a new role in which he is serving as a creative force behind the Orchestra’s summer festival and appearing each summer as a host, performer and personality. He is also artistic director of the Honens International Piano Competition and artistic advisor for the Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival.

In the summer of 2022, Parker oversaw the Minnesota Orchestra’s first Summer at Orchestra Hall festival, an exploration of Ludwig van Beethoven’s music and influences. In summer 2024, he led four weeks of programming with the Orchestra celebrating “The Roaring Twenties.” During the festival, Kimura performed Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G, Gershwin’s Concerto in F, shared the stage in chamber music settings with Minnesota Orchestra musicians and again curated the Grand Piano Spectacular which featured pianists Gabriela Martinez, Osip Nikiforov and Szuyu Su.

Highlights of Parker’s 2024-25 season encompass a full slate of performances across the United States and Canada, including performances with the Victoria Symphony, San Antonio Philharmonic, Sarasota Orchestra and National Symphony. In addition, Parker makes a number of appearances as a chamber musician at Noe Valley Chamber Music in San Francisco, Chamber Music International in Dallas and in recital at Rice and Emory universities. He returns to the Minnesota Orchestra to celebrate New Year’s Eve with conductor William Eddins in a presentation of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, which turns 100 in 2024.

A collaborator in a wide variety of styles, Parker has performed with Doc Severinsen, Audra McDonald, Bobby McFerrin, Pablo Ziegler and Sanjaya Malakar. As a founding member of Off the Score, he also performed with Stewart Copeland—the legendary drummer of The Police—for the Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival’s 20th anniversary season, featuring his own arrangements of music by Prokofiev, Ravel and Stravinsky. He has accompanied Frederica von Stade, Susan Graham and Luca Pisaroni in recital.

A committed educator, Parker is professor of piano at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University. His students have won prizes in major competitions internationally and given concerto performances in the United States, Europe, Russia and China. He has also lectured at the Juilliard School and given master classes at Yale. He chaired the jury of the Hilton Head International Piano Competition in 2022.

Parker’s discography of a dozen albums features music ranging from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Frédéric Chopin to Samuel Barber, Stravinsky and John Adams. His most recent recording Fantasy, built around Hirtz’s Wizard of Oz Fantasy, was described by Musical Toronto as giving “a big, clear picture window of a rich soul and great artistic depth.” His YouTube channel features a series of Concerto Chat videos that explore the piano concerto repertoire. In addition, his Whole Notes series, featuring performances of great composers, is available on Amazon Prime Video. He is now recording master class videos for Tonebase on major works of the piano concerto repertoire.

Parker has studied with Edward Parker and Keiko Parker, Lee Kum-Sing at the Vancouver Academy of Music and the University of British Columbia, Marek Jablonski at the Banff Centre and Adele Marcus at the Juilliard School. Winner of the Gold Medal at the 1984 Leeds International Piano Competition, Parker is an Officer of The Order of Canada and has received Honorary Doctorates from the University of British Columbia and the Royal Conservatory of Music, Toronto.

Known to friends new and old as “Jackie,” Parker is married to violinist/violist Aloysia Friedmann, and their daughter Sophie graduated from Rice University in 2021.