Known for his passionate artistry and engaging stage presence, pianist Jon Kimura Parker has performed regularly at the Berlin Philharmonie, 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.

Known for her dynamic artistry and thought-provoking recital programming, Indian pianist Chelsea de Souza is a Steinway Young Artist equally at home in the worlds of traditional and new music.  The four-time All-India Piano Competition winner has been interviewed on NBC TV, performed live on public radio, and appeared in concerts across the US, Belgium, Germany, France, and India. 2022-23 season highlights include recitals for Houston Methodist’s Center for Performing Arts Medicine, the Menil Collection and Cypress Creek FACE; performances with New York City Ballet principal Tiler Peck for Artists at the Center; and a commissioning Project Grant from New Music USA. A consummate chamber musician, Chelsea has performed at La Jolla Summerfest 2022 and as a Young Artist Fellow with the DACAMERA Chamber Music and Jazz Series in Houston. A committed performer of music by living composers, she has commissioned and premiered numerous works for solo piano and small ensemble, and performed with award-winning groups “Alarm Will Sound” and the River Oaks Chamber Orchestra. As a singer, she was co-director of Oberlin’s longest-running all-female a cappella group ‘Nothing but Treble’. de Souza holds bachelor’s degrees in Politics, Piano Performance and Vocal Accompanying from Oberlin College and Conservatory, a Master’s degree in piano performance from the Peabody Institute, and is pursuing a doctorate at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music.