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Internationally acclaimed pianist, Jon Kimura Parker, performs with the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra

Tara McMullen

Internationally acclaimed pianist, Jon Kimura Parker, opens up the KSO's 2014-2015 season with a performance of the fiery and dramatic Piano Concerto No.1 in D minor of Johannes Brahms.  Mr. Parker has performed under the baton of well-known conductors, including Wolfgang Sawallisch, Andre Previn, and Pinchas Zukerman to name just a few.

He's also a media personality, hosting a TV show on Bravo! ("Whole Notes"), a show on CBC radio ("Up and Coming"), and produces his own series on Youtube called "Concerto Chat." 

But that's not it! Jon (who goes by Jackie) also teaches at the prestigious Shepherd School of Music at Rice University in Houston, TX, which is considered to be one of the top music schools in the country. 

In this interview, he talks to Melony Dodson (Morning Concert host) about the early days of his piano studies, explains what "Officer of the Order of Canada"means, discusses the Piano Concerto No.1 of Brahms, and shares a bit about some of his pre-concert rituals.

Melony calls the beautiful mountains of Boone, N.C., home, although she was born near Greensboro, N.C. There’s just something about those Blue Ridge Mountains that got in her blood and never left after she moved there to attend Appalachian State University (ASU). While at ASU, she majored in piano performance and music therapy and began to cultivate a love for accompanying and for collaborating with other musicians. This soon led her to earn a master’s degree in collaborative piano at the University of Tennessee, which she attended from 2006-2008.