{"id":54748,"date":"2018-07-11T09:56:18","date_gmt":"2018-07-11T13:56:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/?p=54748"},"modified":"2018-10-21T10:12:52","modified_gmt":"2018-10-21T14:12:52","slug":"profile-house-piano-built-parkers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2018\/07\/11\/profile-house-piano-built-parkers\/","title":{"rendered":"PROFILE | The House That Piano Built: The Parkers"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"How
How did one family manage to produce a generation of musicians that have left such a discernible mark on the Canadian classical music community and the world of classical piano?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A<\/span>n internationally renowned concert pianist and an Officer of The Order of Canada. A multiple Juno Award-winning pianist and celebrated chamber musician. Another acclaimed concert pianist, winner of multiple competitions. An accomplished piano teacher, musical stylist, and PR specialist for classical musicians.<\/p>\n

Jon Kimura Parker, Jamie Parker, Ian Parker, and Liz Parker are siblings and cousins. All three Parker pianists have garnered praise for their recordings as well as their performances across North America and beyond. How did the Parkers of Vancouver manage to produce a generation of musicians that has left such a discernible mark on the world of classical piano?<\/p>\n

On a practical level, it boiled down to a family discipline.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe went through the Parker army drill,\u201d says Elizabeth Anne Fumiko<\/a> \u2014 or Liz \u2014 Parker, the youngest of the three Parker siblings born to John and Keiko Parker in Vancouver. That drill involved piano lessons that began before the age of five for all four.<\/p>\n

Like all good stories, it begins with love. It begins with two brothers, the women they married, and a shared passion for classical piano that transcends the generations.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy parents were matched as penpals,\u201d Liz explains. Keiko Kimura grew up and lived in Tokyo with a love of both Japanese and Western culture. Keiko and John Parker became penpals in the 1950s \u2014 that charming and slow paper version of chatting that was popular in the 20th century. While he never played an instrument himself, John grew up in a musical household and had a great love of the arts in general.<\/p>\n

The two talked about their interests and found a lot in common, including that passion for culture. \u201cMy father mailed her a ring.\u201d As Liz tells the story, at a certain point, John sent Keiko an engagement ring and asked her to marry him. Keiko sought the advice of her English teacher, who asked John to write a letter explaining why Keiko should marry him. John wrote and told Keiko that in Vancouver, she could pursue a career or studies, and do what she liked. The English teacher gave the thumbs up, and Keiko headed west to British Columbia.<\/p>\n

Keiko had just graduated from university with a degree in English literature, but had music on her mind. Once in Canada, she started studying piano, and it just happened that John\u2019s brother Edward was one of Vancouver\u2019s leading piano teachers. Keiko applied herself, got her ARCT, and began teaching herself. \u201cPeople drove from all over to come for her theory classes,\u201d Liz says.<\/p>\n

\"(l-r)
Parker Family photo: (l-r) – Jon Kimura Parker, Keiko Kimura (affectionately called “The Matriarch”,) James Parker. (Photo courtesy of the Parkers)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Jon \u2014 known as Jackie \u2014 Kimura Parker<\/a>\u2019s career takes him all over the world, and he\u2019s currently Professor of Piano at The Shepherd School of Music at Rice University in Houston, Texas. After studies at the Vancouver Academy of Music and the University of British Columbia, Jon went on to The Juilliard School. In 1984, Jon won first prize at the Leeds International Piano Competition, which brought him international acclaim. His career has grown exponentially since then, with an eclectic repertoire that has included everything from Gershwin to Bach, with a special interest in North American composers. But, it all began with Mom and Uncle Edward right at home.\u00a0 He began his training at age four, and by five, Jackie was already performing with the Vancouver Youth Orchestra.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe all had similar training and background,\u201d Jon says, crediting a \u201cgreat teacher and supportive parents,\u201d for the fact they all became so successful. \u201cWe had all of that in spades.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even though their early instruction came from family, Uncle Edward was not soft on any of them. \u201cTough, when necessary,\u201d is how Jon describes him. Mom Keiko took over on theory and making sure the kids got their homework done. \u201cShe became our six day a week supervisor, and he was our one day a week teacher.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Jon
Jon Kimura Parker (Photo: Tara McMullen)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A career in music was inevitable. \u201cWhen you do something from the age of four, you don\u2019t question it,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t all music, all the time, however, in the household presided over by Keiko and John. \u201cWe\u2019re huge fans of Star Trek<\/em>,\u201d Jon remembers. \u201cEven before Liz was born, it was a family tradition to watch it \u2013 the original Star Trek<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jon is also an avid photographer. \u201cI can tell you one thing, I didn\u2019t have was sports of any kind,\u201d he says. As a child, he recalls ruefully watching all the neighbourhood kids playing baseball at the diamond down the street while he was practicing scales. \u201cI kind of vaguely resented it,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

When it comes to his own children, Jon is relaxed. His own daughter Sophie, now 19 years old, showed a musical talent that she was encouraged to develop, but the final decision was her own. \u201cWhen you get to college, you do what you want,\u201d he told her. As a result, she\u2019s become an avid amateur musician as she pursues other studies. \u201cIt\u2019s not what she wants to do,\u201d he says. But, he says that she plays in amateur ensembles. \u201cIt\u2019s still a part of her life.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"James
James Parker (Photo: Bo Huang)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Jamie Parker<\/a> began studying piano before he was five and won more than 200 first-place awards in music festivals. \u201cI\u2019m the middle kid,\u201d he says. Jon, born three and a half years earlier, was a prodigy, already playing with orchestras, by the time Jamie began his own lessons.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou pretty much always heard at least one piano playing at home,\u201d he says. \u201cWe had four pianos. We had no excuse for not practicing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jamie Parker felt the pressure of growing up with an older brother who was a prodigy, and whose path to a performing career was ordained. While Jamie also pursued music, it wasn\u2019t necessarily his first choice. \u201cI thought about science,\u201d he says. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t until grade 12 that I thought, I want to pursue music.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jamie studied at the Vancouver Academy of Music and University of British Columbia, then followed Jon to The Juilliard School, where he obtained both a Masters and DMA.\u00a0 Gradually, a career began to take shape. \u201cMusic is one of those fields where, it\u2019s not like one day, you\u2019re a professional,\u201d he says. However, by the last year of his Bachelor\u2019s degree, Jamie was already performing professionally.<\/p>\n

As Jon was winning the gold medal in Leeds, Jamie won first prize at the Eckhardt-Gramatte Competition in Manitoba the same year. The win set his professional career in motion in earnest. \u201cI toured the country,\u201d he says \u2014 while still an undergrad. It was also pre-GPS. \u201cIt was pioneer touring days,\u201d he says with a laugh.<\/p>\n

These days, Jamie has found his performing niche with the widely acclaimed Gryphon Trio along with his work as a soloist, and he holds the Rupert E. Edwards Chair in Piano Performance on the music faculty at the University of Toronto. When he\u2019s not teaching, he\u2019s typically on the road.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverything that it is to be human, we do in music,\u201d he says as he describes what continues to motivate him. \u201cIf you pay attention, in a music degree, you will be a more complete human.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Liz
Liz Parker<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Liz, the youngest by several years, entered into the family drill along with her brothers. \u201cWe all showed ability early on,\u201d she says. What was it like in a household where, as the youngest, she was competing with Jon and Jamie, and the already established routine? \u201cThere was door slamming matches,\u201d she recalls.<\/p>\n

At about grade 8, Liz wanted to quit, a fact she announced to her parents over dinner. \u201cLizzy, this is not a dinner table discussion,\u201d she was told. In that same serious after-dinner discussion, Liz was asked to justify her reasons for quitting, something her parents likened to an abuse of her own talent. \u201cWe had to get our ARCT,\u201d Liz says. Duly persuaded, she went on to garner an ARCT Gold Medal in piano performance, and then a Bachelor of Music at the UBC. But, while glad of what she\u2019d achieved, Liz decided the performing life was not for her.<\/p>\n

\u201cI never felt comfortable performing. Jackie was born for it,\u201d she says. \u201cI grew up hearing what big talent sounds like.\u201d But, opting out of a performing career didn\u2019t mean giving up on music. \u201cI just knew I wanted to be part of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Liz went on to get a diploma in Radio Broadcasting from BCIT, and jumped at the opportunity when a job doing PR for the Vancouver Symphony opened up shortly after graduating. These days, based in Toronto, her career is a mixed bag of music-oriented gigs. \u201cI\u2019m still teaching piano,\u201d she says, \u201cand styling musicians for photo shoots \u2014 which I love.\u201d She also works part-time as the Digital Content Editor for 96.3, The New Classical FM in Toronto. \u201cWhat I like about Classical FM is, they\u2019re not snobs about it. I\u2019m proud to be part of that.\u201d<\/p>\n

John Parker passed away in 2009, retired after a long career as a pharmacist. While John didn\u2019t play, he influenced the family with his sheer love of music. \u201cHe was such a fan,\u201d Liz says.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur father loved music, and in particular, piano music. For a layman, he knew a whole heck of a lot about music,\u201d Jamie agrees.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy uncle was the most dedicated concert-goer that you ever knew,\u201d adds Ian, John\u2019s nephew.<\/p>\n

Jon credits his father for playing a key role in his musical development. \u201cHe had no musical training, but really experienced it on an emotional level.\u201d It was John Parker\u2019s emotional descriptions and reaction to music that began to find its way into Jon\u2019s own understanding of music. \u201cThe emotional connection, that comes from my father.\u201d<\/p>\n

To this day, Jackie says that when he hears himself making a technical fault, he still thinks of his mother\u2019s teaching. \u201cBut, I remember there\u2019s also people like Dad in the audience who experience the music emotionally.\u201d<\/p>\n

Edward Parker, the driving force behind it all, passed away in February 2018 after an astonishing 70 years as a pianist and pedagogue. John Ernest Parker was born in January 1927, and brother Edward James followed in October 1930. They were born into a poor family in the dirty thirties, during the Great Depression. Edward\u2019s passion for music emerged early, but there was little money for lessons. He ended up practicing on a neighbour\u2019s piano. Another neighbour heard him play, and hired him to teach their daughters. Edward would go on to have a performing career of his own before settling into his teaching role full-time. \u201cHe was famous for being able to play anything in the ARCT repertoire,\u201d remembers Ian Parker<\/a>, Edward\u2019s son and a concert pianist in his own right. \u201cIt\u2019s quite a person, quite a life, and quite a legacy that he\u2019s left.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Ian
Ian Parker<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Ian\u2019s instruction began at the age of three. He won many competitions and prizes, including the William Petschek Piano Debut Award at the Juilliard School of Music in 2002, where he obtained both his Bachelor and Master of Music degrees. He\u2019s currently based in both Vancouver and New York City.<\/p>\n

Ian\u2019s mother, Eileen Yuen, came from Shanghai, China originally. She fled Mao\u2019s Communist regime to find refuge in Hong Kong for a decade or so before making the jump to Vancouver. \u201cShe came to Vancouver to pursue piano,\u201d Ian says. She soon found herself taking lessons from one Edward Parker, and a romance eventually was born.<\/p>\n

While his cousins grew up with four pianos, Ian grew up in a virtual music factory. \u201cOn average, there were about 80 students per week,\u201d he says. He recalls about 22 pianos in the house at peak. \u201cA bit of a piano factory in Burnaby,\u201d he calls it. Ian\u2019s brother Keath seems to be the only one to have eschewed a life of music all together.<\/p>\n

Eileen Parker was very active in helping Edward run what amounted to his very own piano conservatory, taking on the scheduling, billing, and other activities that helped the business run smoothly. Three or four additional teachers were hired to take on the overflow that Edward just couldn\u2019t get to on his own.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was a piano \u2014 and sometimes, two pianos \u2014 in every room in the house, other than the bathroom,\u201d Ian remembers.<\/p>\n

He describes Edward as a teacher who was absolutely driven to see his students perform at their best. Some of his former students recall him as a lovely, personable man. Others remember a sometimes difficult taskmaster. Ian says he figured out the difference \u2013 if his father saw genuine talent, he turned into that demanding mentor. For those who were only pursuing music as an amateur, he could afford to be more charming.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe began at six o\u2019clock,\u201d Ian recalls. \u201cHe would shave at lessons. He\u2019d eat breakfast at lessons. That\u2019s how his life was long before he got married and had a family.\u201d Edward\u2019s teaching day ended at about 11 pm.<\/p>\n

Many of Edwards students \u2014 even outside the family \u2014 ended up at Juilliard. His standards were uncompromising. \u201cYou must do it well, and your absolute best is the minimum requirement,\u201d he recalls Edward saying. \u201cHe would ride you until you were on your last nerve.\u201d But, it was all for the good of the students. \u201cHis students were his family,\u201d Ian says. That sometimes even included teaching them how to drive.<\/p>\n

For Ian, there never really was a choice. He was growing up in a piano conservatory, with three cousins who were already well on their way to performance level playing by the time he showed up on the scene nearly a decade after Liz. \u201cThis is what you do.\u201d Ian says he never even questioned the idea until he was actually at university studying music. \u201cWhy, this is actually hard,\u201d he remembers the revelation.<\/p>\n

Add to the usual pressures, the expectations of a demanding father and mentor. Edward called Ian every single day that he was in Juilliard to hash over the day\u2019s practicing, what the professors said, and more. Ian says he felt the pressure of living up to Edward\u2019s vicarious success. \u201cIt was basically him going to Juilliard through me.\u201d The distance between Vancouver and New York City, however, was a plus. \u201cThe pressure at home was 24\/7.\u201d Still, a rewarding career was worth it all. \u201cI\u2019ve enjoyed a wonderful career in music,\u201d he says. \u201cThis is what dad wanted.\u201d<\/p>\n

After his mother passed suddenly in 1995, Ian noticed the difference. Going through his father\u2019s papers, he found thousands of dollars in uncashed cheques for lessons. In addition to teaching piano, Edward dabbled in real estate, and Ian was surprised to find that some properties hadn\u2019t paid rent in years. Eileen had been the linchpin that kept it all together. Ian was at Juilliard when his mother passed away, and he has told interviewers that he still kisses his mother\u2019s bracelet before walking on stage for every performance in her memory.<\/p>\n

Ian says he notices a gap in the city\u2019s musical scene since Edward passed away earlier this year. \u201cHe always had that worldly standard in Vancouver.\u201d<\/p>\n

This year, Ian\u2019s looking forward to taking on a new role that incorporates conducting as the new Musical Director of the Vancouver Academy of Music. \u201cDad said I had the ear for it.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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