Christopher Parkening

Christopher Parkening (born 14 December 1947) is an American classical guitarist.

Parkening was born in Los Angeles, California and pursued music in part because of the influence of his cousin Jack Marshall, a studio musician in the 1960s. Marshall introduced Parkening to the recordings of Andrés Segovia when he was 11 and encouraged him to study classical guitar. By the time Parkening was 19, he had won a number of competitions and was touring and recording extensively.^{[citation needed]}

He attended the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music, and was later named given the Outstanding Alumnus Award, “in recognition of his outstanding international achievement and in tribute to his stature throughout the world as America’s preeminent virtuoso of the classical guitar.” ^[1]

Parkening has amassed a large discography on Angel/EMI Classics and has been nominated twice for Grammy Awards. A notable recording is Parkening Plays Vivaldi featuring a selection of Baroque concertos, as well as the world premiere recording of Peter Warlock's Capriol Suite, with the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields.

Christopher Parkening lives with his wife, Theresa, and son Luke in Southern California. Each summer he teaches master classes in Bozeman, Montana. He is a committed Christian, having appeared on the 700 Club, and regards performance as an expression of his faith. Parkening is also a world class fly fishing and casting champion, who has won the International Gold Cup Tarpon Tournament (the “Wimbledon” of fly fishing) in the Florida Keys.

In 2006, the first Parkening International Guitar Competition was held at Pepperdine University, where Parkening is a Distinguished Professor of Music. The competition is held every three years. There is also a Parkening Young Guitarists Competition, for musicians aged 17 years and younger, held along with the PIGC.

Partial discography

LP

• The Christopher Parkening Album, Angel S-36069
• In the Classic Style—Bach, Angel S-36019
• In the Spanish Style—Albéniz, Angel S-36020
• Parkening Plays Bach, Angel S-36041
• Romanza, Angel S-36021

CD

• Christopher Parkening—A Bach Celebration with Ron Ravenscroft and the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra (1990), EMI Classics ASIN B000002RNL
• Christopher Parkening Plays Bach (1990), EMI Classics ASIN B000002RNJ
• Christopher Parkening with David Brandon—Virtuoso Duets (1990), Angel ASIN B000002RQ9
• In the Spanish Style/Christopher Parkening (1990), EMI Classics ASIN B000002RNK
• Pleasures of Their Company (1990), EMI Classics ASIN B000002RNM
• Simple Gifts (1990), Angel ASIN B000002SJJ
• A Tribute to Segovia (1991), Capitol ASIN B000002RQ8
• Artistry of Christopher Parkening (1993), EMI Classics ASIN B000002RTK
• The Great Recordings—By America's Preeminent Guitar Virtuoso (1993), EMI Classics ASIN B000002RTR
• Rodrigo: Concierto de Aranjuez; Walton: 5 Bagatelles with Andrew Litton and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (1993), EMI Classics ASIN B000002RT5
• Christopher Parkening Plays Vivaldi Guitar Concertos & Warlock Capriol Suite (1994), EMI Classics ASIN B000002RU3
• Angel's Glory with Kathleen Battle (1996), Angel ASIN B0000029TS
• Celebrates Segovia (1998), EMI Classics ASIN B00000AGKF
• Elmer Bernstein, Concerto for Guitar—Albeniz—Marshall (2000), EMI Classics ASIN B00004ZDLL
• Grace Like A River (2006), Angel ASIN B000F2CAN8
• Jubilation (2007), Blue Note ASIN B000MGTFG2
• Christopher Parkening Collection (2 CDs), Musical Heritage Society ASIN B000B5GPA8

Reviews

• One performance in particular was a trial for Parkening, because the did not do as well as usual on several difficult passages. He missed an especially long guitar run, and felt bad about it afterward. [...] Image his astonishment the next morning when the title of the review was: "Parkening gives flawless performance!" (Devotions from the World of Music, by Barbara Kavanaugh; ISBN 0781433479)

Books

• Grace Like a River with Kathy Tyers. (2006) Tyndale Publishers

External links

• IMG Artists LLC
• Christopher Parkening Official Website
• Parkening International Guitar Competition
• Some photos of LP covers (Oviatt Library Digital Collections)

References