Preview: Meet Jon Kimura Parker; Meet Beethoven

Jon Kimura Parker is proof positive that a Canadian can survive in Houston, Texas without dying of spontaneous human combustion.

On second thought, I don't know if he stays here in July and Augus, so that undermines my hypothesis.

Anyway, Jon Kimura Parker is one of several authentically world class musicians who live and work in Houston. I've known of him since I was a child and he appeared on the cover of my piano-teacher/mother's Clavier Magazine. Now, in addition to performing the world over, he teaches at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University.

He will join the Houston Symphony this week to perform Beethoven's First Piano Concerto. After the jump, a demonstration, by Mr. Parker himself, of 21st century tools put to great artistic use and a preview of the concerto.

I've wrtitten before about the importance of artists and arts organization using technology and other tools to build connections and relationships with the modern audience. Like Hilary Hahn, Mr. Parker is an excellend example of how that is done and that there is more than one way to skin the cat.

• Website? Check.
• Facebook page? Check.
• Twitter feed? Check.
• Blog? Check.

What made Hilary Hahn's web presence work was that it is so personal and DIY. It is funny. It is quirky. It fits a younger artist. It is Hilary. You feel like you are sitting down to after the conert with Hilary and whatever colleague she is interviewing.

Here, the container is glossy and professional. But you have to have content, no matter what the container, and Mr. Parker does.

There is a whole video series called "Concerto Chat" in which Mr. Parker provides a short bit of background to get the audience into the piece he is playing. Like Bernstein and Michael Tilson Thomas, Parker seems to have the the ability to provide musical information that is engaging for the musician and non-musician alike. A real gift.

I was going to create my own content to preview the First Piano Concerto, but Mr. Parker has already done it better than I could have. So instead, watch his Concerto Chat:




 I am really looking forward to a great performance.