Christopher William Parkening (born December 14, 1947) is an American classical guitarist. He holds the Chair of Classical Guitar at

Pepperdine University Pepperdine University () is a private research university affiliated with the Churches of Christ with its main campus in Los Angeles County, California. Pepperdine's main campus consists of 830 acres (340 ha) overlooking the Pacific Ocean and t ...

under the title Distinguished Professor of Music.

Biography

Parkening was born in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. His cousin

Jack Marshall Sir John Ross Marshall New Zealand Army Orders 1952/405 (5 March 1912 – 30 August 1988) was a New Zealand politician of the National Party. He entered Parliament in 1946 and was first promoted to Cabinet in 1951. After spending twelve years ...

, a studio musician active in the 1960s, introduced Parkening to the recordings of

Andrés Segovia Andrés Segovia Torres, 1st Marquis of Salobreña (21 February 1893 – 2 June 1987) was a Spanish virtuoso classical guitarist. Many professional classical guitarists were students of Segovia or their students. Segovia's contribution to the m ...

when he was 11 and encouraged his

classical guitar The classical guitar (also known as the nylon-string guitar or Spanish guitar) is a member of the guitar family used in classical music and other styles. An acoustic wooden string instrument with strings made of gut or nylon, it is a precursor o ...

studies. By the age of 19 he had embarked on a professional career of regular touring and recording. Segovia has stated that, "Christopher Parkening is a great artist—-he is one of the most brilliant guitarists in the world." The

Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

stated, Christopher Parkening is “the leading guitar virtuoso of our day, combining profound musical insight with complete technical mastery of his instrument.” At age 30, Parkening withdrew from public performances and recording seeking a respite from the demands of a professional career and a chance to pursue his hobby of flyfishing. During this period Parkening rarely played guitar choosing instead to focus his attention on his Montana ranch and trout stream. While visiting his Southern California home in winter, a neighbor invited Parkening to the

Grace Community Church Grace Community Church is a non-denominational, evangelical megachurch founded in 1956 and located in Sun Valley, a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles. Noted speaker and radio evangelist John MacArthur is the senior pastor ...

. Profoundly affected by this experience Parkening returned to recording and performing with a renewed sense of purpose" to glorify God with his music. He then released ''Simple Gifts'', an album of traditional Christian hymns arranged for classical guitar. His autobiography ''Grace Like a River'' was published in 2006. Parkening has recorded over 20 albums for Angel and EMI Classics. He has been nominated twice for a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

. Notable recordings include ''Parkening Plays Vivaldi'' featuring a selection of

Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

concertos, ''Pleasures of Their Company'' with soprano

Kathleen Battle Kathleen Deanna Battle (born August 13, 1948) is an American operatic soprano known for her distinctive vocal range and tone. Born in Portsmouth, Ohio, Battle initially became known for her work within the concert repertoire through performances ...

, produced by

Patti Laursen Patti Laursen (September 19, 1927 – June 16, 2013) was an American, internationally renowned classical music record producer. Laursen produced a discography of distinguished recordings primarily for the Capitol, Angel and EMI labels. Commencing ...

and nominated for the 1986 Classical Record of the Year Grammy Award as well as the world premiere recording of

Peter Warlock Philip Arnold Heseltine (30 October 189417 December 1930), known by the pseudonym Peter Warlock, was a British composer and music critic. The Warlock name, which reflects Heseltine's interest in occultism, occult practices, was used for all his ...

's ''Capriol Suite'' with the

Academy of St. Martin in the Fields The Academy of St Martin in the Fields (ASMF) is an English chamber orchestra, based in London. John Churchill, then Master of Music at the London church of St Martin-in-the-Fields, and Neville Marriner founded the orchestra as "The Academy of ...

. As an educator, Parkening has been instrumental in cementing the guitar's reputation and esteem within academia. He created the guitar department at the University of Southern California in 1969, when he was only 22, and he was serving as the head of the department when he first retired from public performance at age 30. During his famous sabbatical from the guitar, spent mostly fly-fishing in Montana, he agreed to found a guitar department at Montana State University, and he did what he terms a "token" amount of teaching at MSU during this time. He was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Music from Montana State University in 1983. He is currently Distinguished Professor of Music and Chair in Classical Guitar at

, where, in addition to his work with guitar majors, he also teaches a public master class. In a 2013 interview, Parkening said that he is retired from the concert stage and is focused on his family and teaching. Christopher Parkening lives with his wife, Theresa, and their son, Luke in

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most po ...

Discography

LP

* ''In the Classic Style'' (1968), Angel * ''In the Spanish Style'' (1968), Angel * ''Romanza'' (1969), Angel * ''Parkening Plays Bach'' (1972), Angel * ''The Christopher Parkening Album'' (1973), Angel * ''Parkening and the Guitar'' (1976), Angel (nominated for a Grammy® Award for "Best Classical Album of the Year")

CD

* ''Simple Gifts'' (1982), EMI/Angel * ''A Bach Celebration'' with the

Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra The Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra (LACO) is an American chamber orchestra based in Los Angeles, California. LACO presents its Orchestral Series concerts at two venues, the Alex Theatre in Glendale and UCLA's Royce Hall. History James Arkatov, a ...

(1985), EMI/Angel * ''Christopher Parkening Plays Bach'' (1985), EMI/Angel * ''Pleasures of Their Company'' with

(1986), EMI/Angel (Nominated for a Grammy® Award for "Best Classical Recording") * ''In the Spanish Style'' (1986), EMI/Angel * ''Virtuoso Duets with David Brandon'' (1990), EMI/Angel * ''The Sounds of Christmas'' with

Julie Andrews Dame Julie Andrews (born Julia Elizabeth Wells; 1 October 1935) is an English actress, singer, and author. She has garnered numerous accolades throughout her career spanning over seven decades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Fi ...

(1990), Hallmark Cards, Inc. * ''A Tribute to Segovia'' (1991), EMI/Angel * ''The Artistry of Christopher Parkening'' (1993), EMI/Angel * ''The Great Recordings'' (1993), EMI/Angel * ''Rodrigo: Concierto de Aranjuez; Walton: 5 Bagatelles'' with

Andrew Litton Andrew Litton (born May 16, 1959, New York City) is an American orchestral conductor. Litton is a graduate of The Fieldston School. He studied piano with Nadia Reisenberg and conducting with Sixten Ehrling at the Juilliard School of Music in New ...

and the

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London, that performs and produces primarily classic works. The RPO was established by Thomas Beecham in 1946. In its early days, the orchestra secured profitable ...

(1993), EMI/Angel * ''Christopher Parkening Plays Vivaldi Guitar Concertos & Warlock Capriol Suite'' (1994), EMI/Angel * ''Angels' Glory'' with

(1996), Sony Classical * ''Christopher Parkening Celebrates Segovia'' (1998), EMI/Angel * ''Stepmom'' film score with

John Williams John Towner Williams (born February 8, 1932)Nylund, Rob (15 November 2022)Classic Connection review ''WBOI'' ("For the second time this year, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic honored American composer, conductor, and arranger John Williams, who wa ...

(1998), Sony Classical * ''Elmer Bernstein – Concerto for Guitar – Albeniz – Marshall'' (2000), EMI/Angel * ''Grace Like A River'' (2006), EMI/Angel * ''Jubilation'' (2007) with Jubilant Sykes, EMI/Angel Records

DVD

* ''Virtuoso Performances'' (2008), Hal Leonard Corp.

References

External links

Christopher Parkening Official Website

Parkening International Guitar Competition

Christopher Parkening - Distinguished Professor of Music
{{DEFAULTSORT:Parkening, Christopher 1947 births American classical guitarists American male guitarists Living people Guitarists from Los Angeles 20th-century American guitarists Classical musicians from California 20th-century American male musicians 21st-century American guitarists 21st-century American male musicians Pepperdine University faculty Montana State University faculty

Biography

Discography

LP

CD

DVD

References

Further reading

External links