5 minutes with ... Jon Kimura Parker.(Interview)

Jon Kimura "Jackie" Parker is an internationally acclaimed versatile pianist, educator, recording artist and media celebrity Awards include the 1984 Leeds International Piano Competition Gold Medal and his country's highest honor, the Order of Canada, in 1999. Parker is professor of piano at Rice University's Shepherd School of Music.

At age 5, you appeared with the Vancouver Youth Orchestra?

Yes, I walked onstage and promptly got lost in the first violin section. The concertmaster led me by the hand to the piano. The most entertaining part was when the conductor announced new keys to the audience and apparently, I transposed on the spot. A fantastic experience.

Did you always have a strong sense of destiny?

In first grade, I was shocked that other kids didn't know what they would become. There were vague notions of being a fireman, etc. But l absolutely expected to be a concert pianist.

Your concerto performances are legendary. Any "dis-concerto-ing" experiences?

During an orchestra tour in small-town Ontario, I arrived late in a high school gym to play Prokofiev's 3rd Concerto. Just before the clarinet introduction, I realized the movers had forgotten to connect the pedal assembly. I borrowed a cellist's endpin support, and, on hands and knees, jammed it underneath the pedals to keep them in place. I got a standing ovation before playing a note!