KFDA - NewsChannel 10 / Amarillo News, Weather, SportsPianist Ian Parker in Amarillo

Pianist Ian Parker in Amarillo

By Larry Lemmons
Newschannel 10

Amarillo, Texas - Renowned Canadian pianist Ian Parker is performing with the Amarillo Symphony.

For the symphony's show Saturday,"Discover Brilliance", Ian Parker will be performing Chopin's Piano Concerto Number One.

Parker says, "What completely blows me and everyone else who hears the piece away is the fact that this incredibly deep and beautiful piece that has so many emotions was written by this composer when he was only nineteen. So you wonder where he'd get all this experience and these deep emotions to write such a piece like this."

Both of Ian Parker's parents played piano so it may come to no surprise that he's been playing since he was three. He's toured across the U.S., Europe and Canada to great acclaim.

Chip Chandler of the Amarillo Symphony says, "He's on the road probably nine months out of the year, living out of his suitcase. He's very highly in demand as a solo artist and we are very, very lucky to have him."

This is Parker's first visit to Amarillo and he says he's impressed by the fact that Amarillo has such an accomplished orchestra.

"I've traveled so much in this country and Canada and Europe and you see mostly cities that are cracking the million person mark or the million population number to have an orchestra like this. So this is truly a blessing to have an orchestra of this quality and this size here in Amarillo."