Christopher Parkening

Born in Los Angeles, California on December 14, 1947, Christopher William Parkening is a world-renowned classical guitarist. He was introduced to the classical guitar at the age of 11 by his cousin Jack Marshall, who played him some albums by Andrés Segovia. After lessons and master classes, at the age of 19, Christopher Parkening embarked on a solo career with the release of two albums in 1968: In the Classic Style and In the Spanish Style. Specializing in his own interpretations of Baroque music with an emphasis on the works of J. S. Bach, he released the acclaimed albums Parkening Plays Bach (1972) and A Bach Celebration (1985), which he recorded with the Los Angeles Orchestra. He received Grammy nominations for the albums Parkening and the Guitar (1976) and Pleasure of Their Company (1985), a collaboration with soprano Kathleen Battle. During his career, he also became a teacher and, at the age of 22, created the classical guitar department at the University of Southern California, where he taught after retiring from the stage in 1977. Christopher Parkening also taught at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California. He continued to record until 2007 and released many acclaimed albums including Rodrigo: Concierto de Aranjuez with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (1993), Angel's Glory with Kathleen Battle (1996), Christopher Parkening Celebrates Segovia (1998), the Stepmom soundtrack with composer John Williams (1998), Elmer Bernstein's Concerto for Guitar (2000), Grace Like a River (2006), and Jubilation with baritone Jubilant Sykes (2007).