Christopher Parkening

Widely recognized as an heir to the legacy of Andres Segovia, Christopher Parkening was celebrated among the greatest contemporary classical guitar virtuosos of his generation. His prolific discography included The Pleasures of Their Company, a collaboration with soprano Kathleen Battle, Parkening Plays Vivaldi, an orchestral recording of Joaquin Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez and Fantasia para un gentilhombre, and A Tribute to Segovia, performed on one of the Spanish master's own concert guitars. As a guest soloist, Parkening appeared with many of the finest orchestras in the United States, including the New York and Los Angeles Philharmonics; the Philadelphia, Cleveland, and Minnesota Orchestras; the Chicago, Pittsburgh and National Symphony Orchestras; the Detroit, Houston and St. Louis Symphonies; and the St. Paul and Los Angeles Chamber Orchestras. The author of The Christopher Parkening Guitar Method, Volume I, a basic pedagogy book, he was also a world class fly-fishing and casting champion who won the International Gold Cup Tarpon Tournament (known to aficionados as "the Wimbledon of fly-fishing"). ~ Jason Ankeny