Praised for her “combination of tenderness and vivacious energy” (San Francisco Chronical) and “sheer virtuosity” (LA Splash), Canadian pianist Jani Parsons has established herself as a musician of warmth, brilliance, versatility, and vivid expression. An active soloist and chamber musician, Jani is a founding member and executive director of Latitude 49, a mixed chamber ensemble recently in residence at Princeton University and the pianist of the Aurora Trio with violinist Timothy Steeves and cellist Max Geissler. Jani joined the faculty at the University of Calgary as the newly appointed Assistant Professor of Piano and head of the piano program in 2021.
As an avid performer and supporter of living composers, Jani has worked directly with many composers including Steve Reich, Christopher Cerrone, John Zorn, Stacy Garrop, Marc Mellits, Roshanne Etezady, Augusta Read Thomas, Jared Miller and Shulamit Ran and has premiered upwards of eighty new solo and chamber works. She is especially enthusiastic about featuring a wide array of “classics” and undiscovered masterpieces in her programming that spans from pre-Baroque to newly inked works.
A sought-after chamber musician, Jani has appeared with the Pittsburg New Music Ensemble, members of Bang on a Can All-Stars, Eighth Blackbird, and New Music Detroit as well as members of the Chicago and Detroit Symphony Orchestras. Performances across North America include the Chan Centre for the Arts (Vancouver, British Columbia), the Banff Centre for the Arts, Detroit Symphony Center, Detroit Institute of Arts, the Ravinia Festival and the Museum of Contemporary Art (Chicago) and at various educational institutions including the New England Conservatory, Indiana University, and Northwestern University among others. Jani has appeared in 8 professionally released recordings and can be heard on the New Amsterdam label, Tzadik label and Çedille Records among others.
Jani studied in Canada with Lorraine Ambrose at the Vancouver Academy of Music, and graduated from the University of Michigan under Arthur Greene and John Ellis. She has served on faculty at the Fresh Inc. Summer festival, the Interlochen Summer Arts Camp and the Piracicaba International Piano Festival in Brazil and is a passionate teacher and life-long music geek.
After two years of silenced concerts, I aim to share some of the music that has given me hope, joy, and focus during these difficult times. There were times I would program something only to realize a few weeks into practicing that I simply could not go on with the piece and was forced to change course. My practice mirrored a certain personal inquiry that has occupied me with questions about who we are as people, the place and value of art in society, and the necessity to have my soul nourished by music and the effects of its absence. What you will hear is a collection of works that ranges from the dark musings of France’s most acclaimed female composer of the Baroque era to more recent works that sparkle to life. I hope, in turn, that you will be inspired by these offerings, and find light for the journey. -J.P.
Here are a few clips of Jani Parsons performance from youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQCyYSoqdgU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJ631g_PK6c
This concert is the first in a series of five Piano Performance Concerts during 2022 generously sponsored by the Nickle Family Foundation.
