Dr. Jani Parsons

Biography

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. Her vision for the program is to create a dynamic space that blends the disciplines of performance, pedagogy, collaboration, and research and prepares students for a thriving career in performing arts in today's changing world.

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.

A passionate teacher, Jani has taught many award-winning students and presented a wide array of pedagogical research in various national conferences. Her recent publication of a two-volume book series titled "Technique Through Repertoire" was released in 2022 through Piano Publications Press alongside co-author Dr. Christopher Madden, and together they have presented their research at the MTNA National Conference, the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy (NCKP) and have given workshops through the Francis Clark Center and various music teacher associations. Jani is passionate about the field of piano pedagogy, and serves on the NCKP 2023 National Program Committee. She was recognized as an OVPR Rising Star in the first year teaching at Baylor University for her potential for research and early career development.

Jani studied in Canada with Wendy Guimont (Cranbrook), Allen Reiser (Calgary) and Lorraine Ambrose at the Vancouver Academy of Music, and graduated from the University of Michigan under Arthur Greene and John Ellis. She holds an ARCT in Piano Performance from the Royal Conservatory of Music, and She has served on faculty at the Fresh Inc. Summer festival, the Interlochen Summer Arts Camp and the Piracicaba International Piano Festival in Brazil.