Jonathan Parker is a Perth-born percussionist, composer, and performer who prides himself on interdisciplinary collaboration and vibrant, engaging music-making. He completed a Bachelor of Music with honours at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) in 2024, studying under former Cirque du Soleil percussionist Marcus Perrozzi and Australian percussion legend Tim White OAM. During his time at WAAPA, he was a two-time recipient of the Luigi Paolino award for excellence in percussion and received the Norman Archibald percussion scholarship in 2024.
Jonathan’s musical experiences have ranged from colliding cymbals with the Australian Youth Orchestra, to musically directing theatre shows at WAAPA, including improvising and performing on stage with the actors. From 2021 to 2024, he played with and composed for the award-winning Defying Gravity percussion ensemble, undertaking tours to the Percussive Arts Society International Convention (PASIC) in Indianapolis, and to the Xinghai Conservatory and Nanjing University of the Arts in China. Highlights included performing Steve Reich’s monumental 1971 chamber work Drumming, and Austin Keck’s Passage to An Uncharted World. In addition to chamber playing, Jon has shown an affinity for solo multi-percussion, particularly the works of Iannis Xenakis and Per Nørgård.
Jonathan has a passion for collaborating in the worlds of theatre and dance, having played solo drumkit in the Australian premiere of French choreographer Didier Theron’s work Atalantes in 2023, and composed for Natalie Allen’s collaborative contemporary work “In the Closet” in 2024. Jonathan’s honours dissertation focussed on choreomusicology, a field of study concerning the interaction between music and dance and the collaborative processes between choreographer and composer. He has also scored a number of plays with acclaimed Australian theatre directors such as Matt Edgerton, Clara Voda, Shane Anthony, and Candy Bowers.
Outside of the arts, Jonathan’s interests include off-spin technique, cryptic crosswords, 80s horror films, the Western Bulldogs Football Club, and the French language.
FROM: WA. Lands of the Whadjuk Noongar people.
Photo by Pia Johnson