The Brass Junkies 83: Donna Parkes
Andrew Hitz
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We had a blast interviewing the phenomenal Donna Parkes, Principal Trombone of the Louisville Orchestra. She told us all about her fascinating journey from Australia to Kentucky with a few stops along the way.
It's always so great when musicians who are as accomplished as Donna is are so down to earth. It really was a treat to speak with her!
From the show notes:
TBJ83: Trombonist Donna Parkes of the Louisville Orchestra on having a “Yes!” attitude, sleeping bags and growing up in Australia
Donna Parkes, Principal Trombone with Louisville Orchestra joins Andrew & Lance to detail her amazing career, from Australia to Kentucky, with stops in Chicago, Alaska and Doha, Qatar.
In this fun and lively conversation, we cover:
- Playing Principal Trombone with Louisville Orchestra
- Playing with the Colorado Music Festival
- Coming from Indiana, I mean Canberra, Australia
- Coming to the U.S. after her undergrad to study with Charlie Vernon at DePaul
- The differences between the Australian and U.S. markets
- Studying with Michael Mulcahy early on in Australia
- Playing freelance gigs in Sydney for a year before moving
- Getting a lesson with Arnold Jacobs and Ed Kleinhammer
- Working with 80-year-olds in Virginia
- The size of Andrew’s tongue (don’t ask)
- Sleeping in her sleeping bag with her trombone in a hostel on her first night in the U.S.
- Taking pictures of snow
- Tips for flying to Australia
- Playing gigs in Sitka, Alaska twice a year
- How she recently got married in Australia
- A typical week in Louisville, which is anything but typical
- The importance of being flexible and being a good colleague
- Having a “Yes” attitude
- Playing in Doha, Qatar
- An important life lesson, “Don’t smell it first.”
You can check out the complete show notes including all of the links mentioned during this episode over at Pedal Note Media.