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North Iowa Area Community College and The Frank Hoffman Organ Fund are honored to present organist Donna Parker. Parker will take the North Iowa Community Auditorium stage on Sunday, October 12, at 2 p.m. as a part of the 2008-2009 NIACC Performing Arts Series. The event is free; no tickets are necessary.

Join in on a fun afternoon of music and film with internationally renowned theatre organist Parker as she presents a concert of music from classics to pop, including Broadway show tunes, Big Band numbers, the music of The Beatles and ABBA, TV and movie themes…something for everyone of every age.  She will also accompany a short comedy silent film, Brats, starring Laurel and Hardy, timeless humor that will be sure to leave the audience smiling!

Parker, originally from the Los Angeles area, began studying the organ at the age of seven. Four years later she was introduced to the theatre organ and studied with many of the top theatre organists in that area.  At thirteen she began classical organ studies with Richard Purvis, who was the Organist and Master of Choristers at San Francisco's Grace Cathedral.  After college she played at the Organ Stop Pizza in Phoenix and later at the Roaring Twenties restaurant in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Parker opened the Paramount Music Palace in Indianapolis in 1979, and was a featured organist there for over ten years, performing daily on the 4/42 Wurlitzer. She has recorded many albums on that organ and has a total of nine recordings to her credit.

After moving to the Portland area in 1990, Parker served as Marketing Manager for the Rodgers Instrument Corporation in Hillsboro for several years. She performed regularly at the Organ Grinder restaurant in Portland and at Uncle Milt's Pipe Organ Pizza restaurant in Vancouver, Washington. In 1996, Parker was named "Organist of the Year" by the American Theatre Organ Society.

Parker now serves as organist at Tigard United Methodist Church, and as Associate Organist at First United Methodist Church in Portland with Jonas Nordwall. She maintains a busy teaching schedule for both organ and piano students, and manages her own successful graphic arts business serving many people, organizations and businesses in the music industry.

To fill out her very active career, Parker somehow finds time for an active concert schedule, performing at well-known concert venues throughout the United States. Internationally, she has performed in venues such as Vienna, Australia and Tokyo.

Platinum sponsors for the 2008-2009 series include NIACC, Globe Gazette Elizabeth Muse Norris Charitable Fund; the Globe Gazette; Alliant Energy; Community National Bank; Henkel Construction; and Principal Financial Group.  Gold sponsors include Diamond Jo Casino; First Citizens National Bank; First State Bank of Belmond; Kraft; Mercy Medical Center – North Iowa; Martin, Cooney, MacNider & Cooney, Financial Consultants of Raymond James and Associates, Inc.; Dr. Gary W. Swenson and Dean A. Genth; and Sukup Manufacturing.  In kind sponsors include Country Inn and Suites; KIMT; and Pepsi.

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