Today we’d like to introduce you to Alex Park.
Hi Alex, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I started playing the classical guitar at the age of 16 but before that, I actually started playing the piano at age 8. Having a piano in the house made me interested in playing music and I would occasionally play around with it.
But what made me want to take lessons was the desire to learn how to read sheet music. I was so fascinated with how the notes looked and I really wanted to learn how to read them and play what was written on the sheet. It’s like a written language. A few years later, I started learning the guitar at age 13 playing the electric guitar from my love of rock and pop music, and then I started playing classical guitar when I was 16.
I first heard the classical guitar from watching videos on YouTube and I was amazed that the guitar can play classical music like that. Having a love for both rock guitar music and classical music from my piano lessons was probably why I was fascinated with the classical guitar right away. Before then I’ve never heard anything like that.
Despite starting the classical guitar fairly late compared to most other guitarists, I decided to pursue it in college and I attended Pepperdine University in Malibu, CA to study with Christopher Parkening. I was a big fan of Parkening’s recordings and about a year before meeting him at my audition to Pepperdine, I saw on TV the final round of the 2009 Parkening International Guitar Competition, one of the biggest classical guitar competitions in the world.
Watching that was a very inspiring moment for me and I dreamed that one day I’ll be able to perform at that competition. What seemed like a longshot dream actually turned into reality ten years later when I was chosen to compete in the 2019 competition. Watching the competition then led me to research more about Parkening and Pepperdine University where he chairs the classical guitar department. With his guidance and mentorship, I worked very hard to be as great of a musician as I could be and started to build my career.
After graduating from Pepperdine University, I continued my education in classical guitar performance and I’m currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the University of Southern California. I’m grateful to have had a lot of other great teachers including Andrew York, Scott Tennant, and Pepe Romero.
Today, I am fortunate to have performed concerts throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe, both as a soloist and as a guitar duo with my brother Wesley. And I am currently serving as an adjunct professor of guitar at Pepperdine University and I recently got hired to teach at Westmont College in Santa Barbara, CA which I will start next month in January 2022.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I have faced many challenges throughout my life and have had many moments of doubt about whether I would be able to succeed, but overcoming those challenges has made me stronger and wiser. One of the earliest moments that comes to mind was when I first started college. Since I started the classical guitar fairly late, I felt I was very behind compared to the other students. Feeling like I was the worst really pushed me to practice and work very hard.
That being said, comparing yourself to others can be unhealthy and can hurt your confidence. There are so many great musicians out there that people can easily feel like they’re not good enough or they may feel jealous of their colleague getting the job or the gig that they wanted. Those feelings are inevitable, but instead, I try to use those feelings as fuel to work hard and I always remember that we’re all unique artists with our own paths and stories.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Performing concerts, recording, and teaching is what I primarily do. In 2019, I released my debut album, Classical Guitar, which has received many positive reviews from critics and press and many of the tracks have been played on classical music radio stations around the U.S. and Canada.
I’m also very passionate about teaching. Besides teaching at Pepperdine, I also have my own studio of dedicated guitar and piano students. I have been teaching lessons since I was in high school and I enjoy passing along what I’ve learned and guiding my students into becoming the best musicians they can be, just like how my teachers have done with me.
In addition to performing and teaching, I have also worked on film and media projects as a session guitarist and a film composer. I am most proud of playing the guitar for the soundtrack of the PBS documentary, Lew Wallace: Shiloh Soldier, Ben Hur Bard. It won an Emmy Award in the Musical Composition/Arrangement category so I am proud to have been a part of that music team.
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
One of the most important lessons I have learned is realizing that all trials and tribulations are necessary to grow as a person and to learn. Everyone who is successful has their stories of failure and a lot of times, those failures open up new roads and better opportunities for the future. Another important lesson that I have learned is to enjoy the process.
When I was first starting out, all I wanted to do was to play anywhere that I could, and at the time, I had no expectation that I would make a career out of it. My accomplishments came from my love of playing music and I try to remember that if I am going through any struggles.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.alexparkguitar.com
- Instagram: @alexparkguitar
- Facebook: @alexparkguitar
- Twitter: @alexparkguitar
Image Credits
Olivia Koo, Mark Westling, and Ron Hall.
