Joel Pargman

Biography

 

Joel Pargman graduated summa cum laude from USC in 2002, where he studied violin performance with Robert Lipsett and served as a teaching assistant in violin and in music history. Born in San Bernardino and having spent his youth in the Pacific Northwest, he now resides in Pasadena with his wife, violinist Carrie Kennedy.

 

A frequent guest performer with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra since 2005, Joel won the violin audition to join LACO’s second violin section in December 2011. Joel also is a member of the Santa Barbara Chamber Orchestra, the Pasadena Symphony, the New West Symphony and Musica Angelica Baroque Orchestra. In addition to his live performance engagements, Joel also records music for film, television and albums of diverse genres. He has performed live and televised concerts with Sir Paul McCartney, Eddie Vedder, Ben Harper, Jay-Z, M83, Garrison Keillor, Herb Alpert, Amy Grant, Mariah Carey, and other notable artists.

 

Joel has performed as a featured soloist with the Seattle Philharmonic Orchestra, the Musicians Emeritus Symphony Orchestra, the Tacoma Youth and Bremerton symphonies.

 

He has appeared in films The Soloist, Gangster Squad, and Pirates of the Caribbean: Tales of the Code, as well as television shows Cold Case, Suburgatory, Unusual Suspects, Parenthood, Dirty Sexy Money, and Desperate Housewives. He is currently a recurring cast member on webseries "Five Minutes of Funny" and "Motel California," and performs comedy improv at the Upright Citizens Brigade.

 

For three summers, Joel was a fellow of the Tanglewood Music Center, most recently as a member of its resident new-music quartet, the New Fromm Players. The ensemble premiered works by the composition fellows-in-residence, performing new works by Bright Sheng and John Harbison, and collaborating in performances with the Mark Morris Dance Company. He has also spent summers at the Aspen Music Festival, the Encore School for Strings, the Indiana University String Academy and the Académie Musicale de Villecroze, where he was a student of Pamela Frank.

 

Joel spent eight years as artist-in-residence with the Denali Quartet at Santa Monica’s critically acclaimed Jacaranda concert series.