Meet Ryan Parker | Musician & Educator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ryan Parker and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ryan, we’d love to hear more about your end-goal, professionally.
I aspire to continually grow as a musician and an educator. I wish to keep singing, playing bass, writing, recording, and teaching, and to have a positive impact while doing so. Cultivating connection, community, and enjoyment through music is a professional goal of mine.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I am a singer, bass player, songwriter, and educator. I have been a musician for a substantial part of my life, participating in band and choir in middle and high school, playing bass in bands, and ultimately earning an undergraduate degree in music education and a master’s degree in vocal performance. After college, I freelanced as a classical singer, performing opera, choral, and concert works. However, I recognized that my passion resided in singing and playing bass in more popular styles of music. It was a difficult choice to leave something in which I had invested time and energy, yet it was abundantly clear to me that my heart was leading me to something else.

Throughout my career, I have been in a variety of bands and musical projects in Colorado. I am currently playing bass and singing with Mackenzie Rae & Buckshot Moon, an Americana band based in Boulder. We perform throughout the region, and we will soon be releasing our first full-length album. You can find us on all major streaming platforms. I am also part of Honor Camp, a recording project that I do in collaboration with my brother, Evan Parker. We have recorded two full-length albums and continue to release new original material.

Outside of performing, writing, and recording music, I serve as the Vocal Music and Theatrical Director at Boulder Country Day School (BCD), a PS-8 independent school in Boulder, CO. At BCD, I direct choirs, musicals, and teach a variety of music classes. Teaching is one of my passions, and I enjoy blending my career as an educator with my life as a musician into something that is incredibly rewarding.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Denver is one of my favorite cities! For food and drink, I recommend Izakaya Den, Lucile’s, Senor Bear, Denver Biscuit Company, Stranahan’s Distillery, and Corvus Coffee Roasters, just for starters. Some of my favorite Denver shops to visit are Twist & Shout Records, Tattered Cover Bookstore, and Olde Town Pickin’ Parlour. I love to go to concerts, so I definitely suggest catching a live show at one of the many great venues in Denver: Red Rocks, Bluebird Theater, Ogden Theatre, Paramount Theatre, Fillmore Auditorium, Lost Lake, Globe Hall, Denver Performing Arts Complex. For art, I really enjoy the RiNo Art District, the Clyfford Still Museum, and the Denver Art Museum. Outside of Denver, I recommend exploring Rocky Mountain National Park, or depending on the time of year, hit up some skiing at any one of the excellent mountains on the Front Range.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I am fortunate to be married to my best friend and collaborator, Mackenzie Rae. She is the lead singer and rhythm guitar player in our band, Mackenzie Rae & Buckshot Moon. We’ve known each other for quite some time and have both changed and grown along the way. I am continually amazed and inspired by her, and I’m glad that we get to co-create in music and in life.

Additionally, I want to express gratitude and love for my family. My mom, dad, sister, and brother, have supported me in so many ways and continue to do so. I am deeply grateful for all of their love and care.

Website: https://www.mackenzieraemusic.com/

Instagram: @ryanmparker_

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanmparker

Facebook: ryanmichaelparker

Image Credits
Glenn Asakawa