Photo: Markus Lackinger / CC BY-SA 3.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Zeena Parkins is the kind of artist who makes me rethink what an instrument can be. Credited with 'reinventing the harp,' this Detroit native bends a famously delicate instrument into custom electric forms and drags it to the frontier of free improvisation and contemporary classical music, while also commanding piano and accordion. A 2019 Guggenheim Fellowship only confirms what the work already proves: she is the real thing. I deeply respect creators who quietly carve paths no one else dares to walk, and Parkins has spent a career doing exactly that. Music stays vital because uncompromising experimenters like her keep pushing it forward.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Zeena Parkins
- Name (Japanese)
- ジーナ・パーキンス
- Reading
- じーな・ぱーきんす
- Born
- January 1, 1956 (age 70)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Capricorn / Monkey
- Origin
- Detroit, Michigan, United States
- Occupation
- pianist / jazz musician / choreographer / dancer / performing artist
2. Background
Awards & achievements
- 2019 Guggenheim Fellowship
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was Zeena Parkins born?
Born January 1, 1956 (age 70).
Where is Zeena Parkins from?
Zeena Parkins is from Detroit, Michigan, United States.
What does Zeena Parkins do?
Zeena Parkins works as pianist, jazz musician, choreographer, dancer, performing artist.
Pianist — see all → · Jazz musician — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.