Ole Akahosh i Interview. Nor fol k, CT 7/8/11

I studied in Bloomington, Indiana with Mr. Janos Starker from 1989 to 1992. Mr. Starker and Mr. Parisot are very close friends. Mr. Parisot came to Bloomington for the Eva Janzer Festival. As part of this festival, there was a cello ensemble that Mr. Parisot conducted. Quite a few cellists attended, and I was sitting somewhere in the back. For some reason, I must have caught his eye; maybe I was not involved enough, or I looked hesitant, or scared. All of a sudden, Mr. Parisot started picking on me: “Play your part,” and I had to play the part. Then it moved on to “Play the beginning of the Dvořák Concerto,” in front of everyone. This went on for quite a while. That was my first encounter with Mr. Parisot.

It was my last year in Bloomington, and Mr. Starker was thinking about whom I should study with after leaving. Mr. Starker recommended Mr. Parisot, first and foremost, as the teacher for me. During the Eva Janzer Festival Mr. Parisot gave a cello class with Mr. Starker sitting right next to him, and I played. At that time, according to Mr. Parisot, I was playing quite a bit in the style of Mr. Starker, without moving too much physically. Mr. Parisot said to Mr. Starker, “It's fine if this boy comes to Yale to study with me, but I am going to completely change him as a cellist,” which he did. I am really, really grateful because Mr. Parisot helped me to find myself. What Mr. Parisot gave me went far beyond the cello lessons. For me, Mr. Parisot has always been a friend that I could trust completely. He was like my father—sometimes like my grandfather- -since I am in the States by myself. It has been twenty-four years since I first met him in 1992. I studied with him at Yale and at Juilliard.