Parra, a native of Venezuela where he is a renowned professional clarinetist and saxophonist, is a former member of the National Philharmonic Orchestra of Venezuela, ranked as one of the “top ten” orchestras in the world.
Gregory Parra is a chamber and solo performer of note in Venezuela, Chile and Colombia and is a former teacher in the National System of Youth and Children’s Orchestras of Venezuela – the world’s leader in instrumental music education with over 400,000 participants.
Parra has conducted workshops and ensembles in Venezuela and Colombia. He continues to lead the Venezuelan “Grupo ONKORA” ensemble. Since joining Sistema NB, a program of the New Brunswick Youth Orchestra in October 2011, he has conducted “Band Day” for School Districts #1 and #2, and he is one of the faculty for the “Sistema TLC: Teachers & Leaders Conference” to be held in Moncton in August.