Elizabethtown, Ky., August 23, 2023 – The Kentucky Association for Environmental Education (KAEE) has announced that Louisville Orchestra Chief Executive Graham Parker will be the keynote speaker for this year’s Environmental Education Conference, set for Sept. 13-15 at the Cave Area Conference Center in Cave City.
Graham Parker was appointed as the Chief Executive, following a unanimous vote by the Board of Directors for the Louisville Orchestra in November 2022. A Peabody Award-winning
executive, Parker brings over 25 years of experience in leadership roles at a broad range of arts organizations. Most recently, he was the President of Decca Records US at Universal Music Group, working with some of the most significant global artists, including Max Richter, Bill Murray, Andrea Bocelli, Lang Lang, Idina Menzel and the New York Philharmonic. In addition, Parker created a new label to highlight creative American artists. It was through that label that he signed Teddy Abrams and the Louisville Orchestra, producing the 2017 album, All In, which reached #1 on Billboard’s Traditional Classical Chart, as well as 2019’s, The Order of Nature, the groundbreaking collaboration between the Louisville Orchestra and Louisville-native vocalist, guitarist and songwriter, Jim James.
The Louisville Orchestra recently completed the first section of their two year musical tour,
“In Harmony”, which began in May 2023. Intended to bring economic and artistic prosperity to all parts of Kentucky, the initiative allowed music patrons to explore the arts through musical and educational collaborations in various settings such as the outdoor amphitheater of the Stephen Foster Story in Bardstown and the Megacorp Pavilion in Newport. The tour dates were preceded by special performances with legendary cellist Yo-Yo Ma on April 29 inside Kentucky’s iconic natural wonder, Mammoth Cave.
“We are thrilled that Graham Parker will be presenting at this year’s conference,” said Ashley Hoffman, KAEE Executive Director. “We believe Graham will provide an interesting perspective regarding the blending of music, art, nature and education. We hope our conference attendees will be inspired by his presentation to continue thinking outside of the box when it comes to the different facets of environmental education and its applications.”
Now in its 47th year, the Environmental Education Conference is an annual event designed to inspire attendees. The event offers over 30 interactive presentations featuring the innovative work being done in the field of environmental education, guided field trips to local natural wonders of Central Kentucky and networking opportunities with environmental educators and enthusiasts from across the state.
To register or to view the full conference schedule, visit www.kaee.org/conference. To learn more about Graham Parker and the Louisville Orchestra, visit: louisvilleorchestra.org.