Christopher Parkening is a renowned classical guitarist who has displayed dual facets of development in his career. Initially, Parkening concerned himself with the mastery of his instrument; he was a pupil of maestro Andres Segovia, who, according to High Fidelity, considered Parkening a brilliant guitarist, "one touched by the finger of God." Parkening's technical skill enabled him to perform in the most prestigious concert halls throughout the world while he was quite young. Even his critics acknowledged his status "as the only American classical guitarist to ever appeal to the general public in any significant way," as reported by Larry Snitzler in Guitar Player. But Parkening credits a spiritual renewal with the inspiration for an additional, religious aspect of his career.
