Local Star Gets Around: Jobari Parker-Namdar

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JOBARI PARKER-NAMDAR is no stranger to handling two things at once. While growing up, he juggled an interest in music with thoughts of a career in computer science. And now, as a fully committed singer and performer with numerous stints in local productions and a gig as the Strathmore artist in residence, he's got the balancing act down cold.

Raised in Montgomery County, Parker-Namdar left the area to attend the University of Michigan and study classical voice but returned to Washington a few years ago. A music and theater major at Howard University with four performances at Strathmore in October, Parker-Namdar has made a name for himself with his strong baritone, expressive performing style and ability to both sing and act, skills that landed him lead roles in productions like "The Stephen Schwartz Project" and "Jonah Live on Stage Water Whale and All!"

Parker-Namdar was always interested in singing, but didn't think it was a feasible goal until his junior year of high school at Duke Ellington School of the Arts. As soon as he found out he could pursue a career in the arts and still make money, "it sort of became more real."

After that realization came support from his parents — his mother, who used to sing protest songs around her son, and his father, who fled Iran after the revolution of 1979 — and a performing partnership with Mom that continues to this day.

After Parker-Namdar began attending Duke Ellington, his mother began singing professionally, and the two pair up every now and then. "I'm at her beck and call," he laughs.

At Strathmore, Parker-Namdar will get a chance to merge his interests in musicals and cabaret with a performance each Wednesday night in October. And his goal isn't just to tell a story — it's to send a message and create "an experience."

"I'm sort of reluctant to say things like, ‘I want to abolish prejudice with my music,' because I feel like it sort of paints me as a person that may be a little overly cynical," he says. "I just want to bring together as many people as I can to enjoy what it is that I do."

» Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, Bethesda; Oct. 7 & 28, 7:30 p.m., $12; 301-581-5100, Strathmore.org.

Photo by Veronika Lukasova