As a cellist, composer, and producer, Malcolm Parson’s first break came in 2016 when he composed the main theme for From The Kill Pen, a documentary by Sharon Boeckle that won Best Documentary at Nova International Film Festival. That same year, he recorded on Brian McOmber’s score for MA, Toru, and recorded as 1st cellist on Tamar Kali's score for MudBound, an Oscar nominated film directed by Dee Rees. In 2018, he scored The World's Greatest Storyteller, a short film directed by Horatio Baltz that has screened at festivals such as Athens International Film Festival, The Lower East Side FIlm Festival, and Bushwick Film Festival. Recently, Parson co-composed the score to Little Woods, a crime thriller western film written and directed by Nia DaCosta, with Brian McOmber that premiered at The Tribeca Film Festival and is set to be released on April 19, 2019 by Neon.

 

In concert, he has performed with Somi, Kelsey Lue, Dianna Agron, Toshi Reagon, Bela Fleck & Abigail Washburn, Old Crow Medicine Show, Marcus Mumford, Paquito D’Rivera, and Cyrus Chestnut. He has appeared on The David Letterman Show with Rhiannon Giddens, 2018 MTV VMA’s with Shawn Mendes, and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon Show with Niall Horan, The Roots, and Salaam Remi. In 2018, Parson was apart of PJ Morton’s string section on “GUMBO Unplugged”, which won a Grammy for Best Traditional R&B Performance for “How Deep Is Your Love” featuring Yebba Smith.

 

Born in New Orleans, he moved to Atlanta at the age of 11 and began studying cello privately through Atlanta Symphony Orchestra’s “Talent Development Program. He later earned his B.M in Contemporary Writing and Production from Berklee College of Music. He joined the Carolina Chocolate Drops in 2013 and is currently a member of the Turtle Island String Quartet.