Born in
Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil, Parisot began studying cello at age seven with his stepfather, Tomazzo Babini. From Babini, he learned the importance of playing without unnecessary tension—something he credits as the foundation for the rest of his career. At the age of 12 he gave his professional debut as a cellist. From there, he moved on to become principal cellist of the
Brazilian Symphony Orchestra in Rio de Janeiro. During one of the concerts, Carleton Sprague Smith, the
attaché to the American embassy was in attendance. Upon witnessing Parisot's performance of
Brahms's
Double Concerto with violinist
Ricardo Odnoposoff, he proceeded to go backstage and invited Parisot to attend a party thrown for
Yehudi Menuhin. At the party, Smith told Parisot he would arrange for Parisot to study at the
Curtis Institute of Music with
Emanuel Feuermann. However, Feuermann died unexpectedly on May 25, 1942, three months before Parisot's intended arrival in the US. Sometime later, Smith again approached Parisot, this time with an offer to pursue studies of
music theory and
chamber music at
Yale University on scholarship. Accommodations were to be made such that Parisot could avoid taking lessons, as Feuermann was the only one Parisot was interested in studying with. Parisot accepted, and began as a "special student" at Yale in 1946. Parisot's theory professor at Yale was
Paul Hindemith, with whom Parisot became close friends. However, after an argument concerning a missed rehearsal, the two got into a fight—Parisot exclaiming to Hindemith "You and your orchestra can go to hell!". A representative of the student union visited him and warned him that he could be deported. Hindemith and Parisot soon after resolved the misunderstanding. ==Solo career==