Violinist/Composer O'Connor Blends Folk, Classical Traditions

Media Contact:

Kristen Gleason
Director of Marketing
The Paramount Theater
215 East Main Street
Charlottesville, VA 22902
434.979.1922 ext. 103
kristen@theparamount.net

For Immediate Release

April 23, 2008

Widely recognized as one of the most gifted contemporary composers in America and brightest talents of his generation, violinist and composer Mark O'Connor has been called "one of the most talented and imaginative [artists] ... working in music -- any music -- today" (Los Angeles Times).

Famed for his collaborations with cellist Yo-Yo Ma and double bassist Edgar Meyer, Appalachia Waltz and the Grammy-winning follow up release Appalachian Journey, O'Connor’s compositions brought him worldwide recognition as proponent of a new American musical idiom.

O'Connor's chamber music -- featuring violins, viola and cello -- intricately and delightfully paints colorful musical canvasses revealing his unique, personal artistic journey. He will bring this repertoire to the intimate setting of The Paramount Theater with the program Mark O’Connor’s Appalachia Waltz on Friday, May 9 at 8 pm.

Special Media Sponsor for this event is WHTJ Charlottesville PBS.

As stated by The New York Times, Mark O’Connor is “a product of America's rich aural folk tradition” whose journey “began at the feet of violin masters Texas fiddler Benny Thomasson and French jazz violinist Stephane Grappelli. Along the way, between these two marvelous musical extremes, [he] absorbed knowledge and influence from a multitude of musical styles and genres.”

As a child, O’Connor received musical training in varied genres including classical, folk, and jazz. This blending of styles and influences is evident throughout his career and compositions, and he has always described his highly personalized style of playing and composing in terms of "crossing bridges."

O’Connor’s contemporary and distinctly American style has solidified his standing as an artist. With more than 150 performances, his Fiddle Concerto No. 1 has become the most-performed modern violin concerto. Viewed as a direct cultural descendant of America's 18th and 19th century musicians, his talents have been called upon to contribute to the PBS documentary Liberty!, the Oscar-nominated John Williams score of The Patriot, and the Ron Maxwell film Gods and Generals.

In recent years, his compositions are being embraced by a variety of performers. Yo-Yo Ma has recorded the solo cello version of Appalachia Waltz, performing it frequently in recital. Dance troupes such as the New York City Ballet, Twyla Tharp Dance, and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago are constantly discovering O'Connor's expressive American music.

O'Connor has appeared at The White House, the Presidential Inauguration Celebration, and the ceremonies of Atlanta's Centennial Olympic Games for which he composed Olympic Reel. He has been featured on major network television shows such as CBS Sunday Morning, Great Performances on PBS, the Kennedy Center Honors, and America's celebration of Israel's 50th birthday televised on CBS.

In 2002, O'Connor formed a new chamber ensemble, the Appalachia Waltz Trio. The trio performs the repertoire created for the Appalachia Waltz and Appalachian Journey recording projects, and released its first album -- the aptly-titled Crossing Bridges -- in 2004.

In evenings of original chamber music that present O’Connor’s unique musical journey, the group explores new ways for musicians to communicate with audiences and each other, led by “the only musician today who can reach so deeply first into the refined, then the vernacular, giving his listeners a complex, sophisticated piece of early-21st-century classical music and then knocking them dead with the brown-dirt whine of a Texas fiddle" (New York Times).

Seats are still available for Mark O’Connor’s Appalachia Waltz on Friday, May 9 at 8 pm. Tickets are $33.50, $36.50, $39.50, and $44.50. Half-price student rush tickets and group discounts are offered.

Tickets are available online or through The Paramount’s Box Office at 434.979.1333.

For more information about Mark O’Connor, please visit www.markoconnor.com.