Signed to the Sony Classical recording label, O'Connor has recorded three
highly acclaimed albums. His first release on the label, Appalachia
Waltz, recorded with Yo-Yo Ma and double bassist Edgar Meyer, shot to
the #1 spot on Billboard's Classical chart. Much of the music on the CD was
composed and/or arranged by O'Connor. The album has remained on the chart
for more than two years, testament to the enduring quality of this new
American music and the engaging appeal of these talented musicians.
Viewing Mark O'Connor as a direct cultural descendant of America's 18th
century musicians, the producers of the six-part PBS documentary on the
American Revolution approached Mark O'Connor to contribute music to their
long form work. An album of the music he created, Liberty!, was
released on the Sony Classical label in 1997 and features O'Connor's
arrangements of variety of traditional American music and expansive original
orchestral works. Both Yo-Yo Ma and Wynton Marsalis appear as guests on the
album.
Midnight on the Water, a live recording of a solo recital, was
released in 1998. It is the album long anticipated by legions who have
followed O'Connor's 25-year career and is regarded by many as a definitive
career work. The CD includes O'Connor's Caprices 1-6, increasingly
gaining reputation as classic works of the modern violin repertoire. Most
certainly Midnight on the Water has firmly solidified his place as
one of America's premier musical artists.
In Fall 1999, Sony Classical will release O'Connor's next much anticipated
album, Fanfare for the Volunteer, recorded with the London Symphony
Orchestra under the baton of Steven Mercurio. Whether performing with
symphony orchestras or in solo recital, his appearances fill halls and earn
him superlative reviews. "O'Connor's String Technique Dazzles," said
the Los Angeles Times in a headline indicative of the notices he
routinely receives.
In recent years as word of his considerable writing talents have spread, Mark
O'Connor's compositions are being embraced by a variety of performers. His
Appalachia Waltz, is often included in Yo-Yo Ma's solos recitals, and
dance troupes, including Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, are constantly
discovering O'Connor's expressive and uniquely American music.
Mark O'Connor is a Grammy Award winner, and 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 is
often featured on major network television shows, and past appearances
include Great Performances on PBS, the Kennedy Center Honors
and America's celebration of Israel's 50th birthday televised on CBS.
The recipient of numerous commissioning grants, including Meet the Composer,
he received his most recent commission from the McKim Fund of Library of
Congress for a new violin sonata which he premiered in May 1998 at the
Library in a live broadcast on National Public Radio.
With more than 150 performances, O'Connor's Fiddle Concerto No. 1 (which
received its West Coast premiere here at Cabrillo Music Festival) has become
the most-performed modern violin concerto. His latest composition, Double
Concerto for Two Violins, will receive its world premiere in 2000, with a
preview performance here at the Festival.
Mark O'Connor now resides in San Diego, California with his wife and two
children.
