Mark & Maggie O'Connor
Guest Artist
Mark and Maggie O’Connor, violins
Mark O’Connor began his creative journey at the feet of American fiddling legend Benny Thomasson and the iconic French jazz violinist Stéphane Grappelli. Now, at age 59, he has melded these influences into a new American classical music and is perpetuating his vision of an American School of String Playing. Mr. O’Connor has won three Grammys, seven CMA awards, as well as several national fiddle, guitar, and mandolin champion titles. His distinguished career includes representing the United States Information Agency in cultural diplomacy across six continents and performing before several U.S. presidents, including an invitation to the White House by President Ronald Reagan as a teen.
After recording a series of albums for Rounder and Warner Bros, including his multiple Grammy- winning New Nashville Cats, his recordings for Sony Classical with Yo-Yo Ma, Appalachia Waltz, and Appalachian Journey sold a million CDs and gained O’Connor worldwide recognition as a leading proponent of a new American musical idiom.
“One of the most talented and imaginative artists working in music — any music — today.” — The Los Angeles Times
“The audience was on its feet . . . They were moved by O’Connor’s journey without maps, cheering for the only musician today who can reach so deeply first into the refined, then the vernacular.” – The New York Times
O’Connor’s Fiddle Concerto, released on Warner Bros., has become the most-performed violin concerto composed in the last 50 years. On his own OMAC Records label, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra recorded his sweeping Americana Symphony, while his groundbreaking 9th concerto, The Improvised Violin Concerto, was recorded in Boston Symphony Hall. The Mark O’Connor Band, consisting of family members, debuted at #1 on Billboard Magazine’s bluegrass album chart, and their first album, Coming Home, won a Grammy in 2017. O’Connor has written his long-awaited memoir, Crossing Bridges: My Journey from Child Prodigy to Fiddler Who Dared the World. Released in all formats through Ingram, it was featured in an in-depth NPR Morning Edition piece.
O’Connor has authored a series of educational books called the O’Connor Method, which is now the fastest-growing violin method in the country, and tens of thousands can credit the O’Connor books for learning how to play stringed instruments. The O’Connor Method features American music styles, creativity, cultural diversity, and Western classical technical training. O’Connor regularly tours with his wife Maggie, who is a violinist and vocalist. Mark and Maggie O’Connor perform violin and fiddle duos, guitar and mandolin with vocals featuring music from their recent album, Life After Life, and Mr. O’Connor’s perennial An Appalachian Christmas. Together, they also perform his original concertos and suites with symphony orchestras.
The O’Connor’s reside in North Carolina. For more information, please see www.markoconnor.com and www.markandmaggieoconnor.com.
