Mark O'Connor (born. August 5, 1961, Seattle, Washington) "One of the most spectacular journeys in recent American music.

" - The New York Times "One of the most talented and imaginative artists working in music -- any music -- today." - The Los Angeles Times "Brilliantly original." - The Seattle Times ""The audience was on its feet . . . They were moved by Mr. O'Connor's journey without maps, cheering for 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-21stcentury classical music and then knocking them dead with the brown-dirt whine of a Texas fiddle." - The New York Times

A product of America's rich aural folk tradition as well as classical music, Mark O'Connor's creative journey began at the feet of a pair of musical giants. The first was the folk fiddler and innovator who created the modern era of American fiddling, Benny Thomasson; the second, French jazz violinist, considered one of the greatest improvisers in the history of the violin, Stephane Grappelli. Along the way, between these marvelous musical extremes, Mark O'Connor absorbed knowledge and influence from the multitude of musical styles and genres he studied. Now, at age 49, he has melded and shaped these influences into a new American Classical music, and a vision of an entirely American school of string playing. As The Los Angeles Times recently noted, he has "crossed over so many boundaries, that his style is purely personal."

RECORDINGS (over two-million CDs sold as a solo recording artist) O'Connor's first recording for the Sony Classical record label, 'Appalachia Waltz', was a collaboration with YoYo Ma and Edgar Meyer. The works Mr. O'Connor composed for the disc, including its title track, gained him worldwide recognition as a leading proponent of a new American musical idiom. The tremendously successful follow-up release, 'Appalachian Journey', received a Grammy Award in February 2001. With more than 200 performances, his first full length orchestral score "Fiddle Concerto" has become the most-performed modern violin concerto composed in

the last 40 years. It was recorded for the Warner Bros label in 1995. Mr. O'Connor's 2nd concerto "Fanfare for the Volunteer" was recorded with the London Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Steven Mercurio, released by Sony Classical in October 1999. The Newark Star Ledger notes: "As a composer, he understands the power of a thematic transfiguration and development throughout a 40-minute work." In April 2000, Mr. O'Connor premiered his fourth violin concerto, "The American Seasons: Seasons of an American Life," at Troy Music Hall in Troy, N.Y. spent his American leisure time in Nashville instead of Spillville, Iowa, 'New World Symphony' would have sounded like this." The American Seasons was recorded with the Metamorphosen Chamber Orchestra According to the New York Times, "... if Dvorak had

and released in 2001. Richard Dyer of the Boston Globe called the work "concise, lyrical and irresistibly rhythmic." Wayne Gay of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram said, "The American Seasons is destined to rank among the greatest masterpieces of American music...the first musical masterpiece of the 21st century." In August 2000, Mr. O'Connor's third concerto, "Double Violin Concerto," received its premiere along with Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg as soloist and the Chicago Symphony, Christoph Eschenbach conducting. In November 2003, Mr. O'Connor and Ms. SalernoSonnenberg recorded the work with Marin Alsop conducting the Colorado Orchestra. Fanfare enthusiastically writes: "All aficionados of the violin and all listeners in general will pass up this recording at

their peril. The very highest commendation." In June 2001, Mr. O'Connor released Hot Swing!, a tribute to his great friend and mentor, the legendary French jazz master, Stephane Grappelli. Released on his own OMAC label, the CD was recorded live with Frank Vignola on guitar and Jon Burr on bass. The Chicago Tribune called it "one of the finest discs of his career and one of the greatest jazz violin albums ever." The ensuing Hot Swing CD, Live In New York, received similar praise and ushered in a new group line-up with original member Frank Vignola on guitar, and new to the ensemble, guitarist Julian Lage, bassist Gary Mazzaroppi, and vocalist Heather Masse. The "Americana Symphony: Variations on Appalachia Waltz" was recorded by Marin Alsop and the Baltimore

Symphony in 2009. David McGee of Barnesandnoble.com and Rolling Stone says "Americana Symphony" may well be regarded one day as one of this country's great gifts to the classical music canon, as well as being a pivotal moment in the rise of the new American classical music." The Associated Press reviewed Mr. O'Connor's Symphony as "a monumental work...inevitably will be compared to Copland." In 2003 Mr. O'Connor was commissioned by the Academy of St. Martin the Fields to compose a concerto for violin and chamber orchestra. Violin Concerto No. 6 "Old Brass" takes its inspiration from a Beaufort, South Carolina plantation designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. The recording, conducted by Joel Smirnoff, was released in March 2009 as the

companion work to the Americana Symphony. Mr. O'Connor recorded his String Quartet No. 2 "Bluegrass" and String Quartet No. 3 "Old-Time". The quartets were recorded with Ida Kavafian, Paul Neubauer, and Matt Haimovitz and released in May, 2009. Mark OConnors most recent recording, Jam Session (4/13/10, OMAC), offers dazzling (Wall Street Journal) live acoustic recordings that combine bluegrass and gypsy jazz. Shore Fire Media describes it as being "comparable in its rhythmic intoxication and stratospheric solos with the Grateful Dead's 'Live/ Dead' or the Charlie Parker/Dizzy Gillespie/Bud Powell/ Charles Mingus/ Max Roach 'Jazz at Massey Hall.' Perhaps no better jam recordings have been captured

on acoustic string instruments in recent memory." 'Jam Session' features, in turn, Chris Thile (mandolin), Frank Vignola (guitar), Bryan Sutton (guitar), Jon Burr (bass) and Byron House (bass).

PERFORMANCES AND RECORDINGS OF O'CONNOR PIECES BY OTHER ARTISTS As word of his considerable compositional talents has spread, Mark O'Connor's musical works have been embraced by a variety of performers. Yo-Yo Ma has recorded the solo cello adaptation of "Appalachia Waltz" and Renee Fleming has performed and recorded vocal arrangements of O'Connor's music, and a new Christmas song to come out on an upcoming Holiday release by Mr. O'Connor. "Strings and Threads

Suite" a duet that Mr. O'Connor composed for violin and guitar for guitarist Sharon Isbin recording, won a Grammy Award for Best Classical Instrumental Performance. Mr. O'Connor performs with piano trio his "Poets and Prophets" composition, inspired by the music of Johnny Cash, often in a collaborative concert with Rosanne Cash, daughter of the legendary singer. The Eroica Trio commissioned the "Poets and Prophets" piano trio and in 2008 released it on the EMI Record label. Dance troupes, including Twyla Tharp Dance Co., the New York City Ballet, Alvin Ailey and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, are staging and choreographing Mr. O'Connor's lyrical American music, and O'Connor frequently collaborates with director Ken Burns for the sound tracks of his documentary films. EARLY YEARS

As a teenager and a young professional musician in his twenties, Mr. O'Connor performed and recorded with some of the best musicians in the world, as well as being a member of some of the best groups ever assembled. At the age of 13, Mr. O'Connor won the Grand Masters Fiddling Championships in Nashville, Tennessee competing against all ages both amateur and professional. By age 19, he had won that contest two more times, won the National Old-Time Fiddlers Contest three times, the National Flatpicking Guitar Championships twice, and became the World Mandolin Champion, an incredible record of contest wins that no one believes will ever be matched. At age 17 Mr. O'Connor played guitar as a member of one of the greatest acoustic string bands of the 1970s, the David Grisman Quintet. At age 19 he payed violin and guitar

alongside Steve Morse as a member of one of the greatest rock-fusion instrumental bands of the 1980s, The Dregs. In his twenties he was a member of one of the greatest acoustic bands of all time with four of the greatest players on their respective instruments, Strength in Numbers (with Bela Fleck, Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas and Edgar Meyer). He also assembled two of the greatest Country bands of all time in 1989 and 1990 - The American Music Shop house band and New Nashville Cats. During his twenties, Mr. O'Connor became the most in demand session musician of any instrument and in any genre for a 3-year period, appearing on more top ten hits in the country, recording over 500 albums, and recording with everyone - Dolly Parton, James Taylor, Paul Simon, Randy Travis, The Judds, the list is too long to print.

EDUCATIONAL WORK Mr. O'Connor regularly conducts three-day residencies, giving lectures, demonstrations, and workshops at a variety of music programs around the country. Some of his recent hosts include The Juilliard School, Harvard University, Berklee College of Music, Cleveland Institute of Music, Rice University, University of Maryland, University Of Texas, Curtis Institute, Eastman School of Music, Tanglewood, and Aspen Summer Festival. Mr. O'Connor was Artist-inResidence at UCLA for the 2008-2009 season. He currently serves as Artist-in-Residence at the University of Miami. Mr. O'Connor is the founder and president of the internationally recognized Mark O'Connor String Camp, held each summer at ETSU in Johnson City, Tennessee and at Berklee College of Music in Boston,

Massachusetts.

O'CONNOR VIOLIN METHOD The O'Connor Violin Method has been widely praised to the Suzuki method" (The New Yorker). It takes an American Classical approach to modern violin playing, offering a technical foundation using songs from the diverse range of traditional American string playing. The groundbreaking method is the first violin method to feature all American music and has been hailed by teachers from across the country as filling a significant gap in classical music education. It was inspired by the thousands of students O'Connor has taught at his string camps and at universities and conservatories

since its debut in fall 2009 as "an American grown rival

across the country, and by his belief that the modern classical violin student who develops a working knowledge of folk fiddling, jazz music and world music styles can enjoy a lifetime of music-making, and be more successful in the new music environment.

Question that people asked him :

1)

Why did this fiddle method need to be written; i.e., who is the audience for the method and why do you believe they need this method? I have written a violin method. Not a fiddle method. While fiddle tunes make up a portion of American it. And what I am featuring in the new method is music of the Americas (music from the U.S, Mexico and Canada). The concept is that a child can learn how to play the violin and other string music, it certainly does not represent the entirety of

instruments without having to completely ignore American music as the other violin methods do. While American music essentially is derived of music from Europe, Africa, South America, Near Asia, and the Middle East, I feel it to be an inclusive method inherently.
2)

2) Where do you think the book correlates with other string methods (such as Suzuki, American Fiddle Method, Essential Elements, etc.) and where does it differ (other than choice of repertoire)? There a several features of my new violin method that differentiates itself from many other violin methods. I went to great lengths to find beginning repertoire that represented literature that was historic and possessing a timeless quality, music

that is played professionally to this day and not merely children's music or exercise tunes. I include a creative component in the method that allows for individual creative growth as a composer and improviser. There is a "green" component to the book, tying in the importance of the natural habitat, American music inspiration and childhood learning together. Perhaps most important of all, American music represents music developed by cultures and ethnicities from around the world. A significant portion of the violin method contains material written and developed out of African American, European American and Latin American communities, and much of it cross pollinated between these communities dating back to 400 years ago with one of the first known American styles, the "Hoedown." More communities including

the Native Americans and the first Appalachians including the Turkish and Middle East populations also had a lot to do with establishing the language of the music. I also include text about the rich histories of much of the music to provide relevance. 3) What does a student need to succeed within this method? String students will always benefit from a private teacher. But I authored this series of books in a way that if a child does not have a teacher, there are plenty of things about the book that can help one to learn. 4) How would you start a student off from a

beginner with your method and take them to the most advanced level of fiddle playing? My hope is they will reach the most advanced levels of violin playing in general, in starting with my Method Book series. The single important thing that I believe my Method will do beyond giving the necessary technical foundation in order to play the violin well, is to inspire the child, and instill a lifelong love for music. 5) Using the repertoire, how do you teach a student one-on-one how to improvise? Improvisation is composition on the fly, composing in real time! Students can realize in my method that there are choices that they can make about

certain aspects of the musical material, and they can act on these choices individually, and change the music towards their own perspective. This creates the feeling of thinking outside the box, of ingenuity, which is the backbone and spirit of not only American music but of the American individual. The American musical system is at one with our culture here, our cultural DNA taps into this music, the phrases, the rhythms and the vocabulary, it is a way of life we know in this country - our music reflects that rugged individualism. 6) What is your vision for this method in years to come? My vision is to correct the oversight concerning the

importance of American music to string playing and to string pedagogy , and therefore reinstate the cultural relevance to the violin that has been missing for Americans largely for 50 or 75 years now. If it becomes more relevant to us as people, then more parents and children will participate in learning, and then we will increase the talent pool, the audience base and the patronage for the music in the future. We have to continue to find ways to rebuild the musical communities. Awards/honors 2 Grammy awards; 1992 & 2001.8 Grammy nominations; 19822004. 7 CMA awards; 19911996. 7 National & Grand Master fiddling championships; 19751984.2 National Guitar championships; 1975 & 1977. World mandolin championship; 1982. Frets

Magazine Readers Poll Musician of the year; 1983 1987. Irish-American Top 100; 2005. Hundreds of regional, state and local awards; 1972present.

Music Project Mark O'Connor

Submitted to : Mr. Hussine

Submitted by : Natasha 7E