Nationally renowned musician to play at Appalachian

Office of Cultural Affairs

Violinist/composer/fiddler Mark O’Connor is widely recognized as one of the most gifted contemporary composers in America and surely one of the brightest talents of his generation. Joined by the celebrated Metamorphosen Chamber Orchestra, O’Connor will perform a program of American music, including his masterful orchestral piece “American Seasons,” on Thursday, Oct. 18 at 8 p.m. in Farthing Auditorium.

The concert opens Appalachian State University’s 2001-02 Performing Arts Series, presented by the Office of Cultural Affairs and featuring nine music, dance and theatre performances scheduled from October through April.

O’Connor’s “American Seasons” is a concerto for violin and chamber orchestra. Composed in 1999, the music celebrates the various stages of an American life at the waking of the 21st century. The four-movement work is based on the four seasons of life: infancy, adolescence, maturity and death, incorporating each season as a different movement and different stage of life.

The New York Times praised the work and O’Connor’s performance with the Metamorphosen Chamber Orchestra, describing it as “wholly listenable, buoyed by its jazzy rhythms and by Mr. O’Connor’s unstoppable melodic gift.”

Also on the concert program is John Adams’ “Shaker Loops,” O’Connor’s “Strings and Threads” and Dan Coleman’s “Long Ago, This Radiant Day,” a one-movement work of fleeting melodies, mystical overtones and lush passages reminiscent of Brahms.

An excerpt from a March 2000 feature in The New York Times eloquently describes Mark O’Connor’s tradition-filled past, his stellar present and his future full of promise: “The audience was on its feet, 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, 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.”

A product of America’s rich aural folk tradition, O’Connor’s journey began at the feet of violin masters Texas fiddler Benny Thompson and French jazz violinist Stephanie Grappelli. All along the way, between these two marvelous musical extremes, O’Connor absorbed knowledge and influence from a multitude of musical styles and genres. Now, at age 38, he has melded and shaped these influences into a new American classical music. The Los Angeles Times warmly noted that he has “crossed over so many boundaries that his style is purely personal.”

In recent years, as word of his considerable writing talents have spread, O’Connor’s compositions are being embraced by a variety of performers. Yo-Yo Ma has recorded the solo cello version of “Appalachia Waltz” and frequently performs it in recital. Dance troupes, including the New York City Ballet and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, are constantly discovering O’Connor’s expressive American music.

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 Metamorphosen Chamber Orchestra, in residence at the New England Conservatory in Boston, has distinguished itself as one of the finest chamber orchestras performing today. Founded in 1993 by Scott Yoo and Richard Lin, the ensemble derives its name and inspiration from Richard Strauss’ Metamorphosen for 23 Solo Strings. The ensemble is
one of the few musical organizations in the world that commissions new works for each of its subscription concerts, and is known for bringing together outstanding young musicians and emerging composers.

“Metamorphosen is a marvel,” observes The San Francisco Examiner. “These young sprofessionals can play with the best of them; intonation is flawless; ensemble is silky smooth; stylistic matters are observed scrupulously; Yoo steers his colleagues with superior interpretative ideas.”

Tickets for the Oct. 18 performance are $16, with special pricing for seniors and ASU faculty/staff ($14), ASU students ($8), and children age 12 and under ($6). ASU students are also eligible for a “Student Flex Card,” a convenience card valid for six tickets to any performance in the series, purchased in any combination—at a 10% savings.

For additional information, or to order tickets by phone, call the Farthing Auditorium Box Office at (828) 262-4046 or (800) 841-ARTS outside the Boone area. Box Office Hours are Monday - Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m