Sights and Sounds Concert Series: Chamber Music Raleigh presents Grammy Award–winning Mark O’Connor Duo
Mark O’Connor Duo
Mark O’Connor, guitar, mandolin, violin
Maggie O’Connor, violin
About the artists
“Mark O’Connor Duo” features multi-Grammy winning artists Mark O’Connor and Maggie O’Connor in an intimate double-violin performance of a program ranging from Beethoven to Mark’s award-winning bluegrass composition “The Johnny Appleseed Suite”. Mining a huge body of repertoire that has made its impact on American music, the selected tunes and arrangements by Mr. O’Connor represent stylistic importance, pedagogical value and have timeless appeal. The program offers a broad and interconnecting collection of American music through violin/fiddle solos and duos, with additional original music by Mr. O’Connor on violin, guitar and mandolin and augmented by Americana vocal song treatments.
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 55, 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 to six continents and performing in front of several U.S. presidents including being invited to the White House by President Ronald Reagan to perform as a teen. Mark & Maggie both won a Grammy in 2017 for “Coming Home” for Best Bluegrass album of the year.
Sponsored by Jack Lewis and Peg O’Connell in Memory of Kay Ellen Lewis and Jim Long
Image courtesy of Chamber Music Raleigh