Music: Genre, what genre? Wenatchee (WA) World on fiddler Mark O’Connor
Mark O'Connor
REGIONAL--Fans of bluegrass and newgrass recognize Mark O’Connor’s name instantly; his career stretches back more than two decades, and he has a rumpus-room full of country music awards to show for it.
But his musicianship stretches far beyond his Appalachian successes, as this feature interview in the Wenatchee World well describes.
An excerpt:
By the time he was in his teens, the Seattle native had wowed classical violinists, bluegrass masters and jazz giants. Reared on the European masters, he went on to study with Texas folk fiddler Benny Thomasson and won four championships at the National Old-Time Fiddler’s Contest in Weiser, Idaho. Then, at 17, he toured in the Gypsy jazz combo fronted by one of the music’s creators, Stephane Grappelli. Then on to Nashville, where he became a coveted session player and won six Country Music Association awards from 1991 to 1996.
Then, into new territory — creating solo, ensemble and orchestral works that unite all these fields. His “Fiddle Concerto” was the thin end of the wedge, the first of more than 40 compositions that use chamber string instruments — violin, viola, cello — but can’t comfortably be classed in any of the existing genres.
<snip>
I know that I’m a very unusual artist in that I’ve been able to experience artistic success in the main genres, the classical, the jazz and folk and country. I can say it’s an exceptional career for 2009, but in my opinion, I think that’s just an open door for more people to do something similar. I think 10 years from now, 15 years from now, you’re gonna see more people with careers that are similar. I think the instrumental world demands that the artist be a bigger-tent artist. How far are they pushing the boundaries?
Tags: Appalachia, classical violinists, country music association awards, european masters, folk fiddler, jazz giants, mark o connor, Music, Regional, wenatchee world
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