Friday, May 29, 1998
O’Connor doesn’t fiddle around
MUSIC: Virtuoso enjoys bonding with audience during his solo
concerts
By Kate Herold
Daily Bruin Contributor
He has fiddled for Lyle Lovett, played duets with Yo-Yo Ma and
accompanied James Taylor. But this time around, Mark O’Connor
embarks on a solo tour, stopping to perform in Royce Hall this
Sunday.
While critics classified O’Connor’s earlier works as country or
folk music, his latest album falls under the classical category.
His transition resulted in many people in the music industry
labeling O’Connor as a "crossover" musician. However, O’Connor
could not disagree more.
"What I think I’m doing is that I’m actually bringing the folk
world and bringing the classical music world to a place where both
of these types of influences can meet," O’Connor says. "So it’s not
really a crossover, it’s a meeting point."
It is safe to say that O’Connor (who has performed for the
president, won a Grammy and played at the Olympic Games) has
accomplished a great deal in his musical career. Yet his
connections with his audience and with his students are the most
important things to him as a performer. Currently touring without
an accompanying band, O’Connor says that this type of solo setting
is ideal for maintaining a rapport with his audience.
"I like it because it’s a conversation with the audience and an
intimate one," O’Connor says.
Michael Blachly, director for the UCLA Center of Performing
Arts, describes O’Connor’s style in two words: "eclectic
virtuosity," and says that O’Connor has "matured as an artist to
the point where he can now do a solo work … He has created an
audience that is ready for his solo playing."
The connection that O’Connor maintains with his audiences stems
partly from his love of teaching. He holds the position of adjunct
professor of fiddling at Vanderbilt University, and runs an annual
fiddle camp for all ages. The camp, which has participants ranging
from 5 to 84 years old, provides an environment where O’Connor can
pass his love for fiddling to others. By performing as a soloist,
O’Connor hopes to pass on another lesson as well.
"I’ve been able to muster up the ability to focus and
concentrate on performance," O’Connor says. "The ability to focus
and concentrate for that long without distractions is something
that can be applied not only to music, but different aspects of
life,"
O’Connor began playing the fiddle after seeing a performance by
Doug Kershaw on the Johnny Cash show. He decided that the
instrument would be a perfect outlet in his life.
"I felt like it was the instrument that I could describe all my
emotions with," O’Connor explains.
However, O’Connor did more than describe emotions when he began
performing. Seven months after he began fiddling, he won second
place in the 12 and under competition of America’s most prestigious
fiddling competition, the National Old Time Fiddler’s contest in
Weiser, Idaho.
Soon after, Benny Thomasson, known as "the king of Texas
fiddlers," became his instructor. O’Connor continued on as the
Country Music Association’s Musician of the Year for six
consecutive years and won a Grammy for his "New Nashville Cats"
album.
However, it is O’Connor’s love of performing that truly reaches
his fans.
"I can hopefully bring the audience with me on this musical
journey through which together we discover new things every time
the fiddle is played."
MUSIC: Mark O’Connor will perform at Royce Hall on Sunday, May
31 at 7 p.m. A center stage lecture with O’Connor will be held at 6
p.m. Tickets are $35, $32, $28 and $13 with UCLA ID. For more
information call (310) 825-2101.
Network Ink
Mark O’Connor