Grammy-winning American fiddler Mark O’Connor garners standing ovations at the Grand Ole Opry with shows blending crackling Americana with striking sophistication. Join him and his championship-fiddler wife, Maggie, as they deliver a treasure trove of duo music, from spirited hoedowns and jigs to soulful ballads, and share Mark’s rare instruments and stories.
The Moss Arts Center in partnership with the Crooked Road presents “The Treasures of Fiddlers Mark and Maggie O’Connor” on Friday, Oct. 23, at 7:30 p.m.
Mark and Maggie O’Connor draw inspiration from the Great American Songbook for this virtual performance, and then join a conversation moderated by Margaret Lawrence, Moss Arts Center director of programming, and Dylan Locke, owner of the Floyd Country Store and County Sales Music and director of the Handmade Music School in Floyd, Virginia.
Ticket holders have access to the performance as it happens, and for seven days following the event. Tickets are $10 for the general public and free for Virginia Tech students.
Tickets can be purchased online, at the Moss Arts Center’s box office from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Friday or by calling 540-231-5300 during box office hours.
With 45 feature album releases to date, Mark O’Connor is well-known for his “New Nashville Cats,” “Strength in Numbers,” “Heroes,” “Appalachia Waltz,” “Hot Swing Trio,” “The Fiddle Concerto” and “An Appalachian Christmas,” as well as his television show, “American Music Shop,” and his revolutionary O’Connor Method for string education.
He has won three Grammys and seven Country Music Association Awards; appeared on 450 albums; collaborated with the likes of Johnny Cash, Wynton Marsalis, John Williams, Dolly Parton and Yo-Yo Ma and performed everything from original violin concertos at Carnegie Hall to swing at Jazz at Lincoln Center.
Together, Mark and Maggie O’Connor have appeared as guest soloists with, among others, the Singapore Chinese Orchestra, the Santa Rosa Symphony, the Walla Walla Symphony and the Nashville Symphony with the O’Connor Band performing his compositions ranging from his “Strings and Threads Suite” to his “Double Violin Concerto” and “Johnny Appleseed Suite.” Maggie tours with the O’Connor Band, whose debut album, “Coming Home,” won a Grammy Award for “Best Bluegrass Album of the Year” in 2017. Maggie continues to work as co-director with Mark at O’Connor Method String Camps.
As a bonus unique to this appearance at the Moss Arts Center, Mark O’Connor will coach accomplished Virginia Tech student fiddlers in an online master class and will then offer an intermediate-level online workshop demonstrating fiddling techniques. The workshop is free and open to the public and all ages are welcome.
Exclusive to the Moss Arts Center and designed specifically to be presented online, the “HomeStage” series is a curated collection of virtual performances offering opportunities to engage directly with artists. Guaranteed a front row seat, attendees get up close and personal with “HomeStage” series artists during these distinct performances and conversations, which include moderated discussions.