Violinist Mark O'Connor to perform free concert Nov. 1

Violinist Mark O'Connor and his jazz strings group, Hot Swings, will perform a free concert at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 1 in the School of Music Recital Hall.

The concert will feature O'Connor along with two guitarists, a bassist, and jazz vocalist. Combining entertainment with teaching, O'Connor will discuss how he composed each musical selection. O'Connor has performed at USC several times, most recently with the USC Symphony Orchestra in September.

For more information, call Melanie Walters at 6-5763.

A fiddling champion early in life, O'Connor worked with Texas fiddler Benny Thomasson and the French jazz violinist Stephane Grappelli, a hint at O'Connor's eclecticism. With time, he combined the Western classical tradition with his fiddling background into an increasingly adventurous composing and performing career. Many listeners first became aware of O'Connor through the successful recordings Appalachia Waltz with cellist Yo-Yo Ma and bassist Edgar Meyer and its Grammy–award winning successor, Appalachian Journey. Both showcased a fresh pairing of American vernacular with classical influences.

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