World-renowned violinist and composer to debut with SCO

SINGAPORE - Renowned American violinist and composer Mark O'Connor is set to debut with the Singapore Chinese Orchestra (SCO) in an unique east-meets-west concert presented by SCO in collaboration with Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay.

The recipient of two Grammy Awards and eight Grammy nominations, Mark O'Connor was a child prodigy, having brought home numerous national awards since he was a teenager for his performances on the violin, guitar and mandolin. He is a versatile violinist who performs genres including bluegrass, jazz, country and classical music, as well as a prominent composer and music educator.

The concert, titled A Night with Mark O'Connor, will be held at 7:30pm on July 5, 2014 at the Esplanade Concert Hall. Conducted by SCO Music Director Tsung Yeh, it will feature Tan Dun's Suite for Chinese String Instruments, local composer Eric Watson's The Ceilidh, as well as pieces composed by Mark O'Connor, such as Queen Anne's Revenge and the sixth movement of Americana Symphony: Splendid Horizons.

O'Connor will play with the SCO three more of his own compositions: Strings and Threads Suite, Olympic Harvest and Fiddle Concerto Movement III. Fiddle Concerto was O'Connor's first composition, written when he was 31, and it has since been performed worldwide. On the other hand, Strings and Threads Suite comprises of 13 tunes and mirrors his family's journey as they migrated from Ireland and Holland to America. Olympic Harvest is a vibrant, celebratory piece, with a tune Mark O'Connor composed for the closing ceremony at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games incorporated inside.

With such a line up, the concert seems to promise an evening of enchanting music with the violin and Chinese Orchestra.

jthe@sph.com.sg