Mark O'Connor

Biography: Mark O'Connor first knew that he wanted to be a violinist at the age of 11 in Seattle, having already played the guitar since age 6. Soon after, he began taking lessons fromthe legendary Texas fiddler Benny Thomasson. By age 14 he had won 3 national fiddling championships. After graduating high school, Mark toured the festival circuit and made a name for himself as a studio musician, playing the violin, guitar, and the mandolin (which he picked up on a lark in the early 80's, winning the World Mandolin Championship soon after). In 1990, he embarked on a solo career, and won numerous CMA Awards the following year for his "The New Nashville Cats" album. In 1992, he released "Heroes, " an album of duets with his violin-playing heroes. He began work on his first major symphonic work, The Fiddle Concerto, the next year. Mark continues to compose and tour the country giving concerts, along with conducting an annual Fiddle Camp at Vanderbilt University and teaching violin master classes. He currently lives in San Diego with his wife and 2 children.