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Performance Dates
March 13, 7:00 PM
From The Top
From his groundbreaking transcriptions of Radiohead to his unforgettable interpretations of classic and new repertoire, pianist Christopher O'Riley has redefined the possibilities of classical music. He has taken his unique vision to both traditional classical music venues and symphonic settings, as well as to entirely new audiences on the radio, and at universities and even clubs. As host of the most popular classical music radio show on the air today, From the Top (nationally distributed on National Public Radio), Mr. O'Riley works and performs with the next generation of brilliant young musicians, demonstrating to audiences, with humor and a lack of pretension, that these young artists are no different than any other child. An interpreter and arranger of some of the most important contemporary rock music of our time, Chris lives by the Duke Ellington adage, "there are only two kinds of music, good music and bad." His first recording of Radiohead transcriptions, "True Love Waits" (Sony/Odyssey) received 4 stars from Rolling Stone and was as critically acclaimed as it was commercially successful. His second set of music from the British alt-pop outfit, entitled "Hold Me to This: Christopher O'Riley plays the music of Radiohead," will be released on World Village/Harmonia Mundi in the Spring of 2005.
Just as his radio show and his contemporary classical recordings have created extraordinary buzz, so have his performances in a traditional classical context. In November 2004, Mr. O'Riley toured the U.S. with the world-famous Academy of St. Martin in the Fields Chamber Orchestra visiting 10 cities in 2 weeks, playing Bach, Mozart and Lizst concerti. He has also recently appeared with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl, the Minnesota Orchestra and the Pittsburgh Symphony. The illustrious group of conductors with whom he has collaborated includes Marin Alsop, David Zinman, Leonard Slatkin, John Williams, Neeme Järvi, Edo de Waart, Yoel Levi, Hugh Wolff and Andrew Litton.
An enthusiastic advocate of new music, Mr. O'Riley has twice participated in the annual "Absolut Concerto" concerts at Avery Fisher Hall, premiering works by Richard Danielpour and Michael Torke. In 1999-2000 he performed Michael Daugherty's "Le Tombeau de Liberace" with the Detroit Symphony and with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, both in St. Paul and on tour. He has also recently given premieres of works by Aaron Jay Kernis, including his piano quartet, "Still Movement with Hymn," (also recorded for Decca's Argo label) and the "Superstar" Etude No. 1, inspired by the pianism of Jerry Lee Lewis.
From early in his career, Mr. O'Riley was honored with many awards at the Leeds, Van Cliburn, Busoni and Montreal competitions, as well as an Avery Fisher Career Grant. Among his many solo releases are a Scriabin disc for Image Recordings and an all-Stravinsky disc on Elektra Nonesuch, featuring "Three Movements from Petrouchka" and Mr. O'Riley's first foray into transcriptions with his own versions of "Apollo" and "Histoire du Soldat." Other recordings include an RCA Victor Red Seal release of French repertoire for flute and piano with James Galway; a Busoni recording, a disc of Ravel's solo works; a recording of Beethoven Piano Sonatas; a collaboration with cellist Carter Brey entitled "Le Grand Tango"; and the premiere recording of P.D.Q Bach's "The Short-Tempered Clavier" by the fabled composer-satirist Peter Schickele. Other contemporary composers he has recorded include Richard Danielpour, Robert Helps, Todd Brief, Roger Sessions and John Adams.
In addition to Radiohead, Chris has ventured into alternate territory on tour with other classical artists. He has developed programs with fellow pianists: "Heard Fresh: Music for Two Pianos," with the jazz pianist Fred Hersch; and "Los Tangueros," with the Argentine pianist Pablo Ziegler, a program of two-piano arrangements of Astor Piazzolla's classic tangos. In 1999 he began a collaboration with choreographer and director Martha Clarke, who staged several stories of Anton Chekhov set to the piano works of Alexander Scriabin, performed live on stage by Mr. O'Riley. This production, titled "Vers le Flamme," toured Europe and the United States, and was presented by Jacob's Pillow, Lincoln Center and the Kennedy Center, among others.
O'Riley's work with, and appeal to, younger audiences has led him to become the artistic director of the International Young Artists Festival on Hilton Head Island every May. In April 2005 Mr. O'Riley will host the Laguna Beach Chamber Music Festival. Concerts of his transcriptions have taken him to Jazz Festivals in Istanbul, London, Sicily and Sedieres as well as on a tour of the U.K. Upcoming engagements include orchestral appearances with Bobby McFerrin and The Baltimore Symphony, and with the Atlanta Symphony. Chris is currently at work on many more exciting transcriptions, including songs by the brilliant yet troubled California native Elliot Smith, as well as of those by Nick Drake, Tears for Fears and George Harrison.
Christopher O'Riley studied with Russell Sherman at the New England Conservatory of Music, and now makes his home in Los Angeles. His personal website can be found on-line at www.christopheroriley.com.
Updated: 2/13/07
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Christopher O'Riley 
