Mark O’Connor’s Self-Released ‘An Appalachian Christmas’ Cracks Top 20 On 3 Billboard Charts | Shore Fire Media

29 December, 2011Print

Mark O'Connor's Self-Released 'An Appalachian Christmas' Cracks Top 20 On 3 Billboard Charts


New York Times Hails "Elegant" Collection; Major NPR Coverage Coming In Dec
 
Mark O'Connor's self-released new album 'An Appalachian Christmas' featuring collaborations with James Taylor, Alison Krauss, Yo-Yo Ma, Renee Fleming and more opened in the top 20 on three Billboard charts this week: Bluegrass Albums, Crossover Albums, and Classical Albums.

In the coming weeks, O'Connor will be featured on NPR's Here & Now, eTown, Performance Today, and WNYC's Soundcheck. 

O'Connor says, "Appalachia is the original melting pot of our country featuring more diverse styles of American music than just about anywhere. This theme makes for what is a trilogy of my "Appalachia" recordings now; 'Appalachia Waltz,' 'Appalachian Journey' and 'An Appalachian Christmas.' My new album features 11 Christmas tracks, as well as several Appalachian-themed songs about a beloved hunting dog, passing a fiddle down through the generations, and offering a new version of "Appalachia Waltz" itself with classical guitarist Sharon Isbin, one of my most well-known pieces. A few of my favorite Christmas centerpieces for the album include Renee Fleming's soprano embraced by a mountain orchestra and fiddle solo, as well as the jazzy style of Jane Monheit with an all acoustic string band. Growing up in the O'Connor musical household, Christmas time was a wondrous mixture of Christmas carols, fiddling, bluegrass and other traditional American music. And that is the spirit of 'An Appalachian Christmas.'"

Watch O'Connor with Jane Monheit in a warm, engaging performance of "The Christmas Song," here: http://bit.ly/sBYN5B

Praise for 'An Appalachian Christmas':

A USA Today Notable New Holiday Release

"[O'Connor's] violin is always elegant " - The New York Times

"A heavenly performance" - Associated Press

"An absolute delight" - American Songwriter

"Mark O'Connor is a maestro of many genres... [He] and his fiddle are in top form throughout" - Metromix
More on Mark O'Connor and 'An Appalachian Christmas' here:

http://www.markoconnorchristmas.com/
http://www.shorefire.com/clients/moconnor/ 
http://www.markoconnor.com/ 
http://www.facebook.com/markoconnorfanpage 
http://www.youtube.com/user/MarkOConnor
 
For more information please contact Brendan Gilmartin (bgilmartin@shorefire.com) or Matt Hanks (mhanks@shorefire.com) at Shore Fire Media: (718) 522-7171