For those with Christmas trees decorated in November, the Bitterroot Performing Arts Council is hosting the perfect concert. Three-time Grammy winner Mark O’Connor and his wife, Maggie, will be playing “An Appalachian Christmas” on Saturday, Nov. 15 at 7:30 p.m. at the Hamilton Performing Arts Center.
“For some, our holiday concert may be early, but for others, we’re two weeks later than they might have liked,” said Stacie Duce, BPAC Executive Director. “The O’Connors are incredibly talented and we’re so happy to host them in Hamilton again with this themed show.” Hamilton is the first stop on O’Connor’s 16-city tour through November and December. Mark is a virtuoso on the strings blending classical, jazz and bluegrass into his own signature style. His connection with Maggie is both magical and musical as they blend voices and strings with beauty and depth.
Married in 2014, this is the twelfth year that they have toured “An Appalachian Christmas,” but this year they’re featuring new arrangements of classic favorites from a new album, “A Christmas Duo.” The album release coincides with this holiday tour, and three singles have been released in advance leading to what O’Connors have said in recent emails as their greatest leap in followers on both social media and streaming services.
Maggie and Mark O’Connor will be performing an updated version of “An Appalachian Christmas” in concert on November 15 at the Hamilton Performing Arts Center.
“Obviously, some people have already started privately listening to holiday music,” Duce said with a smile. “But with this concert, there’s no need to hide anymore. We can all come gather with like-minded holiday fans to embrace our seasonal love of classic tunes that inspire love, kindness and generosity – something we could all use a little more of this year.”
The new album introduces an Appalachian twist to classics like “Silent Night” and “It Came Upon a Midnight Clear.” Mark said of their latest single release of “The Holly and the Ivy,” with Maggie on both violin and vocals, “is his absolute favorite to play in the holiday shows.” Maggie grew up in a musical family in the suburbs of Atlanta and started playing the violin at age 7. She took classical violin lessons, but it wasn’t long before she developed an ear for arranging, recording, and improvisation. She was a soloist with Atlanta’s top youth orchestras and then became a member of numerous bluegrass and rock bands.
Mark started playing the violin at age 6 in Seattle and his promising career gained international attention in Nashville as he accompanied the biggest country artists of the 1980s and was recognized individually as well. Mark’s compositions for symphonies and other string performances offer unique Appalachian styling on the mandolin, violin and guitar and led to the establishment of an educational strings camp for youth at Vanderbilt University, which both he and Maggie support in every way – from teaching to fundraising for scholarships. “Violinists can and should participate in everything the instrument has to offer,” Maggie said. Together, the O’Connors have regularly performed on the world’s most coveted stages from fiddling at the Grand Ole Opry to jazz performances at the Lincoln Center and classical performances around the world.
“We’re so fortunate to have them play for us on our rural stage,” Duce said. “We hope to fill every seat and bring an unmatched inauguration to the holiday season in our community.”
In December, the BPAC will continue its partnership with the Missoula Symphony with a holiday performance at the Mary Stuart Rogers Performing Arts Center in Victor. The symphony will play two afternoon shows with a special prelude performance by the Bitterroot Community Band. Tickets for the December 13 concerts are also on sale at www.bitterrootperformingarts.org or at the BPAC Box Office at 127 W. Main Street in Hamilton (inside Signal Square). Box office hours are Tuesday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, call 406-363-7946.