Irish Pianist John O'Conor to Perform at Bucknell University

Irish pianist John O'Conor will perform in concert Wednesday, Feb. 27, at 7:30 p.m. in the Rooke Recital Hall of the Weis Music Building at Bucknell University.

The program, which is free and open to the public, includes Beethoven's Bagatelles Op. 126; Beethoven's Sonata in C minor Op. 13 "Pathetique;" and Schubert's Sonata in C minor D958.

O'Conor also will host a masterclass in the Rooke Recital Hall from 2 to 4 p.m. that day.

Acclaimed as "a true poet of the piano," O'Conor has earned a reputation as a masterful interpreter of the Classic and Early Romantic piano repertoires. He has performed throughout the world with many of the world's leading orchestras including the London Symphony, Royal Philharmonic, Czech Philharmonic, Vienna Symphony, l'Orchestre National de France, the NHK Orchestra in Japan and the Atlanta, Cleveland, San Francisco, Dallas, Montreal and Detroit symphonies in North America.

He has given concerts in many of the world's most famous halls including Carnegie Hall and the Lincoln Center in New York, the Kennedy Center in Washington, the Wigmore Hall and South Bank Centre in London, the Musikverein in Vienna, the Dvorak Hall in Prague and the Bunka Kaikan in Tokyo.

The pianist first gained widespread attention in the United States in 1986 with the release of the initial volume of the complete Beethoven Sonata cycle on the Telarc label which was issued as a box set in 1994. CD Review described his performances as "piano recording of the highest caliber and Beethoven playing at its best."

He has made more than 20 recordings for Telarc, including the complete Beethoven Bagatelles (cited by the New York Times as the best recordings of these works) and Mozart Concertos with Sir Charles Mackerras and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra. He has also recorded the complete Nocturnes, Sonatas and Concertos of the Irish Composer John Field.

Regarded as one of the most important piano teachers in the world today with his students winning many international prizes, O'Conor is in great demand for masterclasses and as a juror at the most prestigious international piano competitions worldwide.

(From Bucknell University)