Download Leading Light of New American Classical to perform with Idaho Falls

Violin virtuoso and composer Mark O’Connor…
Leading Light of New American Classical to perform with Idaho Falls Symphony
An extraordinary musical event comes to Idaho Falls on Saturday, Nov. 7, when world renowned composer and
violin virtuoso Mark O’Connor takes the stage with the Idaho Falls Symphony Orchestra for a benefit performance
for the Idaho Falls Rescue Mission.
“This is a rare opportunity to hear one of the leading violinists in the world today perform some of his most widely
acclaimed works,” said Thomas Heuser, director of music for the Idaho Falls Symphony. “Few individuals have
such a strong influence on American classical music today.”
Another well-known violinist, 2012 Grand Master Fiddle Champion Jacie Sites will be featured on the program
alongside O’Connor, plus an advanced group of her students from the local "Strings for Kids" program.
This third concert of the symphony’s 66th season will benefit the Idaho Falls Rescue Mission, which operates five
shelters for the homeless in Idaho Falls. Tickets are $6 to $35 and can be purchased online at
http://www.idahofallssymphony.com/ .
O’Connor is no stranger to Idaho. It is here that he won his first national fiddling championship at the age of 13 in
1974. At the time, the Seattle native had only been playing the violin for two years.
Today, four decades later, O’Connor has sold over two million CDs as a recording artist, winning two Grammys and
multiple Country Music Association awards. As a studio musician and artist he has appeared on more than 500
albums, including more than 40 albums that feature largely his own compositions.
An acclaimed composer, he is a founder and leading force in the New American Classical music movement. And his
O’Connor Method™ of stringed instrument instruction (featuring entirely American music) has been hailed as a
major contribution to American music education.
The Idaho Falls Rescue Mission (IFRM) offers Hope, Help and a Future™ by providing shelter, food, clothing, case
management, and job assistance through programs designed to help homeless people transition toward selfsufficiency and a stable, productive lifestyle.
The IFRM dates back to 1999 when the City of Refuge men’s shelter was founded in Idaho Falls. In later years, The
Ark, Ruth House, Evergreen Emergency Housing, and FAITH (Family Assistance in Transitional Housing) were
added.
Today, IFRM has some 150 beds, serves 500 homeless men, women and children each year, and feeds an average
of 96 people per day, in addition to providing food boxes and clothing vouchers to those in need in our community.
The average stay of a homeless person in an IFRM shelter is 62 days.