Christopher O'Riley

Christopher O'Riley is an artist whose poetic gifts and captivating virtuosity have made him one of the most important and versatile pianists performing before the public today. His singularly broad repertoire ranges from classical to world to rock and his extensive performing schedule regularly takes him to major cities throughout North America. Internationally, he has appeared in cultural capitals worldwide from London, Paris and Vienna to Hong Kong and Melbourne, Australia. In addition to his touring schedule, O'Riley has recently undertaken several new projects. He has established Los Tangueros, a partnership with Argentine pianist Pablo Ziegler that has been touring with a program of two-piano arrangements of Astor Piazzolla's classic tangos. In the spring of 1999, he began a collaboration with choreographer and director Martha Clarke, who has staged several stories of Anton Chekhov set to the piano works of classical composer Alexander Scriabin, performed live on stage by O'Riley. O'Riley is also the host of "From the Top" - a nationally distributed radio program from Public Radio International. The program showcases the vibrant performances and personalities of today's outstanding young musicians. True Love Waits, Christopher O'Riley's first volume of transcriptions based on the music of English alternative rock band Radiohead, was released on Sony Classical in 2003 to worldwide acclaim.
For more information, go to: www.christopheroriley.com

"O'Riley has found a tantalizing way to bridge pop and classical, and judging by the ovation he got from the nearly full house, he has already won converts."
- Chicago Tribune