For Subscribers

Fiddler Mark O’Connor: An American music story

30 June 2023

Mark O_Conor color (Mitch Weiss)

Fiddle player Mark O’Connor, one of the most influential musicians in the American tradition, talks about his extraordinary life

It sounds like a great American tall tale: a young boy infatuated with fiddle music is handed an unsightly white fiddle that had once been a stringless, bridgeless piece of decoration on a barn wall. The instrument is a freak of nature with an unbelievable resonance, and the boy goes on to win just about every fiddle competition, break every record and become one of the most influential musicians in the American tradition. You’d be forgiven for assuming that somewhere along the line a contract had been drafted and the boy was down one soul…

Already subscribed? Please sign in

Subscribe to continue reading…

We’re delighted that you are enjoying our website. For a limited period, you can try an online subscription to The Strad completely free of charge.

  • Free 7-day trial

    Not sure about subscribing? Sign up now to read this article in full and you’ll also receive unlimited access to premium online content, including the digital edition and online archive for 7 days.

    Free trial

    No strings attached – we won’t ask for your card details

  • Subscribe 

    No more paywalls. To enjoy the best in-depth features and analysis from The Strad’s latest and past issues, upgrade to a subscription now. You’ll also enjoy regular issues and special supplements* and access to an online archive of issues back to 2010.

    Subscribe

 

* Issues and supplements are available as both print and digital editions. Online subscribers will only receive access to the digital versions.