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Award-winning and acclaimed as "stunning and emotive" (Eugene Register-Guard), Cameron O’Connor enjoys a diverse career in solo, chamber, and contemporary music. Recent and current performance engagements include those with Eugene Opera, Michael Tilson Thomas and the New World Symphony, John Adams and the Colburn Orchestra, the New York Virtuoso Singers, L.A. Camerata (an early music group), musicians of the Oregon Symphony, and Boston's Firebird Ensemble. His playing has been featured in films, including James Franco’s Don Quixote and Scott Tennant's instructional classic Pumping Nylon, and his performances have been featured on Seattle's Classical 98.1 KingFM, Portland All-Classical, American Public Media’s Performance Today, and KPFK's Global Village. His recording of Michael Lee's Unmasked (written for O'Connor) was chosen for Ablaze Record's Millenial Masters, to be distributed by Naxos. As a composer, O'Connor's music has gained international recognition; his Three Northwestern Scenes was chosen for a performance at the 21st Century Guitar Conference in Ottawa, Canada, and his Perturbation Variations was awarded the Honorable Mention at the Changsha International Guitar Festival.
Cameron made his Lincoln Center debut under the baton of Tan Dun, in which he performed the Concerto for Six, an ensemble piece which mixes Western and Eastern musical idioms; in a review of the concert, the New York Times observed that Cameron “fluttered on his guitar strings in a manner reminiscent of a pipa player’s technique.” Other recent highlights include an “especially effective” (South Florida Classical Review) performance at the New World Center in Miami; an invitation to perform at the 9/11 Memorial in New York (a ceremony which featured Vice President Joe Biden and New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg); and performing as a guest artist for numerous festivals and concert series (including the Aspen Music Festival, Worcester Chamber Music Festival, the Classical Up Close Series, the Nagano Guitar Seminar, the Sunset Chamber Festival, and the Corvallis, Loyola Marymount, and Siempre la Guitarra Festivals). He is furthermore a prizewinner in 10 international competitions, including the Frances Walton and Tokyo International Guitar Competition. O'Connor also performs regularly for musical theatre productions on electric guitar, banjo, and mandolin, as well as in early music settings on the vihuela and lute. |
A strong believer in the importance of the accessibility of arts for the public, Cameron has spearheaded several events, such as free concerts at elementary schools and libraries, and has performed at several Classical Revolution Los Angeles events; he also organized the Royal High School Band Alumni Concert Fundraiser, the funds of which benefitted music students of the school. O’Connor’s teaching experience ranges from the Music Advancement Program at the Juilliard School to the Aspen Music Festival and School, as teaching assistant to Sharon Isbin; and at the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music as a graduate assistant. He also provides several interactive performances each month in non-traditional venues-- from hospitals to juveniles halls-- as a fellow with the Thornton-Gluck Fellows Program.
Cameron graduated cum laude from California State University Northridge, where he studied under Ron Borczon, Ronald Purcell, and Steve Thachuk. He recently received his Master Of Music degree from the Juilliard School in New York City, where he studied with Sharon Isbin. O’Connor studied with William Kanengiser while working on his doctorate at the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music. Upon receiving that degree, the Thornton School recognized him as the Outstanding Doctoral Graduate of his class. He has served on the faculties of Oregon State University, CSU Bakersfield, Riverside City College, and Bakersfield College; his compositions and arrangements can be found through LACG Editions (lacg.net).
Cameron graduated cum laude from California State University Northridge, where he studied under Ron Borczon, Ronald Purcell, and Steve Thachuk. He recently received his Master Of Music degree from the Juilliard School in New York City, where he studied with Sharon Isbin. O’Connor studied with William Kanengiser while working on his doctorate at the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music. Upon receiving that degree, the Thornton School recognized him as the Outstanding Doctoral Graduate of his class. He has served on the faculties of Oregon State University, CSU Bakersfield, Riverside City College, and Bakersfield College; his compositions and arrangements can be found through LACG Editions (lacg.net).