"O'Riley played so delicately that he seemingly left no fingerprints on the keys, yet his melodies sung out with sweet clarity." The Washington Post

The prestigious artist, pianist and national media personality Christopher O'Riley brings his electric talent with "Out of My Hands" to the Quick Center for the Arts at Fairfield University on Friday, Oct. 15 at 8 p.m. There will be a pre-concert Art to Heart discussion from 7-7:40 p.m. with journalist Robert Sherman. Tickets are $35. "Out of My Hands" is an Arts & Minds presentation.

With trademark spontaneity, O'Riley will announce his program for the evening from the stage. He lives by the Duke Ellington adage, "there are only two kinds of music, good music and bad." As those who know O'Riley will attest, his tastes range from the great classical composers Ravel, Chopin, Scarlatti to great contemporary artists like Radiohead, Elliott Smith and Pink Floyd. Announcing the program from the stage allows O'Riley to share his discoveries, one of which included a world premiere by Kenneth Fuchs' set of "Falling Canons," inspired by texts drawn from Don DeLillo's 9/11 novel "Falling Man," and to allow the music to flow seamlessly from one genre to another, from the familiar to the fresh, ensuring a dynamic concert. O'Riley is the definition of a Classical Crossover artist.

O'Riley's exquisite and poetic interpretations have granted him phenomenal reviews and several recording contracts with labels like Sony Classical. As host of NPR's "From the Top," the most popular classical music radio show on the air today, he is well known for his eloquent and compelling musings on music and popular culture. The program allows O'Riley to work and perform with the next generation of brilliant young musicians, demonstrating to audiences, with humor and lack of pretense, these young artists are as interesting and diverse in their personal lives as they are in their music-making.

O'Riley's most famous recording, Radiohead "True Love Waits" album, was awarded the only four-star review ever given by Rolling Stone magazine to a classical pianist.

The artist is recognized as one of the leading American pianists of his generation, touring extensively as a recitalist and chamber musician and appearing with every major orchestra.

"Out of My Hands" was funded in part by the Expeditions program of the New England Foundation for the Arts and was made possible with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, with additional support from the six New England state arts agencies.

Tickets are available at fairfield.edu/quick or by calling the Box Office at (203) 254-4010. The toll free number is 1-877-ARTS-396. Special offers and discounts are available through the Quick Center's e-mail list. Join, by contacting boxoffice@quickcenter.com . And become a fan of the Quick Center for the Arts on Facebook! Keep up-to-date with the latest performance news, plus special offers and discounts! Find the Quick Center at www.facebook.com/FairfieldQuickCenter.

Directions: Fairfield University is located off I-95, exit 22 at 1073 North Benson Road, Fairfield, CT 06824. Access to the Quick Center for the Arts is through the Barlow Road gate at 200 Barlow Road.

Posted On: 09-29-2010 10:09 AM

Volume: 43 Number: 57