John O’Conor: An Irish Love Story

By Elaine Anne Watt

Middleburg audiences are in for a very special treat when the Middleburg Concert Series brings famed pianist, John O’Conor to perform here on April 15th.

O’Conor studied in his native Dublin and in Vienna with Dieter Weber, and then he was tutored by legend Wilhelm Kempff prior to winning the Beethoven International Piano Competition in Vienna in 1973. This recognition opened the door to a performance career spanning more than 40 years on some of the most illustrious stages in the world.

In the words of The Washington Post, “This artist has the kind of flawless touch that makes an audience gasp.” And, the Chicago Tribune says, “He represents a vanishing tradition that favors inner expression and atmosphere over showmanship and bravura…in technically complex passages he goes the extra measure to find the ideas behind the flurry of notes.”

O’Conor is widely recognized as one of the most important piano teachers today, and he currently is Distinguished Artist in Residence, Professor of Music and Chair of the Piano Division at Shenandoah Conservatory in Virginia, Professor of Piano at the Glenn Gould School of the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, International Visiting Artist at the Royal Irish Academy of Music and a Visiting Professor at Showa University in Japan, all while teaching master classes at many other prestigious venues and serving as jurist for international competitions.

Credentials aside, let’s talk about the joy of sharing a conversation, albeit by phone, with an Irishman who instantly conveys his love of life, music, family, friends and teaching, all of which are inextricably intertwined as part of his daily mosaic.

Like many other exceptional talents, O’Conor started to play the piano at a very early age, with his sister making it fun. As he got older, says O’Conor, “People thought I was a bit peculiar because I always talked about what wonderful, fun teachers I had had. Piano lessons should be fun! If I can give a young person a love of music to enjoy all their life, what could be better?”

O’Conor first made a connection with the Shenandoah Conservatory when he was teaching a master class at the Kennedy Center in the late 1990s.  Gradually, he was invited to teach master classes and then week-long intensives on a more and more frequent basis at Shenandoah, eventually falling in love with the area and splitting more and more of his time between Ireland, where he still is very active in championing the work of Ireland’s leading 19th century composer John Field and others, and here.

“I just want to instill a love of teaching in my students, so that they will take that with them and pass it on no matter what they end up doing. Most won’t have a career performing professionally but will teach or contribute to the field of music in some other way,” he says.

If he had to sum up the legacy he hopes to leave, O’Conor says it would be to “inspire a generation of people to love the arts and be touched by and share the absolute beauty of music to sooth the savage beast.” Laughing, he goes on to say that as an Irishman, he’d “love to have a grandson to carry on the family name—but that does not look likely at this point.”

However, he adores his wife, two sons, family and granddaughter, along with a lifelong passion for Beethoven and natural affinity for teaching. His students are like extended family, with O’Conor attending all their important events like weddings and keeping up with their lives.

“Why would I ever want to stop teaching? What on earth would I do? I’d be bored. As long as students keep wanting to study with me I’ll keep teaching, although my wife has promised to tell me if ever I should stop,” says O’Conor.

As to his music, and in particular Beethoven, O’Conor “feels very close to him—I am constantly surprised by his music, and there is always something more to find. I just adore his music. I know the man very well and am looking forward to meeting him.”

And he feels his own personality, which is warm, open, friendly and embracing, is reflected in how he performs.  As he says, “If they come to hear you, this is me, they should get your interpretation.”

Hopefully, you will come to hear him play. His music will undoubtedly capture your heart with its ethereal flow and masterful nuances, and you can’t help but love the man himself. He’s eager to meet you as well.  ML

Arts in the Afternoon with Pianist John O’Conor is presented by the Middleburg Concert Foundation as part of the Middleburg Concert Series. The event is Sunday, April 15, 2018, 4 p.m. – 7 p.m. at the Middleburg United Methodist Church, 15 West Washington Street, Middleburg, VA 20117. A special cocktail reception is to follow at the nearby National Sporting Library & Museum. Concert attendees will be able to personally meet Mr. O’Conor at the reception and enjoy a private showing of the brand new exhibit, “A Sporting Vision: The Paul Mellon Collection of British Sporting Art from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.” Tickets are available at $100 per person at www.eventbrite.com, by emailing middleburgconcertseries@gmail.com, or by calling 540-326-4611.