Acclaimed pianist Christopher O'Riley performs on campus

Contact: Tonya Durlach
Photo of Christopher O'Riley.

O'Riley

KALAMAZOO--Acclaimed pianist Christopher O'Riley will perform classical works and inventive arrangements of popular music at 8:15 p.m. Friday, Jan. 13, in Western Michigan University's Dalton Center Recital Hall.

As host of the popular NPR music program "From the Top," O'Riley is well known for his eloquent and compelling musings on music and popular culture. His latest performances stretch the piano beyond the classical repertoire and into the largely uncharted territory of contemporary and alt-rock. The music flows seamlessly from one genre to another, from Robert Pollard to Rickie Lee Jones, Piazzolla to A Perfect Circle, Thomas Ades to Tears for Fears, and Toru Takemitsu to Nine Inch Nails.

Tickets

General admission tickets are $12. Discounted tickets are available for $10 to senior citizens and $5 to WMU students with a valid Bronco Card. They are available at the door and through the Miller Auditorium Ticket Office at millerauditorium.com/som, (269) 387-2300 or (800) 228-9858.

About Christopher O'Riley

Since the 2003 release of "True Love Waits," O'Riley's reimagining of works by Radiohead, Elliott Smith and Nick Drake have garnered critical accolades and international acclaim, including the only four-star review ever given by Rolling Stone to a classical pianist. His latest White Tie Classics/Mesa-BlueMoon release, "Out Of My Hands," includes the music of R.E.M., Portishead, Cocteau Twins, Pink Floyd, Nirvana, The Bad Plus, The Smiths, Tears for Fears, Radiohead and Elliott Smith.

O'Riley 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. He has toured the nation with the world-famous Academy of St. Martin in the Fields Chamber Orchestra. He has appeared with the philharmonic orchestras of Los Angeles, New York and Moscow; the Royal Philharmonic in London; the Minnesota Orchestra; and the symphonies of Pittsburgh, Atlanta, Baltimore, Philadelphia and San Francisco. For more information about O'Riley, visit christopheroriley.com.

For more information about the concert at WMU, contact Meredith Bradford, concerts assistant, at meredith.bradford@wmich.edu or (269) 387-4678.