Denison University's Vail Series continues its 21st season with an appearance by critically acclaimed pianist and host of "From the Top," Christopher O'Riley. O'Riley will perform at 8 p.m. on Friday (Dec. 8) in Swasey Chapel and then host a live broadcast of "From the Top" at 3 p.m. on Sunday (Dec. 10) also in Swasey Chapel.

A limited number of tickets for the Friday performance may be available to the public. For information, call the Vail Information Line at (740) 587-6557 in the month prior to the concert.

O'Riley plays music old and new as well as his own transcriptions and arrangements. His discography is equally eclectic-Beethoven, Busoni, Danielpour, Kernis, Ravel and Stravinsky. He has collaborated with Pablo Ziegler on a program called "Los Tangueros" playing the tangos of Piazzolla and with choreographer Martha Clarke in "Vers la Flamme," in which several Checkov stories are set to the music of Scriabin. He has twice participated in the annual "Absolut Concerto" concerts at Avery Fisher Hall and next season will perform Michael Daugherty's "Le Tombeau de Liberace" with the Detroit Symphony and with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, both in St. Paul and on tour.

One of the country's leading pianists and a frequent guest artist with several major symphony orchestras, such as the New York Philharmonic and the St. Louis Symphony, O'Riley's repertoire ranges from music of the English Renaissance and French Baroque periods to the works of today's leading composers to such non-classical forms as the tango. Internationally, O'Riley has appeared worldwide from London, Paris, and Vienna to Hong Kong and Melbourne, Australia.

A native of Chicago, O'Riley is an Artist Diploma graduate of the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston where he studied with Russell Sherman. His work has been honored with top prizes at the Van Cliburn, Leeds, Busoni and Montreal competitions and he has received an Avery Fisher Career Grant and the Andrew Wolf Memorial Chamber Music Prize. He has enjoyed the sponsorship of Young Concert Artists, the Xerox/Affiliate Artists Program, and Pro Musicis Foundation.

About Denison:

Denison University, founded in 1831, is an independent, residential liberal arts institution located in Granville, Ohio. A highly selective college enrolling 2,100 full-time undergraduate students from all 50 states and dozens of foreign countries, Denison is a place where innovative faculty and motivated students collaborate in rigorous scholarship, civic engagement and the cultivation of independent thinking.

For press inquiries:

Name

Barbara Stambaugh

Position Title

Director, Media Relations

Primary Email

stambaughb@denison.edu

Business Phone

(740) 587-8575