The People’s Pianist

When celebrated pianist Christopher O’Riley is driving, he lets the iPod shuffle through his collection, a pop-dominated reserve that includes some 100 Radiohead concerts and another hundred Elliott Smith shows. Animal Collective and Frank Zappa are also favorites. This may not sound like the musical stockpile of a classical pianist, but then again, O’Riley isn’t your average classical pianist. 

Best known for his interpretations of work by the likes of Nirvana and Radiohead, and lauded by the LA Times as “the model of the hip, 21st-century pianist,” O’Riley redefines the role of the man seated at the keys. And for that, he draws a wide and disparate audience, bridging unlikely pairs of musical genres and unlikely groups of concert-goers as well.  

Have you ever heard Nirvana’s “Heart-Shaped Box” played by a solo pianist? How about Radiohead’s “Nice Dream?” If you’re in attendance tomorrow evening for Christopher O’Riley’s show at the Burnsville Performing Arts Center, you just might get your chance. 

Friday will be O'Riley's first show at the , as well as his first Twin Cities appearance in more than two years. Christopher O’Riley will grace the stage with a show designed to please both classical and pop music fans alike.

O’Riley keeps his schedule filled with a bevy of musical endeavors, currently working on collaborations with other artists, his own new material, and hosting National Public Radio’s classical music show “From the Top.” In what free time he can find, O’Riley said he’s “concentrating on keeping [his] fingers limber.” 

When it comes to finding new material to adapt in his unique and signature way, O’Riley’s approach is to keep his ears open and let the music come to him. 

“Sometimes the right song hits me at the right time in the right way,” O’Riley said. 

That’s how it happened with Tori Amos’ “Mother,” a song that is now a standard for O’Riley and one he said he’ll like play Friday evening. 

Friday evening’s show will also celebrate a couple of musical anniversaries: what would be the 200th birthday of Hungarian composer Franz Liszt and what would be the 100th birthday of American composer Bernard Herrmann, best known for his work with Alfred Hitchcock and the “Psycho” soundtrack. O’Riley plans to pay homage to both composers during his performance at the Burnsville Performing Arts Center in addition to a selection of his own arrangements, old and new. 

At 10 a.m. on Friday, O’Riley will also hold a Master Class for advanced piano students on the main stage at the Burnsville Performing Arts Center. The public is invited to observe. There is no charge but donations to Friends of the Burnsville Performing Arts Center (FOBPAC) are welcome. 

Tickets for Friday evening’s show range from $20 to $30 and proceeds from the show will benefit the FOBPAC as well. O’Riley said he wanted the performance to benefit the center as he hasn’t played in the Twin Cities for some time.