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Boston Globe chooses "An Appalachian Christmas" as top four Holiday album for 2011. "All Christmas music should be played so elegantly on violin." -Boston Globe Mark O'Connor's An Appalachian Christmas has been on tour each December since the release of the album. O'Connor says, "Appalachia is the original melting pot of our country featuring more diverse styles of American music than just about anywhere. This theme makes for what is a trilogy of my "Appalachia" recordings now; 'Appalachia Waltz,' 'Appalachian Journey' and 'An Appalachian Christmas.' My new album features 11 Christmas tracks, as well as several Appalachian-themed songs about a beloved hunting dog, passing a fiddle down through the generations, and offering a new version of "Appalachia Waltz" itself with classical guitarist Sharon Isbin, one of my most well-known pieces. A few of my favorite Christmas centerpieces for the album include Renee Fleming's soprano embraced by a mountain orchestra and fiddle solo, as well as the jazzy style of Jane Monheit with an all acoustic string band. Growing up in the O'Connor musical household, Christmas time was a wondrous mixture of Christmas carols, fiddling, bluegrass and other traditional American music. And that is the spirit of 'An Appalachian Christmas.'" Wall Street Journal chooses "An Appalachian Christmas" as top Holiday album for 2011. "Classical violinist and folk fiddler Mark O'Connor was born in Seattle but his heart is in the hills and hollows of Appalachia. On this largely self-produced CD...the album's best moments are the earthy "Cherry Tree Carol" and Mr. O'Connor's own "Appalachia Waltz." On "Sleigh Ride," he overdubs all 10 instruments." -Wall Street Journal "One of the album's [An Appalachian Christmas] most dramatic performances, apart from [Alison] Krauss's, pairs the gravitas of mezzo-soprano Renée Fleming with O'Connor on a stark rendition of "Amazing Grace." The deliberate, measured pace the duo adopts allows both to make moving statements in an austere setting, with O'Connor complementing Ms. Fleming's solemnity with searing, anxious flurries articulating the singer's deepest yearning for salvation. Now It Belongs To You," a stirring, thoughtful country ballad concerning generational bequeathal of a family fiddle, features a heartfelt Steve Wariner vocal and one of O'Connor's most affecting country solos on record. ...What's right here is the spirit invested by some of today's finest musical artists in lending virtuosity, heart and soul to these proceedings. -Dave McGee, The Bluegrass Special A USA Today Notable New Holiday Release The New York Post top ten of the season - "10 great new holiday albums, perfect stuffers for the whole family" "[O'Connor's] violin is always elegant " - The New York Times "A heavenly performance" - Associated Press "An absolute delight" -- American Songwriter "Mark O'Connor is a maestro of many genres... [He] and his fiddle are in top form throughout" -- Metromix