About Dr. James P. O'Brien
Dr. James P. O'Brien began playing accordion at age 13. Coming from a
musical
family, he learned to play piano and
various brass instruments too. At 16 he had
his own studio in Oregon with about 30
students. He studied with Karl Kment
and Luigi Rangon in Portland. At 18,
however, he virtually abandoned the
accordion and went to college where he
studied the piano. He then proceeded
to finish three degrees in music,
including a Ph.D. in music education from
Colorado University, as well as an
M.B.A. from Arizona State University. He
has been a professor of music at The
University of Arizona since 1975, where
he teaches music appreciation, world
music and music theory. Finally, he was found and saved by a violin student who asked Jim to do a gig with him. Jim dragged out his box and for 2 to 3 years they did the strolling thing, accordion and violin, at resorts and hotels -- having lots of fun. A year ago he purchased a Petosa with MIDI and sealed his fate. He joined accordion clubs around the country, attended the Galla-Rini camp and Cotatti Festival last summer. Using his Petosa, he made a CD and recorded sounds you wouldn't believe could come from an accordion. He has recently completed another CD combining MIDI sounds with the acoustic. His ultimate goal is to run away with his Petosa and join the circus.
| Back
to The Classical Free-Reed, Inc. Homepage |