Violinist Mark O’Connor brings ‘Appalachian Christmas’ to the Fox

Renowned violinist Mark O’Connor isn’t shy about his love for Appalachian music.

In fact, he’s released a trilogy of albums featuring music inspired by the region. First, there was “Appalachia Waltz,” with Yo-Yo Ma and Edgar Meyer, in 1996.

Then, the trio followed that up with “Appalachian Journey” in 2000, which went on to win the Grammy for Best Classical Crossover Album.

In 2011, O’Connor released “An Appalachian Christmas,” which features both classic Christmas songs and Appalachian-themed songs about things like a beloved hunting dog and passing a fiddle from one generation to the next.

The album features Ma, Meyer, Renée Fleming, Jane Monheit, Alison Krauss, James Taylor, Sharon Isbin, Chris Thile and Steve Wariner.

“Appalachia is the original melting pot of our country featuring more diverse styles of American music than just about anywhere,” O’Connor wrote on his website. “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.’ ”