Cool Hunting Video: Christopher O'Riley

Transforming pop music hits into classical piano masterpieces

In a private residence on NYC's Upper West Side, we recently had the pleasure of attending a thrilling performance organized by Culture Shock featuring pianist Christopher O'Riley. Renowned for his flawless renderings of classical masterpieces, O'Riley (host of NPR's From The Top and composer of original work) explains how, during intimate performances for artists and members of high society's creative class during the early days of his career, he began to bridge the gap between pop culture and classical music with his traditional arrangements of mainstream songs. At this recent performance, he performed songs by Radiohead, Nick Drake and The Velvet Underground.