Biography
Connor O’Neill is a guitarist, composer, and producer from Philadelphia, who is carving out space for himself as an artist focusing on modern creative music. He graduated with a master’s degree in jazz studies from the University of the Arts in December 2019. He also received an undergraduate degree from the University of the Arts in 2017, receiving the School of Music Jazz Award and the Catherine T. Quaile Memorial Guitar Award that year.
O’Neill released his debut album, The Same Changes, Vol. 1, in April of 2022. The album features entirely original compositions and arrangements. His video for the song “Jessica” from the album was featured on NPR Music’s Live Sessions video series through WRTI. Since 2014, O’Neill has led the Connor O’Neill Quartet, which performs his compositions and arrangements exclusively. O’Neill frequently performs as a sideman, displaying a mastery of a multitude of musical styles. In August 2018, Connor was a featured artist, along with vocalist Jessica Cantone, in The Gathering II, an event curated by the Philadelphia non-profit, Artsi. O’Neill participated in the Kimmel Center Creative Music Program from 2010-2015, in which he composed, improvised, and performed under master musician Anthony Tidd.
O’Neill was featured on Mervin Toussaint’s 2020 EP, Another Name for Everything, as a guitarist, producer and sole mixing/mastering engineer. He also engineered Toussaint’s latest album, Lakay, which was released in the Fall of 2022, as well as Lora Sherrodd’s album Lora Sings Markley, which was also released that Fall. O’Neill established himself as a skilled and inventive sound engineer with the release of Alex Delcourt’s The French Quarter in 2018, which received 3.5/5 stars from All About Jazz. O’Neill recorded, mixed, and mastered the album single-handedly, giving the album a unique, personal sound.
O’Neill has privately taught guitar, music theory, jazz history, improvisation, and musicianship since 2014. He currently offers private lessons and has taught at Mobile Music Philly and the New Jersey School of Music in Medford since 2021. Students from these programs range from age 6 to 75. After tutoring over 20 peer students at the University of the Arts for three years, he received the University’s Excellence in Tutoring Award in 2017.