He has played his fiddle with great acts ranging from Randy Travis to Paul Simon. He has been named “Musician of the Year” by the Country Music Association for the past four years, in addition to winning a Grammy and writing a fiddle concerto. For those of you who don’t already know, the mystery man is, of course, Mark O’Connor.

The Des Moines Symphony’s Popcorn Pops concert will feature O’Connor with two concerts in the Des Moines area. The first will be 7 p.m Sept. 9 at Doanes Park in Pleasant Hill, and the second will be 3 p.m. Sept. 10 at Living History Farms in Urbandale.

“The Popcorn Pops is an annual concert each fall to kick off the season,” said Gail Vold Greco, sales manager for the Des Moines Symphony. “The Pops is an outdoor concert … music for the masses.

“The concert is traditionally at the Living History Farms, but this year we have the additional location at Doanes Park,” Greco said.

O’Connor will perform traditional bluegrass and country music including “The Johnny Appleseed Suite,” Ashokan Farewell-Theme from the PBS Series “Civil War'” and “Amazing Grace,” as well as the third movement from his recently released Fiddle Concerto.

O’Connor “is a real coup for us this year,” Greco said. “He will expand our traditional audience base.”

The symphony, under direction of Conductor Joseph Giunta, will perform Copland’s “Fanfare for a Common Man” and “Pocahontas Suite” from the Disney film.

They will also perform the live premiere of “Doe Eyes,” the love theme from Bridges of Madison County, composed by director and star, Clint Eastwood.

Eastwood personally gave permission for the performance and was forced to decline an invitation to conduct because he will be promoting the opening of Bridges in Europe, Greco said.

The Pleasant Hill concert will be preceded by a line-dancing exhibition by the Keepin’ It Country Club at 5:30 p.m. The Living History Farms show will begin with a performance at 1:15 p.m. by the Des Moines Youth Chamber Players, a chamber orchestra of Des Moines area youth, Greco said. They will perform “The Phantom of the Opera,” Rossini’s “Barber of Seville,” and Disney’s “Under the Sea.”

The concert is general admission and outdoors, so concert goers are encouraged to bring chairs, blankets or even a picnic lunch. Children under 18 will be admitted for free, and tickets are $6 for adults. Tickets will be available at the door and at all Dahl’s stores and West Bank locations.

For information on the season and season tickets, contact the Des Moines Symphony at (515) 243-1160.