Cameron Carpenter

Cameron Carpenter

Person from United States

Genres: organ, Classical, pipe organ, classic, c carpenter

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About Cameron Carpenter

Cameron Carpenter is an American organist born in 1981, known for his showmanship and novel interpretation of the organ repertoire. "MUSIC IS IT” In July 2007, Cameron gave his first performance of Chopin's "Revolutionary Etude" in a live webcast concert from New York City. Immediately a sensation on YouTube and the blogosphere, Cameron's unorthodox arrangement transposed Chopin's flying left-hand runs to his feet, a stunning marriage of physical prowess and rousing showmanship. The performance won Cameron a multi-album recording contract with Telarc International. His debut album, Revolutionary, named for its eponymous opening track, made Cameron the first organist ever nominated for a GRAMMY® for a solo album. In an interview on KUSC-FM Los Angeles, interviewer Jim Sveda asked Cameron if he remembered the reaction he received at that first performance. "You can see the reaction," Cameron replied, "on YouTube." Sveda had addressed this issue of reaction, both in its macro- and micro-cosmic manifestations, in his introduction to the interview: "In a lot of both dramatic and subtle ways, he's forcing people to think differently about the organ, largely because he's able to do things on it that virtually no one has done before, or thought of doing before." Cameron, who designs organs, as well as performs on them – and composes for them – knows better than most what the organ requires, both physically and intellectually. The musical virtuosity, sophistication, and showmanship for which Cameron has been critically acclaimed (The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The New Yorker, The Los Angeles Times, MUSO, FanFare, The Advocate, National Public Radio, Dallas Morning News) require athleticism not ordinarily associated with the organ. Preconceptions of the organ as religious and esoteric are crumbling under Cameron as he revitalizes it with his unorthodox arrangements and compositions that draw influences from Bob Dylan to John Williams. His openness to musical influences outside of the classical world does not assign him to the refusal of previous methods commonly associated with revolutionary artists. A strong advocate of the virtual pipe organ, Cameron has also chosen to play one of his major 2009-2010 season concerts on the traditional pipe organ at the Church of St. Mary the Virgin in New York’s Times Square. A home-schooled prodigy, Cameron performed J. S. Bach’s complete Well-Tempered Clavier on piano at age eleven. He was a boy soprano soloist at Carnegie Hall and the Metropolitan Opera, and transcribed over two hundred musical works for organ, including Gustav Mahler’s complete Fifth Symphony, before he graduated The Juilliard School, where he received both his degrees – a Bachelor of Music in 2004 and a Master in 2006. Breaking another cliché – that of the vapid glam-rock star – Cameron is deeply committed to musical outreach to high school students, direct mentoring to talented younger organists, and UNAIDS events worldwide. Cameron’s second album for Telarc International is scheduled for a spring 2010 release. He will combine his first all-Bach CD with “Cameron on Camera,” a full-length DVD that features a wide range of music plus his fascinating opinions about the organ, graphic design, popular culture, improvisation, literature, and fashion. The same qualities that impressed my friend have brought about plenty of conscientious objections to Cameron's unorthodox style and approach. Cameron’s pioneer navigation through the terrain of J.S. Bach will certainly bring about several more. ”The flamboyance and the showmanship are natural for me,” he says. “Not only do they open the door for a lot of new listeners, but they’re genuinely part of who I am. But whether one objects or enjoys, it’s really all about one thing, and music is it.” – Rami Shamir

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