Carlo Curley
Encyclopedia
Carlo Curley is a flamboyant and popular classical concert organist
. Self-dubbed "the Pavarotti of the Organ", he is one of only a few concert organists worldwide who support themselves exclusively by giving recitals, concerts and master classes, without any supplement from teaching or church position. Curley is cosmopolitan, and refers to three places as ‘home’: England, Scandinavia and North Carolina (USA).
He was born into a musical family and attended the North Carolina School of the Arts
. He subsequently enjoyed advanced tuition with Virgil Fox
, Robert Elmore, George Thalben-Ball
and coached privately with Arthur Poister. He also was influenced greatly by long-time friend and confidant, Robert Noehren, for whom he often played. Noehren was full of praise for Curley’s talent and once wrote to a colleague in the early 1980s that “Curley could easily become the new Anton Heiller”. Curley’s basic approach to performing, while very much his own, pays homage primarily to that of Virgil Fox, aiming to make classical organ music popular to a wider audience, often including pieces from other classical genres arranged and transcribed by himself.
Curley is the first classical organist to perform a solo organ recital at the White House
, and he has also played before several European heads of state. He has toured extensively throughout the world, and has a large and loyal following. The Carlo Curley Concert Circle, based in the UK, was formed in 1990 by Cherry Stevens and organizes numerous trips with him throughout England and abroad.
Curley uses a substantial Allen touring organ where the venue lacks an instrument of sufficient scope to support his repertoire. Although unashamedly populist, he is acknowledged as a most gifted classical organist with an engagingly good-humored, interpretive, ‘big strings’ style and a sparkling sense of registration, including the use of his ‘trade-mark’ mechanical singing bird-cage, placed atop the organ console. His verve in performance is tremendous, imbued with enormous drive and color, once again in the manner of his teacher and friend, Virgil Fox. He has successfully recorded much of the classical organ repertoire for such international firms as RCA ‘Red-Seal’, ProArte, Rediffusion and Decca International.
Curley has recently expanded his performances to include Rodgers Organs.
He serves as patron for numerous music societies as well as for the newly formed British Academy of Music. He performed for the fourth time on April 26, 2008 on the Wanamaker Organ
in the Grand Court of Macy’s Center City, Philadelphia, this instrument being the largest operational pipe-organ in the world. Curley is involved in organ design and construction and has served as advisor to numerous clients, including Melbourne City Council (Australia), and The Cube, Shiroishi (Japan).
His autobiography, In The Pipeline was published by HarperCollins
in 1998.
Organist
An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ. An organist may play solo organ works, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumental soloists...
. Self-dubbed "the Pavarotti of the Organ", he is one of only a few concert organists worldwide who support themselves exclusively by giving recitals, concerts and master classes, without any supplement from teaching or church position. Curley is cosmopolitan, and refers to three places as ‘home’: England, Scandinavia and North Carolina (USA).
He was born into a musical family and attended the North Carolina School of the Arts
North Carolina School of the Arts
The University of North Carolina School of the Arts , formerly the North Carolina School of the Arts, is a public coeducational arts conservatory in Winston-Salem, North Carolina that grants high school, undergraduate and graduate degrees. It is one of the seventeen constituent campuses of the...
. He subsequently enjoyed advanced tuition with Virgil Fox
Virgil Fox
Virgil Keel Fox was an American organist, known especially for his flamboyant "Heavy Organ" concerts of the music of Bach. These events appealed to audiences in the 1970s who were more familiar with rock 'n' roll music and were staged complete with light shows...
, Robert Elmore, George Thalben-Ball
George Thalben-Ball
Sir George Thomas Thalben-Ball CBE was an organist and composer who, though originally from Australia, spent most of his life in Britain....
and coached privately with Arthur Poister. He also was influenced greatly by long-time friend and confidant, Robert Noehren, for whom he often played. Noehren was full of praise for Curley’s talent and once wrote to a colleague in the early 1980s that “Curley could easily become the new Anton Heiller”. Curley’s basic approach to performing, while very much his own, pays homage primarily to that of Virgil Fox, aiming to make classical organ music popular to a wider audience, often including pieces from other classical genres arranged and transcribed by himself.
Curley is the first classical organist to perform a solo organ recital at the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
, and he has also played before several European heads of state. He has toured extensively throughout the world, and has a large and loyal following. The Carlo Curley Concert Circle, based in the UK, was formed in 1990 by Cherry Stevens and organizes numerous trips with him throughout England and abroad.
Curley uses a substantial Allen touring organ where the venue lacks an instrument of sufficient scope to support his repertoire. Although unashamedly populist, he is acknowledged as a most gifted classical organist with an engagingly good-humored, interpretive, ‘big strings’ style and a sparkling sense of registration, including the use of his ‘trade-mark’ mechanical singing bird-cage, placed atop the organ console. His verve in performance is tremendous, imbued with enormous drive and color, once again in the manner of his teacher and friend, Virgil Fox. He has successfully recorded much of the classical organ repertoire for such international firms as RCA ‘Red-Seal’, ProArte, Rediffusion and Decca International.
Curley has recently expanded his performances to include Rodgers Organs.
He serves as patron for numerous music societies as well as for the newly formed British Academy of Music. He performed for the fourth time on April 26, 2008 on the Wanamaker Organ
Wanamaker Organ
The Wanamaker Grand Court Organ, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the largest operational pipe organ in the world, located within a spacious 7-story court at Macy's Center City . The largest organ by some measures is the Boardwalk Hall Auditorium Organ...
in the Grand Court of Macy’s Center City, Philadelphia, this instrument being the largest operational pipe-organ in the world. Curley is involved in organ design and construction and has served as advisor to numerous clients, including Melbourne City Council (Australia), and The Cube, Shiroishi (Japan).
His autobiography, In The Pipeline was published by HarperCollins
HarperCollins
HarperCollins is a publishing company owned by News Corporation. It is the combination of the publishers William Collins, Sons and Co Ltd, a British company, and Harper & Row, an American company, itself the result of an earlier merger of Harper & Brothers and Row, Peterson & Company. The worldwide...
in 1998.
Albums
- Carlo Curley Plays Bach (1978)
- Popular Organ Pieces (1984)
- The Emperor's Fanfare (1990), Argo
- Brightly Shining (1991), Argo
- Organ Fantasia, Decca
- Organ Imperial(1991), Polygram
- Bach Favourite Organ Works (1992), Universal
- Dueling Organs (1993), Proarte - with Lyn Larsen
- The Finest Hour (1993), Proarte
- The World of Carlo Curley (1994), Decca
- Bach Great Organ Works (1995), Decca
- Toccata - Organ Favourites (1998), Decca
Video
- Organ Imperial (1993), Decca
- The Carlo Curley Classic Collection" volumes 1, 2 and 3 (2009)