Aaron Carpene’, conductor, harpsichordist, pianist and an early music specialist, has created a unique experience in contemporary music performances.
Born in Perth, Australia, Carpene’ attended the University of Western Australia and studied at the Conservatory of Venice. He continued to study early keyboard techniques with English master Christopher Stembridge, specialising in the Italian repertoire of the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries for harpsichord and organ. Aaron Carpene’ will perform at the Vrystaat Arts Festival – Tsa-Botjhaba (18-22 July), an event that takes place every year at Bloemfontein, in the South African province of Free State. The Festival features over 50 shows that cover a wide array of fields, from cinema and music, to dance, visual arts and publishing.
Carpene’ will hold a concert for organ entitled “Birds” on Friday 21 July at 10:30 a.m. at the Kunstetrust-Odeion in Bloemfontein. The performance is a tribute to birds through the works of famous European composers. Recordings of bird calls blended with pieces by Liszt, Frescobaldi, Saint-Saens, Messiaen and others. The concert, dedicated to birds on the verge of extinction, the Cape Vulture in particular, is aimed at raising funds for the zoo in Bloemfontein. In the afternoon of 21 July at 3:30 p.m., the musician will perform with singer Manzikazi Scota in a musical experiment entitled “Performance Experiments” at the Haller Halle of Kunstetrust-Odeion in Bloemfontein for the Vrynge programme, a Festival initiative that promotes the development of young artists.
While on stage, Carpene’ and Manzikazi Scota will engage in a cross-cultural music and singing project with a view to expanding the project to other South African and Lesothan artists at next year’s Festival.
The Vrystaat Arts Festival is an Afrikaans-language festival designed to forge creative bonds with English- and other African language-speaking cultures, thus contributing to promote an exchange of ideas in arts, culture and society through the relations with other national and international creative communities. Carpene’ is often invited to hold master classes on the musical performance of pieces from that period of time. He has a special interest for the Middle and Far East, as resident artist at the Conservatory of Damascus and at the Academy of Performing Arts in Hong Kong.
