Bringing glamour to the organ is no pipe dream

The Age

Friday October 9, 2009

Daniel Ziffer

Cameron Carpenter delivers a full-bodied rendering of the organ at the Melbourne festival, writes Daniel Ziffer. CAMERON Carpenter dresses like a rock star and thrills crowds around the world as he jams . . . on the organ."It's thought of in a certain way €” that it's a stereotypically holy, boring instrument," The New Yorker said."And it is incredibly boring €” when its balls are cut off," says Carpenter.So expect a full-bodied experience during Carpenter's first Australian live shows in the Melbourne International Arts Festival, which opens tonight.The self-confessed "glammy kid" was home-schooled and began touring internationally at the tender age of 13. "I'm interested in the organ as a means to an end," he says."Most people treat the organ as the point . . . for me the organ is just the conveyance of the experience."Carpenter's varied repertoire includes his organ interpretations of the works of Patsy Cline, Miles Davis and film scores such as Star Trek.Carpenter is aware of how removed the huge instrument can seem €” players have their back to the audience €” so audiences at his MIAF shows will see him personally greeting people as they walk in.Also shaking plenty of hands yesterday was Grant Hackett.The swimmer joined other celebrities in David Jones as the retailer directed the day's profits to the National Breast Cancer Foundation.Racing enthusiast Emma Freedman, cute as a button in pink, helped out in the millinery department."I think I've been contributing a lot to the economy," she joked, describing her spring racing carnival kit.

© 2009 The Age

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