Carlo Curley died at his home in Melton Mowbray, England, on August 11. He was 59. Born into a musical family in North Carolina in 1952, he attended the North Carolina School of the Arts. He studied organ with Arthur Poister, Robert Elmore, and with Virgil Fox and George Thalben-Ball.
Early in his career, he was invited by the President to play at the White House, and made history as the first classical organist to give a solo organ recital there. Carlo Curley played before crowned heads of Europe, including the late Princess Grace of Monaco, the Princess Royal of England, and several Command Performances for the Danish Royal Family; he made private recordings for the Sultan of Oman. Curley played in every state and province in North America and Canada, as well as Europe, Asia, Australia and Hong Kong; he recently toured Japan with the King’s Singers.
Carlo Curley also appeared on TV and radio. His network TV appearances in the United States, England, Australia and Japan are well known. In England, he made innumerable appearances for the BBC including organ spectaculars from the Cathedrals at Ely, Lichfield, Norwich, Guildford and Gloucester. Recently CLASSIC FM broadcast live his concert at Westminster Abbey, given in aid of the Abbey Choir School and the Royal School of Church Music. Carlo Curley’s recordings included CDs and the first-ever commercial video of a classical organ performance, Organ Imperial. His recordings have been voted “Best of the Month” by Stereo Review in the USA, “Record of the Year” in Scandinavia, “Laser Disc of Exceptional Merit” by FM Fan in Japan, where his CDs enjoy particularly brisk sales.
Related News
