They call him “the bad boy of the organ” but don’t let his punk hairstyle and extravagant clothes deceive you. The young musician is considered to be one of the new stars of classical music for his virtuoso performances but most of all for his ability to arouse young people’s interest in the organ, an instrument that is traditionally played in churches. He first sat down at the organ when he was barely four. He says he couldn’t talk yet when the spirit of rebellion first swept over him, and the huge instrument did not awe him in the least.

Cameron Carpenter graduated The Julliard School in New York though his rebellious spirit has found expression in his words: “If I had to play the organ like they teach you to play it, like they want you to play it in the conservatory and the church, I'd go mad.” And adds that no organ player now or in the past has ever been bold enough to try to push the boundaries of this instrument.

Cameron Carpenter helped finance the building of his concert organ – portable and digital, an instrument that redefines sound. At the concert in Sofia he held the audience spellbound – Bulgaria was in fact the only East European country the extravagant organist selected for his tour.

English version: Milena Daynova