Dunedin Arts Festival Brings Italian Violinist Luca Ciarla To Ōtepoti!

In collaboration with COMITES Nuova Zelanda, the Italian Cultural Institute of Sydney and the Italian Embassy in Wellington, we’re excited to be bringing Italian violinist and singer Luca Ciarla to Ōtepoti Dunedin this month.

Luca will perform his programme Mediterramìa at Errick’s, on Thursday 23 October. Tickets are available at https://www.moshtix.co.nz/v2/event/luca-ciarla-mediterramia/185037.

Festival Director Charlie Unwin says, “When Luca last performed in New Zealand in 2016, we had such a great time and the audience was delighted with the experience, so we’re pleased to have been able to entice him to Dunedin for this stunning show.”

“…one of the most interesting violinists nowadays on the international scene, capable of browsing around different sounds and genres without ever losing his unmistakable style.” la Repubblica (Italy)

Luca describes each stop on his current tour as a fundamental piece of his musical journey, taking him from Cape Town to Melbourne – to Dunedin.

The programme Mediterramìa features unusual arrangements of traditional Italian folk tunes, music from the Mediterranean area and original compositions. Luca draws a new musical route through the Mediterranean with a loop pedal, his voice and a few toy instruments. He performs, in solo and strictly live, all his band scores, playing the violin – as it is intended but also like a guitar, a cello and a percussion instrument.

In this imaginative musical landscape Luca sings, whistles, plays other instruments or adds new improvisations. The music is continuously evolving into a dazzling solOrkestra.

“…a magical acoustic seduction where everybody can find familiar influences…from genuine folk to sophisticated jazz.” Il Fatto Quotidiano (Italy)

The Dunedin Arts Festival, although a biennial festival, also presents high quality arts events in between festivals, supporting Ōtepoti’s rich cultural heritage and diverse arts offerings. Charlie says, “We know our audiences love the buzz and energy of the Festival but these one-off events give them opportunities to stay in touch with us and enjoy new experiences in between.”

Biography - Luca Ciarla

A creative and surprising violinist, Luca Ciarla easily transcends the boundaries among genres to trace an innovative musical path, a magical acoustic seduction in perfect balance between written compositions and improvisation, traditional and contemporary sounds. He has successfully performed in jazz, classical and world music festivals and concert series in more than 70 countries around the world; from Montreal Jazz Festival to the Hong Kong Performing Arts Centre, from Celtic Connections in Scotland to the Villa-Lobos Festival in Rio de Janeiro, from Melbourne Jazz Festival to the Auditorium Parco della Musica in Italy.

A native of Termoli, Italy, Luca began playing violin and piano at the age of eight. By twelve he was studying at the conservatory and few years later began exploring jazz and improvisation. He received his violin degree in 1993 and then studied at the Fiesole School of Music and the Scuola di Alto perfezionamento of Saluzzo. In 1996 Luca moved to the United States to pursue a master’s at the Indiana University and to study jazz with David Baker. Subsequently he also completed a doctorate in musical arts at the University of Arizona where he taught violin for few years. Winner of several competitions in Italy and abroad, in 1999 he was awarded by the prestigious New York-based Chamber Music America.

Over the years Luca Ciarla has worked with artists such as Greg Cohen, Chris Jarrett, Daniele Sepe, Joshua Bell, Edgar Mayer, Daniele Scannapieco, Danilo Rea, Sylvain Gagnon, Anthony Fernandes, Luciano Berio, Andrea Piccioni, Meklit Hadero, Simone Zanchini, Marina Rei, Blaine Whittaker, Mimmo Locasciulli, Luciano Biondini, Fabrizio Bosso, Sergio Cammariere, Rodolfo Maltese, Paola Turci, Luigi Tessarollo, Ferruccio Spinetti, Mark Rush, Peppe Voltarelli, Javier Girotto, Antonio Forcione.

After recording with several prestigious labels, Luca Ciarla founded Violipiano, a production company that takes care of his artistic activity at 360 degrees. He regularly collaborates with visual artist Keziat with whom he has envisioned the performance Music for your Eyes, presented also in Johannesburg under the invitation of South African artist William Kentridge. Numerous national and international media have talked about him, including la Repubblica, New York Times, Rai 1, Il Fatto Quotidiano, The Sydney Morning Herald, RadioRai 2, TGcom Mediaset, Il Giornale della Musica, RTHK Hong Kong, Neue Musikzeitung and many others.

At the invitation of the Fiesole School of Music, Luca has recently performed in Florence for the Strings City Festival, in the same spaces dedicated to the retrospective on Marina Abramović at Palazzo Strozzi.

Website: www.lucaciarla.com

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