Old West Organ Society welcomes Italian organist Francesco Cera back to Boston for the opening concert of the OWOS International Artist Series at Old West Church, 131 Cambridge Street in Boston. Mr. Cera’s recital takes place on Friday, September 28, 2012 at 8 PM. An acclaimed specialist in the organ works of 17th-century Italy, Cera will play works of Frescobaldi, Rossi, Pasquini, Scarlatti and J.S, Bach. Admission to this concert on Old West's historic C.B. Fisk Organ is $20, $15 for Old West Organ Society members, $10 for seniors and students. For further information, please call 617-739-1340 or visit online: www.oldwestorgansociety.org.
Francesco Cera, born in Bologna, Italy, studied organ and harpsichord, specializing in early repertoire under Luigi Ferdinando Tagliavini and later with Gustav Leonhardt at the Amsterdam Conservatory.
Regarded as one of Italy’s leading early music specialists, Francesco Cera has performed as a soloist and leader of Ensemble Arte Musica at important international festivals in Vienna, Milan Lausanne and London, and on historical organs all over Europe. Since 2006 Cera maintains a regular schedule of international masterclasses and recitals in the United States and throughout Europe, focussed on early Ialian organ repertoire. He has been interviewed by Michael Barone on the nationally syndicated radio program, Pipe Dreams. Since 2001 Cera has lived in Rome where he is appointed Honorary Inspector of Early Organs for Rome and the Lazio region.
Cera’s recordings of harpsichord and organ works from 17th-century Italian composers (Tactus label) performed on historical Italian organs have been praised by the most important music magazines such as Goldberg, Amadeus, Répertoire and Diapason. His anthology “Rome Baroque” (Tempéraments label) features organ music by Frescobaldi and Pasquini performed on the Guglielmi 1612 organ in the church of S. Maria in Vallicella. He has recorded three CDs of Domenico Scarlatti’s Sonatas on both harpsichord and fortepiano, and taken part in the performance of all the sonatas at the Festival in Ghent. Label ARTS has recently issued Cera’s recordings of Bach’s French Suites and four Harpsichord Concertos (with I Barocchisti conducted by Diego Fasolis).
