There are lives in which passions do not exclude each other, but complement each other. This is the case of Ingrid Carbone, an internationally renowned pianist with a solid background in mathematics. As a guest of Focus Cultura at TEN – Tele Europa Network, she talked about her artistic and human journey, in which music becomes not only art but also a vehicle for knowledge, reflection and dialogue.
A combination that is far from impossible
For Ingrid Carbone, music and mathematics are not distant worlds. On the contrary: they intertwine and influence each other, like two voices of the same score.
I am a living example of this. I feel more like a pianist than a mathematician, but the method, the rigor, the logic that derive from my scientific training have become an added value in my music.
Thinking back to the thought of Pythagoras and the quadrivium of ancient sciences – arithmetic, geometry, astronomy and music – Carbone emphasizes that this bond has ancient roots. Today, more than with formulas, she works with a forma mentis, a deductive approach that allows her to approach the study and interpretation of music with a deep and conscious gaze.
The “lecture-concerts”: music that dialogues
One of the tools with which Ingrid Carbone brings the public closer to classical music is the format of “concert-conversations”: events that combine musical performance with moments of storytelling, context and explanation.
For me it is fundamental to transmit knowledge. Music also needs to be told, explained, disseminated, especially if we want it to reach as many people as possible.
It is not just a way to “make music accessible”, but a real cultural dissemination project, which aims to involve even the youngest and those who are not familiar with the classical repertoire.
A summer of projects (and a new album on the horizon)
With the arrival of summer, Ingrid Carbone has chosen to dedicate some time to the study and preparation of a new recording project, temporarily put on hold due to the many commitments of the last few months.
Among the events on the agenda is participation in the Cagliari Science Festival, where she will present the project “Intertwining mathematics and music”, conceived in line with the theme of the 2025 edition, “Tramas”.
I wanted to merge the two worlds that belong to me: music and mathematics, to propose something that is musical dissemination, but also cultural in a broader sense.
Music in places of fragility: a profound experience
But Ingrid Carbone does not only bring her music to theaters or festivals. In recent years she has chosen to bring it also where culture can become a tool for dialogue, such as in the Middle East.
She has played in Palestine, in Ramallah and Bethlehem, at the invitation of the Italian Consulate in Jerusalem. She has also held concerts and masterclasses in Jordan, where she was supposed to return in the days following October 7, 2023. The project was canceled due to the escalation of the conflict.
I know those places, I have friends and colleagues there. Knowing what is happening, after having worked there, touches you deeply. Music there becomes more than an art: it is a testimony.
For her, music is a universal language, capable of overcoming political, religious and ethnic boundaries. And her “music journeys” are often emotionally strong experiences, which leave a mark, to be given back to the public through narration and sound.
