CAPORALI, Ursula

Ursula Caporali (1971–2022) was an Italian-Australian composer, pianist, researcher and music educator. Born in Cesena, she studied piano at the Florence Conservatory, graduating with highest distinction in 1995, and later completed advanced composition studies at the conservatories of Milan and Florence. Her teachers included Alessandro Solbiati, Alessandro Gorli, Adriano Guarnieri, Paolo Rotondi and Marco Cardi. In 2006 she undertook specialist training in sound design at Tempo Reale, the electronic-music research centre founded by Luciano Berio.
Caporali moved to Australia in 2009 and completed a doctorate at the University of Sydney in 2014. She subsequently taught composition and piano at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. Her catalogue comprises more than fifty works, ranging from solo and chamber music to choral, orchestral and electronic compositions. Among her works are Harp Etude, Dysnomia, Know the Unknown, Pax Tibulliana, Implemented Mozart, Swirling Yellow, Emunah and the Sydney Piano Concerto. Her creative practice combined acoustic instruments, electronic sound, scientific ideas and spiritual themes. She also developed and patented the HDPIUR system, designed to reproduce aspects of the didjeridoo’s characteristic sonority.