Bok Tower Festival
The 17th International Carillon Festival at Bok Tower Gardens in Lake Wales, Florida, February 23-March 3, 2002, will feature guest carillonneurs Koen Van Assche (Belgium), Sjoerd Tamminga (The Netherlands), J. Samuel Hammond (Duke University, Durham NC), Helen Hawley (Lawrence, KS), and Bok Tower carillonneurs Milford Myhre and William De Turk. Events will include daily recitals at 3 pm, a moonlight recital at 8 pm on Monday, February 25, carillon and art exhibits, and non-carillon concerts. For further information, contact Bill De Turk: 1151 Tower Blvd., Lake Wales, FL 33853-3412; phone: 863/676-1154; fax: 863/676-6770; E-mail: <[email protected]>;
web page: <boktowergardens.org>.
Ireland World Congress
The next congress of the World Carillon Federation will take place in Cobh and at the National University of Ireland in Cork from Sunday 28 July through Thursday 1 August, 2002. Hosted by the British Carillon Society, this is the first world congress to be held in Ireland or Britain. The theme of the congress is "The Carillon and the Music of the People."
Cobh (pronounced "Cove") has a population of 10,000. Cobh is a picturesque and historic harbor town on Ireland's south coast and a major tourist destination. Cork Airport and Ringaskiddy Ferry Port are a 30-minute drive from Cobh, and both have regular international service.
The magnificent fully chromatic four-octave 49-bell carillon of St. Colman's Cathedral (bourdon 8000 pounds) is a Taylor instrument dating from 1916 which was completely restored, modernized and enlarged by the Royal Eijsbouts Bellfoundry of Asten, The Netherlands, in 1998. It is a transposing instrument, in A, and is now the largest carillon in Ireland and Britain in terms of the number of bells. The playing console is of North-American standard dimensions. There is also a state-of-the-art practice console.
Some 15 miles upriver is Cork (population 200,000), where the university's renowned music department has recently been relocated to a fine period building overlooking the city. Its facilities include a carillon practice console, identical to the one in Cobh.
The President of Ireland, Her Excellency Mary McAleese, has been invited to formally open the Congress; Most Rev. Dr. John Magee, Bishop of Cloyne, and Professor G.T. Wrixon, President of the University College Cork, are the congress patrons. The Eijsbouts traveling carillon will be available for the duration of the congress. An interesting and enjoyable program is being planned by the organizers, including morning, lunch time, afternoon and evening carillon recitals (30 minutes) every day. There will be an academic day at University College Cork, a day featuring young and upcoming carillonneurs, a congress banquet, Irish traditional music and dancing, sight-seeing tour of East Cork, a Cobh harbor boat trip, and a fireworks display.
Congress participants will be based in Cobh, which offers a range of accommodation--hotels, guest houses and self-catering apartments for four to six occupants. Registration forms will be available on the Cobh Carillon Website: http://homepage.eircom.net/~adriangebruers. Specific questions can be sent to: [email protected].
Send items for "Carillon News" to Dr. Brian Swager, c/o The Diapason, 380 E. Northwest Hwy., Suite 200, Des Plaines, IL 60016-2282. For information on the Guild of Carillonneurs in North America, write to: GCNA, 37 Noel Dr., Williamsville, NY 14221.
