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Carillon News

Brian Swager

Brian Swager is carillon editor of The Diapason.

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Iowa State University Carillon Festival

The Iowa State University Carillon Festival, sponsored by The Stanton Memorial Carillon Foundation, will be held on April 14. Guest artists include Don Cook, University Carillonneur at Brigham Young University, and Jeffrey Prater, Professor of Music at Iowa State University. The festival will include carillon concerts, master class, and seminar.
In conjunction with the festival, a carillon composition competition is held to encourage the writing of original carillon compositions by young composers. Prizes include one cash award of $500 and the premiere performance of the winning composition at the carillon festival. For information: 515/294-2911; ; .

2007 GCNA Congress at University of the South, Sewanee

The 65th annual congress of the Guild of Carillonneurs in North America will be held at the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee, June 17–22. The centerpiece for the congress will be the 56-bell Leonidas Polk carillon in Shapard Tower of All Saints’ Chapel. Featured performers will be Janet Tebble, Eddy Mariën, Sam Hammond, Todd Fair, Bill DeTurk, and Jeff Davis. Koen Cosaert will present an illustrated talk on “Piano versus Carillon: professional musicians versus amateur carillonneurs, people in search of a better carillon.” Bill DeTurk will talk about Arthur Bigelow, the man who designed and installed the Sewanee carillon in 1958–59, and there will be a panel discussion on performance and copyright issues.
Workshops include classes on Finale, a comparison of Finale and Sibelius, arranging music for carillon, interpretation of carillon music, and improvisation. Excursions include change ringing in Breslin Tower, two Casavant organs, the Meeks-Watson 23-bell carillon at St. Francis Episcopal Church in Ooltewah, the Grand Ole Opry, and the Jack Daniel’s Distillery.
The theme of the congress will be “The Music of Appalachia from Shape Note Singing to the Grand Ole Opry with Stops along the Way at White Spirituals and Folk Music.” Register for the congress online at or contact congress host John Bordley at 931/598-1801 or .

Belgium gives bells to Virginia Union University

His Excellency Dominique Struye de Swielande, Belgian Ambassador to the United States, announced recently that the Belgian Government will give a four-bell peal to Virginia Union University for installation in the Belgian Friendship Building. The ambassador indicated that the gift was prompted by the commitment of “Bells for Peace, Inc.” to the restoration of the Belgian Friendship building that has graced the Virginia Union University campus for over 60 years. According to Ambassador Struye, “Bells have been a significant and joyful element in Belgium’s cultural life for centuries. It seems therefore very appropriate that it will be through bells that we renew the special link that exists between Virginia Union and Belgium, and a happy coincidence that the bells we have chosen, the ACD and E notes, are called joyous random ringing.” The Government of Belgium will purchase the bells from the Verdin Company of Cincinnati for $69,000. The bells are to be installed and functioning by the end of 2007. Other bells are being solicited to form a full carillon. The Belgian building’s 161-foot Vann Memorial Tower has been without bells for more than 60 years. Millions visited the Belgian Pavilion, an exhibition hall, at the 1939 New York World’s Fair. At the close of the Fair and after World War II had begun, the structure could not readily be returned to occupied Belgium, so Belgium awarded the pavilion complex to VUU because of its educational mission and location. The building’s carillon of 35 bells, however, was purchased by the Belgian American Educational Foundation for presentation to former President Herbert Hoover for his new library at Stanford University. The gift to Hoover was in appreciation for his humanitarian relief efforts to Belgium after WWII. Neither university had a record of their common history until March, 2004, when the connection came to light.
Dianne Watkins, who has been active in the field of education, both as a classroom teacher and administrator, received a fellowship in 2003 to Stanford University’s Executive Leadership Program in Urban Education, representing Richmond Public Schools. She heard the carillon on the Stanford campus, not at that time knowing its connection to Virginia Union University. With her brother, Alan Nelson, she unveiled the connection between the two institutions in March 2004.
Watkins then founded “Bells for Peace, Inc.,” a non-profit charitable organization whose mission is to restore and endow the Belgian Friendship Building and educational programs for humankind’s peaceful endeavors in memory of John Malcus Ellison, Sr., first African American president of VUU and VUU graduate, and his wife, Elizabeth Balfour Ellison. It was through the actions of the Ellisons, and compassionate donors, that $500,000 was given to transport and reconstruct the Belgian building in Richmond in the 1940s. Supporters provided the moral and financial support that helped the university to become a highly respected and admired institution. Virginia Union University is a historic African American institution that opened in Richmond in 1865 out of Lumpkin’s Jail, a former slave holding pen.
For contributions or further information, go to or contact Dianne Watkins at 804/359-3009.

Send items for “Carillon News” to Dr. Brian Swager, c/o The Diapason, 3030 W. Salt Creek Lane, Suite 201, Arlington Heights, IL 60005-5025; . For information on the Guild of Carillonneurs in North America: GCNA, 37 Noel Dr., Williamsville, NY 14221; .

 

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Carillon News

Brian Swager

Brian Swager is carillon editor of THE DIAPASON.

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Call for papers
The 16th congress of the World Carillon Federation will be held July 13–17, 2008, in Groningen, the Netherlands. Proposals for lectures during the upcoming congress are now invited. Subjects for lectures must be related to the carillon. The maximum allotted speaking time is 30 minutes. The proposal should consist of an outline describing the thesis and conclusion of the lecture, not to exceed one half page. The complete text of the lecture must be available two months before the congress begins. The theme of the congress is “theme with variations.” The program committee will make a selection from all entries received. Applicants will be informed about this choice before March 1, 2008. Proposals are due before January 31, 2008, and should be sent to: Adolph Rots, Rijksweg 87, 9918 PD Garrelsweer, the Netherlands; +31 (596) 57 18 23; <[email protected]>.

Live carillon webcasts from Iowa State
Iowa State University carillon concerts are now being broadcast live on the Internet. Audiences can listen to and view the recitals online. Daily 20-minute recitals are performed Monday through Friday at 11:50 am (Central Time), when class is in session. Special concerts are scheduled throughout the semester. Tin-shi Tam is the university carillonneur. Recital programs, schedule, and the webcast link are available at <http://www.music.iastate.edu/carillon&gt;.

Kaliningrad: a third carillon for Russia
In 2001, St. Petersburg’s first carillon, with 51 bells, was installed in the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul. The occasion was the 300th anniversary of the city, and the initiative was supported by 355 sponsors from various countries. This revived the carillon tradition that was imported into Russia by Czar Peter the Great in the 18th century after he had become so enchanted by the carillons of the Low Countries.
In 2005, St. Petersburg was blessed with a second carillon, which was hung in the Cavalry Tower in the Peterhof. The first bell bears the name of the Russian President Vladimir Putin, and the second bell was a gift from the Minister of Culture of the Flemish Community in Belgium.
In the meantime, a third city has become a candidate for a carillon, namely Kaliningrad, formerly known as Königsberg. Kaliningrad is not only an important seaport, but is also the birthplace of the famous philosopher Immanuel Kant. The administration of the carillon project will be handled by the Immanuel Kant Foundation, with the support of the Kaliningrad Ministry of Culture and the Royal Carillon School “Jef Denyn” of Mechelen, International Institute for the Carillon Art and Cultural Ambassador of Flanders (Belgium).
Kaliningrad is a Russian enclave that borders on the European Community. The city profiles itself as a bridge between Eastern and Western Europe, where cultural exchange and economic affairs are of great importance for promoting good relations between East and West. It is only natural that the carillon art—a quintessential form of social art—can play a role in this.
The carillon will be placed inside the beautifully restored cathedral, a rare arrangement beneath Gothic vaults. It will be a four-octave instrument with 51 bells. The intention is to create a real concert instrument that is capable of being played along with the extant organs and even with orchestra—a real first!
Sponsors are being sought to support this project. In recognition of their participation, sponsors may choose a bell, whose inscription will immortalize in bronze their name, their company/business name, or their friends or beloved. Sponsors will be sent photographs of their bell and will be invited to witness a bellfounding as well as the festive inauguration of the carillon in Kaliningrad in 2008.
Further information on the bells, their size, weight, and prices, is available from Jo Haazen, Director; Royal Carillon School “Jef Denyn”; Frederik de Merodestraat 63; 2800 Mechelen; Belgium; <[email protected]>.

Send items for “Carillon News” to Dr. Brian Swager, c/o The Diapason, 3030 W. Salt Creek Lane, Suite 201, Arlington Heights, IL 60005-5025; <[email protected]>. For information on the Guild of Carillonneurs in North America: GCNA, 37 Noel Dr., Williamsville, NY 14221; <www.gcna.org&gt;.

Carillon News

by Brian Swager

Brian Swager is a contributing editor of THE DIAPASON.

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Next GCNA Congress

Iowa State University and University Carillonneur Tin-shi Tam will host the 57th Congress of The Guild of Carillonneurs in North America from Wednesday, June 16 through Saturday, June 19.  The congress will be part of the celebration of the centennial anniversary of the Bells of Iowa State.

The Bells of Iowa State were donated to the University by Edgar Williams Stanton, who graduated with the first class in 1872. Including his years as a student, Stanton spent a half century on campus, becoming a faculty member, head of the department of mathematics, secretary of the Board of Trustees, Dean of the Junior College, Vice President and, on four different occasions, Acting President.

Stanton's first wife was Margaret Price MacDonald Stanton, the University's first Dean of Women, who was a part of Iowa State for almost twenty-five years. When she died in 1895, her husband decided to establish a monument--a free-standing tower with a chime of ten bells. With the help of University President William M. Beard-shear, Stanton chose a site for the tower on central campus, and the state legislature appropriated $7,500 for the construction of the tower and its clock.

The Campanile was built in 1897, designed by an architect from Des Moines, George E. Hallett. The bells were installed in the newly built campanile in 1899. They were the first scientifically tuned bells to be exported by John Taylor & Company of Loughborough, England.

When Stanton died in 1920, his will provided for a second memorial. At the request of his second wife, Mrs. Julia Ann Wentch Stanton, and their children, the university installed twenty-six additional bells and a playing console in the campanile in 1929. The structure thus became known as the Edgar W. and Margaret MacDonald Stanton Memorial Carillon.

In 1954, the trustees of the Stanton Memorial Estate joined with others to create the Stanton Memorial Carillon  Foundation, further advancing the carillon at Iowa State. Soon after the foundation was formed, it purchased thirteen additional treble bells, along with a new playing console. These were installed in 1956, bringing the total number of bells to forty-nine. In 1967, a fiftieth bell was added.

The carillon and campanile were renovated from 1992 to 1994. The renovation of the carillon was completed by the I. T. Verdin Company and Meeks, Watson & Company. The work included a redesign of the framing and positioning of the bells, new clappers for all bells, a new transmission system (radial action) for the instrument, and new playing and practice consoles. The campanile received a new roof, the exterior bricks were repaired, and new clock movements and a digital control system were added to coordinate the operation of the clock and chimes.

Of the fifty bells cast by John Taylor & Company, the bourdon weighs 5,484 pounds and the smallest weighs 9 pounds. The total weight of the bells is 30,855 pounds. The pitches range from the second B-flat below middle C, then chromatically, four octaves from C to C4. The playing console is made according to the North American standard with a two-octave pedalboard (C-C2).

Next year is the centennial anniversary of the Bells of Iowa State.  The university is delighted to have the congress as part of the celebration. Located in Ames, Iowa State University is the nation's oldest land-grant university. Its campus covers nearly 2,000 acres and includes 154 buildings, many of which are on the National Register of Historic Places. Ames is easily accessed by Interstates 35 and 80. The Des Moines International Airport, located 45 minutes south of Ames, is served by major commercial airlines.

Congress lodging will be in the Iowa State Memorial Union, located across the street from Stanton Memorial Carillon and within walking distance to campus buildings; phone: 515/292-1111; fax: 515/294-1105. Other accommodations are available at Friley Hall, a campus residence hall; phone: 515/294-8384; fax: 515/294-0623. Also available is Iowa House, a guest house located one block south from Iowa State University; phone: 515/292-8870; fax: 515/292-8870.

Inquiries may be directed to the University Carillonneur, Department of Music, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011; phone: 515/294-2911; fax: 515/294-6409. E-mail: <[email protected]>. Further information about the Congress is available on the ISU Homepage: <http://www.music.iastate.edu/carillon&gt;.

Jenny King appointed in Michigan

Jenny Lungershausen King is the new carillonneur at Christ Church Cranbrook in Bloomfield Hills and at Jefferson Avenue Presbyterian Church in Detroit. Serving as interim carillonneur at Christ Church Cranbrook since the fall of 1995, King was appointed to the re-instated position last year. At Cranbrook she plays twice a month for Sunday morning worship services; for weddings, funerals and memorial services, and for special programs. She is responsible for coordinating the church's long-standing summer carillon series, initiated in 1928 by Anton Brees.

The Wallace carillon at Christ Church Cranbrook was originally installed in 1928. It now comprises 50 Taylor bells and a new keyboard designed and installed by Rick Watson.

King founded an annual summer carillon series at Jefferson Avenue Presbyterian Church in 1995. She became the official carillonneur at the church last year. The church's 23-bell Gillett and Johnston instrument was installed in 1925 in honor of Henry Russel. The oldest carillon in Michigan and to date the only carillon in Detroit, the Jefferson Avenue Presbyterian instrument likewise is played before and after Sunday worship, for special events and in recital. It features its original playing console.

King studied with Bill De Turk at Grosse Pointe Memorial Church and played her GCNA examination recital in 1991 at Baylor University in Waco, Texas. A graduate of Oberlin College, she is a freelance writer who covers the auto and commercial real estate industries for several publications. In September she took delivery of a 1998 VW New Beetle and figures she may be the first GCNA member to own one. "Hug it, drive it--either way it's great," she said.

Carillon News

Brian Swager

Brian Swager is carillon editor for THE DIAPASON.

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International Carillon Congress in Michigan
Seven churches and three universities in Michigan will host a joint congress of the World Carillon Federation and the Guild of Carillonneurs in North America from June 26 through July 2. The gathering will celebrate the 75th anniversary of the GCNA, the 75th anniversary of the University of Michigan Baird Carillon, and the start of the next 500 years of the carillon, which originated in the area of Europe that now comprises Belgium, the Netherlands, and northern France. Activities will include recitals on nine carillons as well as other instrumental and ensemble performances, presentations and workshops, business meetings, and social events.
Congress headquarters will be located at Kirk in the Hills, Bloomfield Hills. The Kirk (77-bell Petit & Fritsen carillon) will host all events on Sunday and Monday, while St. Hugo of the Hills Catholic Church (48-bell Eijsbouts carillon) and Christ Church Cranbrook (50-bell Taylor carillon), also in Bloomfield Hills, will be Wednesday and Friday’s venues. Participants will journey to the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, on Tuesday, where activities will include a silent film with carillon accompaniment at the Baird Carillon (Taylor, 55 bells) on the central campus, a 75th-anniversary extravaganza recital on the north campus Lurie Carillon (Eijsbouts, 60 bells), a visit to the nearby Kerrytown Chime, and a Pipe Organ Encounter.
Thursday will feature a visit to Detroit to see and hear carillons at St. Mary’s of Redford (Paccard, 51 bells), Jefferson Avenue Presbyterian Church (Gillett & Johnston, 23 bells), Christ Church Grosse Pointe (Gillett & Johnston, 35 bells), and Grosse Pointe Memorial Church (Gillett & Johnston/Petit & Fritsen, 47 bells). On Saturday, following the previous day’s closing ceremonies, Michigan State University (Gillett & Johnston/Eijsbouts, 49 bells) in East Lansing and Grand Valley State University (Eijsbouts, 48 bells; Paccard, 48 bells) in Grand Rapids will provide open towers.
For further details, see www.gcna.org, www.carillon.org, and Facebook: Carillon Congress 2011.

Send items for “Carillon News” to Dr. Brian Swager, c/o The Diapason, 3030 W. Salt Creek Lane, Suite 201, Arlington Heights, IL 60005-5025; or e-mail
[email protected]. For information on the Guild of Carillonneurs in North America: www.gcna.org.

Carillon News

by Brian Swager
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News from Iowa State University

1. Spring Carillon and Organ Festival 1997

Iowa State University hosted the Spring Carillon and Organ
Festival 1997 and the Carillon Composition Competition during the weekend of April 25-27. The Festival also celebrated the tenth anniversary of the installation and dedication of the Brombaugh organ of the Music Department. Guest artists were Brian Swager, former University Carillonneur at Indiana University, Bloomington, and David Dahl, organist from Pacific Lutheran University, Tacoma, Washington. The Festival began with two recitals by the guest artists. Brian Swager performed carillon music from Belgium and America that included Johan Franco's Ames Nocturne, a work commissioned by The Stanton Memorial Carillon Foundation in 1984. David Dahl performed organ works by two women composers: Fanny Mendelssohn and Ethel Smyth, and Michel Corrette's Magnificat du 3e et 4e ton with Donald Simonson as cantor. A workshop on "Organ Works by Three 19th-century Women Composers: Clara Schumann, Fanny Mendelssohn and Ethel Smyth" was conducted by David Dahl on Saturday morning, and Brian Swager held a carillon seminar in the afternoon on "Music for the Carillon: A Distinguished Repertoire Emerges." The Festival continued with a Family Concert featuring ISU student carillonneurs, ISU Wind Ensemble, ISU Dance Tour Company, and ISU Oratorio Choir. Echo by Amy Michelle Black was premiered by Michael Tammaro at the carillon and the Oratorio Choir under the baton of Robert Molinson. The Festival concluded on Sunday with carillon music from The Netherlands performed by Tin-shi Tam, Iowa State University Carillonneur.

A  Carillon
Composition Competition was held to encourage young composers to write original
carillon music. Judges were Brian Swager, Jeffrey Prater, and
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Tin-shi Tam. Contestants were from all
parts of the country and overseas. The winning composition was By de dei
lâns (The Proceedings of the Day) by Klaas R. R. de Haan of Amsterdam,
The Netherlands. It was premiered by 
Tin-shi Tam during the Festival. The next Spring Carillon Festival
and  Carillon Composition
Competition  will be held from
April 24-26, 1998. Guest carillonneur will be Albert Gerken, University
Carillonneur  at University of
Kansas, Lawrence.

II. Junior High Keyboard Camp

The Fifth Annual Keyboard Explorations junior high school
summer music camp was hosted by the Iowa State University Music Department from
July 7-12, 1997. Participants had the opportunity to learn about various kinds
of keyboard instruments and had hands-on experiences in playing them. Seven
participants studied carillon under ISU Carillonneur, Tin-shi Tam. Two carillon
concerts were performed by students towards the end of the week.

III. 1998 Carillon Composition Competition

Iowa State University has announced the Carillon Composition
Competition '98. The purpose of the competition is to encourage the writing of
original carillon compositions by composers under age 35. The submitted work
shall be an original composition for four-octave carillon (tenor C to C4), with
a two-octave pedal board (tenor C to C2). The composition may be a solo, duet
for one carillon, or a work for carillon with one or more other instruments or
chorus. The submitted composition must be postmarked no later than March 31,
1998. For more information contact the University Carillonneur at Iowa State
University; Music Department; 149 Music Hall; Ames, IA 50011; phone:
515/294-2911, e-mail: tstam@iastate. edu or web-site: www.music.iastate.edu

Bell information requested

In celebration of the 75th anniversary of the Belgian
Carillon School, a festschrift will be published. Marc Van Bets is preparing a
paper on Mechelen bellfounders for this book. He requests reports on all
Mechelen bells that currently are, or ever have been, in
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North America. Such bells would have
been brought by Capuchin monks who came to North America as missionaries. All
bells are included in the scope of the paper: carillon, church, tolling,
ornamental, etc. All information is welcome, such as the function of the bell,
measurements, pitch, anecdotes, photos. Please contact Marc Van Bets; Ridder
Dessainlaan 27; 2800 Mechelen; Belgium. Phone: (0112)32.15.42.38.52. Fax:
(011)32.15.43.17.07. Email: [email protected]

1998 Queen Fabiola Competition

Since its founding in 1922 the Royal Carillon School
"Jef Denyn" in Mechelen, Belgium, has fostered a greater blossoming
of the carillon art. Toward this end, the school established the Queen Fabiola
International Carillon Competition in 1987. This competition has grown rapidly,
becoming the most important of its kind and providing a strong stimulus for the
recognition of the carillon art as a high-quality artistic expression.

The winners of the first three competitions were: Geert
D'hollander of Belgium in 1987; Boudewijn Zwart of The Netherlands, in 1990;
and Gideon Bodden of The Netherlands, in 1993.

The fourth Queen Fabiola Competition will take place August
5-9, 1998. Carillonneurs from around the world are invited to take part. There
is no age limit. After an elimination round, a maximum of six competitors will
be selected for the finals. Judging will be done by an international jury.

The candidates are required to present nine pieces of a high
virtuosic level: three baroque, three romantic, and three contemporary pieces.
The romantic and contemporary selections must be original carillon compositions
and not transcriptions. One of the baroque pieces must be a carillon prelude
written by Matthias van den Gheyn. In addition, there will be an obligatory
piece.

The school's 1997 international composition competition
brought 21 entries from seven countries: Belgium, The Netherlands, Australia,
The USA, Spain, Russia, and Sweden. Performance of the winning composition will
be required for participants in the Queen Fabiola Competition. Winners of the
composition competition will be announced once registration for the Fabiola
Competition is closed.

During the competition, the participants perform on the new
carillon in the St. Rombouts tower. This instrument was founded by Koninklijke
Eijsbouts in 1981. It is tuned in equal temperament and consists of 49 bells;
the bourdon sounds F and weighs eight tons.

The first-prize winner will receive 100,000 BF, a bronze
bell, a certificate, and a concert tour in Belgium  in 1999. Five additional prizes with cash awards will be
given. The SABAM prize of 25,000 BF will be awarded for the best interpretation
of a contemporary Flemish carillon composition, and an additional 25,000 BF
will reward the best improvisation. Participants should send their completed
applications to the Royal Carillon School "Jef Denyn"
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before April 30, 1998. After their
repertoire has been approved, the full list of regulations and practical
information will be sent to each competitor. The obligatory piece will be sent
to the participants two months before the beginning of the competition.
Participants are granted a per diem of 1000 BF for as long as they take part in
the competition.

For information and applications, contact
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the Royal Carillon School "Jef
Denyn"; Frederik de Merodestraat 63; 2800 Mechelen; Belgium. Phone:
32.15.20.47.92. Fax: 32.15.20.31.76.

McLellan appointed at MSU

Ray McLellan has been appointed University Carillonneur at Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan. His responsibilities include playing weekly recitals, teaching carillon and organ, coordinating and
producing the MSU Summer Carillon Recital Series. Ray studied carillon with
Margo Hal-sted at the University of Michigan and with Todd Fair at the
Netherlands Carillon School. He earned the Bachelor of
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Arts degree at Florida Southern College
in Lakeland and the Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees at the
University of Michigan. He also studied on full scholarship at the
Pädagogische Hochschule in Freiburg, Germany. Besides the position at MSU,
Dr. McLellan continues in his church and temple positions.

Carillon News

Brian Swager

Brian Swager is carillon editor of THE DIAPASON.

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Aimé Lombaert, a well-known Flemish carillonneur, passed away on October 30, 2008, at age 63. He had just retired from his positions as municipal carillonneur in the Belgian cities of
Bruges, Deinze, Poperinge, Damme, and Geraardsbergen. Lombaert was born in Oudenaarde, Belgium, and studied at the Royal Music Conservatory in Ghent, the Lemmens Institute, and the Royal Carillon School in Mechelen. He received his diploma from the Royal Carillon School in 1978, became assistant carillonneur to Eugeen Uten in Bruges in 1980, succeeding him as municipal carillonneur in 1984. In Deinze, he played one of the few “major-third” carillons.

As a result of the economic downturn, Bok Tower Gardens in Lake Wales, Florida, announced the cancellation of its International Carillon Festival in 2009 as well as the elimination of the positions of the assistant carillonneur/librarian and the administrative assistant.

David Monaghan, Curator of Canada’s House of Commons, announced the appointment of Andrea McCrady to the position of Dominion Carillonneur on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Canada. McCrady’s former carillon position at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in Spokane, Washington is open.

Trinity College, a liberal arts school with approximately 2,200 students in Hartford, Connecticut, is seeking a college carillonneur. The original 30-bell carillon built by the John Taylor Bellfoundry was enlarged to 49 bells in 1978. It hangs in the tower of the Trinity College Chapel.

Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa, holds its 2009 Carillon Festival September 5, 10 am–4 pm. The guest carillonneur is Adrian Patrick Gebruers from Cobh, Ireland. He will conduct a seminar on Irish carillon music and perform a recital at the festival. In addition, the ISU Celtic Dance Society will present a program on Celtic dances. Hosting the festival is associate professor of music and university carillonneur Tin-shi Tam. In conjunction with the carillon festival, a carillon composition competition is being held to encourage the writing of original carillon compositions by young composers, under age 35. Prizes include a cash award of $500 and the premiere performance of the winning composition at the festival.

The Begijnhof Church, Sint-Jan-de-Doper (St. John the Baptist), in Leuven (Louvain), Belgium, is expanding its 16-bell chime into a carillon. The historic series of 16 Gillett & Johnston bells, which were once part of the carillon of the Leuven University Library, have been played in recent years by an automatic chiming mechanism. The Royal Eijsbouts firm of Asten, the Netherlands, is casting 29 new bells in the profile and tuning of the Gillett & Johnston bells. The instrument will be played by means of a baton keyboard in the new world standard. The Begijnhof is now part of the university and belongs to the UNESCO World Heritage. The carillon will be played for the first time during the Open Monument Day on September 13.

Carillonneur Piet van den Broek passed away on October 26, 2008, at age 92. Van den Broek was director of the Royal Belgian Carillon School and municipal carillonneur in Mechelen, Belgium, from 1965 until his retirement in 1981. Born in Chaam, the Netherlands, he left at age 18 for Mechelen to study at the Lemmens Institute. Upon his graduation in 1938 he became adjunct organist at St. Rombouts Cathedral. He began carillon studies with Staf Nees in 1941 and received his final diploma from the carillon school four years later.

Send items for “Carillon News” to Dr. Brian Swager, c/o The Diapason, 3030 W. Salt Creek Lane, Suite 201, Arlington Heights, IL 60005-5025; <brian@
allegrofuoco.com>. For information on the Guild of Carillonneurs in North America: GCNA, 37 Noel Dr., Williamsville, NY 14221; <www.gcna.org&gt;.

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