July2, 2007
Carillon series features performers from around the
globe
The carillon consists of 50 bells that were cast in
bronze in 1973 by the Royal Eijsbouts bell foundry of Asten in the
Netherlands.
Bring a blanket or a chair, and maybe even a picnic
dinner, to enjoy the melodies of campus bells this summer. The Hopeman
Memorial Carillon Summer Recital Series begins on Monday, July 9, and
continues over the next four Mondays.
Carillonneurs from around the world will play the
University’s Hopeman Memorial Carillon, one of the largest carillons
in New York, located in the landmark tower of Rush Rhees Library.
Concertgoers can lounge on the Eastman Quadrangle while listening to pieces
ranging from classical to popular to compositions written specifically for
the carillon.
Performing on July 9 will be Toru Takao, a
prize-winning carillonneur born in Himeji, Japan; Sara and Ana Elias,
sister carillonneurs from Portugal, on July 16; Tin-Shi Tam, a Hong Kong
native, professor of music and university carillonneur at Iowa State
University, on July 23; and Charles Dairay, a French carillonneur who
has won prizes in several international competitions, on July 30.
Each program will begin at 7 p.m., rain or shine, and
last about an hour. Listeners will be able to meet each performer on the
library steps following the concert. The series is sponsored by the College
music department. For more information, call 275-2828. For information
about the carillon, or to hear the bells online, go to
www.rochester.edu/aboutus/carillon.
The art of carillon playing has been around for more
than five centuries, originating in Belgium, the Netherlands, and northern
France. The carillonneur plays the instrument by depressing these
baton-like keys with a loosely clenched fist. The pedals, connected to the
heavier bass bells, are depressed with the feet. Like a piano, carillon
playing is expressed by the varying touch of the musician, such as Eastman
graduate student Tiffany Ng pictured above during a 2006 performance.
Carillon bells are stationary; only their clappers
move. The clapper of each bell is connected by a thin metal rod to a
keyboard.
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