The distinctive sounds of the University of Rochester’s Hopeman Memorial Carillon will ring out over the River Campus on Thursday, July 8, in the first of a series of four free summer concerts.
Featuring Gijsbert Kok, an organist and carillonneur from The Netherlands, the concert starts at 7 p.m., rain or shine, on the Eastman Quadrangle on the River Campus.
The carillon, a musical instrument of bells controlled by a keyboard, is located in the landmark tower of Rush Rhees Library. Concertgoers should bring blankets, lawn chairs, picnic baskets, and even a book to read and can sit anywhere on the Eastman Quadrangle in front of the library to enjoy the music.
Kok’s program includes works composed for the carillon as well as standard classical, contemporary, and ballet music. Among the works are Johann Sebastian Bach’s “Concerto in A Minor,” Jimmy McHugh’s “On the Sunny Side of the Street,” “The Flower Waltz” from Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite, and Geert D’Hollander’s original carillon composition, “Modal Nocturne.”
A winner of several carillon performance competitions, Kok also has studied organ and church music. He is organist for two churches, including the American Protestant Church in The Hague, and carillonneur for three cities in The Netherlands. He regularly gives organ and carillon concerts in Europe and has made several concert tours in the United States.
The Hopeman Memorial Carillon Summer Recital Series is sponsored by the Department of Music. The rest of the schedule includes Elizabeth Berghout, assistant professor and carillonneur at the University of Kansas, on July 15; Marcel Siebers, a composer and carillonneur from Germany, on July 22; and Stephen Schreiber, organist and choirmaster at Trinity Episcopal Church in Ambler, Pa., on July 29. For more information, call (585) 275-2828.