Carillon Concerts 2013
Mondays, June 3 through September 2, 7 p.m.; preconcert carillon tours and demonstrations 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. (every 15 minutes)
Enjoy an enchanting 45-minute musical performance of carillon bells on a warm summer evening and watch lights illuminate Evening Island.
Through a regularly scheduled series of concerts each summer, carillonneurs from around the world delight Garden visitors with the captivating music of the 48-bell Theodore C. Butz Memorial Carillon. Meet the performers and enjoy a free carillon tour and demonstration before the concert — you can even try your hand at ringing the bells.
Visitors can purchase snacks and a bottle of wine from the Garden Café, or grilled selections from the Garden Grille including burgers, hot dogs and barbeque. You may also bring a picnic dinner to enjoy on the lawn by McGinley Pavilion on concert evenings.
Since 1986, the carillon has remained both a noted landmark and a source of remarkable music at the Garden. Crafted in Holland, the tower's bronze bells and playing device with a range of four octaves constitutes one of the few hand-played carillons in the nation.
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Mon 24 Jun |
Arie Abbenes is known for his broad interest in all styles and aspects of the art of the carillon. Abbenes was the city carillonneur of Asten, Eindhoven, Tilburg, and Utrecht, until his retirement in 2011. He taught in the conservatories of Tilburg and Utrecht (Netherlands Carillon School) and was an associate professor of music in carillon and campanology at the Indiana University School of Music. He is currently the carillonneur in Oirschot and assistant carillonneur in Utrecht and Eindhoven. In 2004, he was made a knight in the Order of Orange Nassau. He is an honorary citizen of the city of Asten. |
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Mon 1 Jul |
Povl Christian Balslev has given organ, carillon, and chamber music concerts in Denmark, Sweden, Germany, The Netherlands, Austria, France, Spain, Italy, England, Japan, and the U.S. He is the composer of music for church, theater, opera, and film. Previously, Balslev was the assistant organist at St. Markus church in Copenhagen, an organ instructor at Sjællands Kirkemusikskole, and organist at Otterup church. He is now an organ instructor at the Løgumkloster church music school and music director, cantor, and carillonneur in Our Lady´s church in Svendborg, Denmark. He is also the author of a book about the Danish composer Thorvald Aagaard and his relationship with the composer Carl Nielsen. |
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Mon 8 Jul |
Isaac Wong was appointed an honorary carillonist of the University of Sydney, Australia in 2002 when he began playing regular Sunday and graduation recitals. In 2009, he became the first Australian to graduate from the Royal Carillon School in Mechelen, Belgium, where he studied carillon performance and obtained a final diploma with great distinction. He has since toured Europe twice where he performed in important carillon centers. Wong continues to expand his repertoire as a solo carillonist in Sydney. His live and online duet performances with Amy Johansen, university carillonist and organist, entertain many. Wong is a member of the Board of Executives of the Carillon Society of Australia and works actively to promote the art of the carillon in Australia. He is also the editor of the Australian Carillon News. He is a registered pharmacist, specializing in cancer care. |
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Mon 15 Jul |
Vera Wünsche began her carillon studies and became a member of the Yale Guild of Carillonneurs in 2008. She served as the Guild’s co-chair during her junior and senior years. She graduated from Yale in 2012 with a B.S. in molecular, cellular, and developmental biology. She currently works as a research assistant in the department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Utah School of Medicine. She is a carillonneur member of the Guild of Carillonneurs in North America, having passed the GCNA’s advancement recital in 2012 at Clemson University, South Carolina. |
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Mon 22 Jul |
Philippe Beullens, Mechelen and Leuvan, Belgium Philippe Beullensstudied organ at the Lemmens Institute in Leuven, Belgium. In 2001, he obtained a master’s degree in music. He continued his carillon study at the world-famous Royal Carillon School in Mechelen, where he obtained his final diploma with great distinction in 2008. He served as the assistant organist of St. Rombout’s Cathedral in Mechelen before being appointed the organist and choirmaster at St. Martin’s Church of Overijse in Brussels. He is also a music teacher at St. Martin’s College, a secondary school. He regularly performs as an assistant city carillonneur in the cities of Mechelen and Leuven, and as a guest carillonneur at the Catholic University of Leuven. Both as an organist and carillonneur, Beullens has performed numerous times in Belgium, The Netherlands, France, Germany, Poland, Australia, Japan, and the U.S. |
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Mon 29 Jul |
John Widmann is the city carillonneur for the City of Frederick, MD, where he plays recitals on the first and third Sunday of each month. In addition he serves as a general/vocal music teacher for Frederick County Public Schools and as organist and director of music for Geneva Presbyterian Church in Potomac, MD. Widmann graduated from Indiana University of Pennsylvania with a bachelor’s degree in music education, and completed his master of music degree from Towson University in 2011. He became a carillonneur member of the Guild of Carillonneurs in North America in 1996. He maintains an active concert schedule, and played recitals last year in the U.S. and Europe. |
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Mon 5 Aug |
Gijsbert Kok is city carilloneur of The Hague, Voorschoten, and Zoetermeer. He teaches carillon and music theory at the Netherlands Carillon School in Amersfoort and the Codarts Conservatory in Rotterdam. In addition, he is active as a church organist in the Domkerk in De Lier and the American Protestant Church of The Hague. He studied organ, church music, improvisation, and music theory at The Hague Royal Conservatory and the conservatories in Rotterdam and Tilburg. He studied the carillon at the Netherlands Carillon School in Amersfoort and won prizes in several carillon competitions. As a recitalist, he performs regularly on both the carillon and the organ. |
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Mon 12 Aug |
Lisa Lonie performs regularly on the oldest carillon (1882) in North America, located at the Church of the Holy Trinity in Philadelphia. Also, she is the carillonneur at St. Thomas' Church, Whitemarsh and Princeton University. Previously, she was the carillonneur of the Schneider Carillon at Trinity Church in Holland, PA. She is a carillonneur member of the Guild of Carillonneurs in North America (GCNA), the former chair of its Examinations Committee, and has served on its Board of Directors. Lonie began her carillon studies at the Washington Memorial National Carillon in Valley Forge. Known for her musical wit and creative programming, she is a frequent recitalist throughout the U.S., Canada, and Europe, and has performed in internationally acclaimed carillon festivals. Lonie is a graduate of the Pennsylvania State University with dual degrees in German and economics. Besides her musical interests, she is an executive assistant at Salus University.
Janet Tebbel is the carillonneur of two carillons in the historic Germantown section of Philadelphia. She has served as carillonneur of the First United Methodist Church of Germantown. In addition, she has been the carillonneur of the Miraculous Medal Shrine since 2002. Tebbel began her carillon studies at the University of Michigan and continued to play at the University of Rochester, New York, while earning a master’s degree in organ at the Eastman School of Music. She spent a year at the Royal Carillon School in Mechelen, Belgium, and earned a final diploma from the school. Tebbel has played recitals throughout North America and Europe, and became a carillonneur member of the Guild of Carillonneurs in North America in 1974. She has served the Guild on the Board of Directors, as corresponding secretary, and on the Membership Enhancement Committee. A former music teacher, she has more recently held positions in music education, carillon playing, church organ work, and as conductor of handbell choirs. |
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Mon 19 Aug |
Dick van Dijk plays the organ in the Torenplein church in Vleuten (Bätz 1810), the Lebuïnus church in Blauwkapel (Van den Eynde 1711), and in Wijk bij Duurstede (Kiespenning 1631). He is also a freelance carillonneur. He studied carillon at the Dutch Carillon School in Amersfoort in the Netherlands. He currently studies at the Royal Carillon School in Mechelen, Belgium. He is active in the Utrecht Bellringers Guild, and in recent years has contributed to the realization of the new Petit & Fritsen carillon in the Torenplein church in Vleuten. In recognition of his merits for the art of the carillon, he was appointed a member of the Order of Orange Nassau in 2009. He works as a business architect for the Dutch National Railways.
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Mon 26 Aug |
Wylie Crawford is the resident carillonneur for the Chicago Botanic Garden, the university carillonneur at the University of Chicago, and was the first city carillonneur for the Millennium Carillon in Naperville. He has given carillon recitals in Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, Sweden, and the U.S. He is the president of the World Carillon Federation and previously served as treasurer. He fulfilled the requirements of the Guild of Carillonneurs in North America (GCNA) to become a certified carillonneur in 1977. He previously served as its vice president and is now both the chair of its membership committee and member of its public relations committee. With an undergraduate degree in physics and a graduate degree in teaching from the University of Chicago, Crawford initiated the first regular carillon instruction program at four Chicago-area carillons. Also, he is the president of Compassionate Computing, a computer training and support organization. |
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Mon 2 Sep |
Mark Lee, Chicago, IL Mark Lee is certified as a carillonneur by the Guild of Carillonneurs in North America. He performs regularly at the University of Chicago’s Rockefeller Memorial Carillon. He currently serves as coeditor of the Guild’s newsletter, Carillon News. Lee is the music director at St. Bonaventure Oratory in Chicago and at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Skokie, Illinois. Also, he is the choir director at Congregation Beth Shalom in Naperville, Illinois and an examiner for the Royal Conservatory of Music Examinations in Toronto, Ontario.
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Arie Abbenes, Oirschot, The Netherlands
Povl Christian Balslev, Svendborg, Denmark
Issac Wong, University of Sydney, Australia
Vera Wünsche, Salt Lake City, Utah
John Widmann, Frederick, MD
Gijsbert Kok, The Hague, The Netherlands
Lisa Lonie and Janet Tebbel, Philadelphia, PA
Dick van Dijk, Utrecht, The Netherlands
Wylie Crawford, Chicago, IL