EVENTS Calendar

Sue Bergren

Sue Bergren is an assistant carillonneur at the Millennium Carillon in Naperville, Illinois. She studied carillon with Wylie Crawford and Karel Keldermans, and became a Carillonneur member of the Guild of Carillonneurs in North America (GCNA) in 2004. She currently serves the guild as coeditor for Carillon News, the GCNA's newsletter; was recently elected to the organization's Board of Directors; and is music editor and owner of American Carillon Music Editions (ACME), a publisher of carillon music.

Sue has a master's degree in organ performance from Northern Illinois University and is on staff at Our Saviour's Lutheran Church in Naperville as the organist for the Saturday Evening worship service. She is active as a carillon recitalist, playing regularly on the Naperville Millennium Carillon and giving weekly recitals on the Rockefeller Memorial Carillon at the University of Chicago.

james M. Brown

James M. Brown began carillon study in 2001 with Wylie Crawford, the first city carillonneur of Naperville, Illinois, and the University of Chicago carillonneur at Rockefeller Memorial Chapel. Jim earned certification as a Carillonneur member of the Guild of Carillonneurs in North America (GCNA) at the Guild's annual June 2003 congress in Berea, Kentucky. In October 2003, Jim was named an assistant city carillonneur of Naperville. He also plays regularly at Rockefeller Memorial Chapel in Chicago. Jim holds a bachelor's of music education degree from Benedictine University in Lisle, Illinois. He is the branch supervisor of the Naperville West Branch of Wells Fargo Advisors LLC.

Stefano Colletti

Stefano Colletti has studied piano, solfege, harmony, orchestration, and chamber music, and obtained the final degree in all of these subjects. In 1998 he was admitted to the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris and obtained the diploma of composition in 2002, including harmony, counterpoint, fugue, and orchestration.

After his start in Saint Amand les Eaux, Stefano studied the carillon in Douai with Jacques Lannoy and obtained the final diploma of maître carillonneur in 1994. In 1998 he was appointed as the town carillonneur in Douai — the 35th carillonneur since the position began in 1391. Stefano is also a professor of carillon at the Music Conservatory of Douai, the only conservatory in France where it is possible to study carillon in order to become a professional carillonneur.

In addition to playing recitals in his native France, Stefano has performed in Belgium, Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Portugal, England, Ireland, Switzerland, and the United States. He has recorded ten carillon CDs and was chosen to play the carillon in Bienvenue chez les Ch'tis ("Welcome to the Sticks"), a famous French movie viewed by more than 20 million people in France alone in 2008.

Wylie Crawford

Wylie Crawford is the university carillonneur at the University of Chicago, a position he has held since 1984. In addition, he is the resident carillonneur for the Chicago Botanic Garden in Glencoe, Illinois (since 1986), and the seminary carillonneur for Seabury Theological Seminary in Evanston, Illinois. He was the first city carillonneur for the Millennium Carillon in Naperville, Illinois. Wylie is the president of the World Carillon Federation, a federation of international associations that organizes conferences in countries with a carillon culture. Previously, he served as its treasurer from 1990 until 2006.

With an undergraduate degree in physics and a graduate degree in teaching from the University of Chicago, Wylie is pleased to have begun the first regular carillon instruction programs at four Chicago-area carillons. He fulfilled the requirements of the Guild of Carillonneurs in North America to become a certified Carillonneur in 1977. During his 37-year association with the Guild, Wylie served three years as its vice president and is currently the chair of its membership committee and a member of the GCNA web committee. He has given carillon recitals in Canada, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, and the United States. He recently appeared as “The Spirit of the Bells” at the Florida Renaissance Festival and just returned from Mexico, where he performed and taught on a new carillon there.

A Chicago native, Wylie is the father of twin daughters and husband of Erica Karp, a portrait artist. To supplement his carillon income, he is president of Compassionate Computing, a computer training and support organization.

Monika KaŹmierczak

Monika Kaźmierczak is a city carilloneur of Gdańsk, Poland. She started piano at age 6, completing her secondary piano course with honors in the State Secondary Music School in Gdańsk. After that she took up studies in Music Academy in Gdańsk at the Theory of Music Faculty, obtaining a master's degree in 2003. During her studies, she received a number of scholarships, including the mayor of Gdańsk's scholarship for the best student at the faculty (2002). In 2000 she took part in a carillon course lead by Gert Oldenbeuving from the Netherlands, becoming one of city carilloneurs in 2001.

In 2003, thanks to a Huyghens scholarship of the Dutch government, Monika started her studies at the Dutch Carillon School in Amersfoort with Arie Abbenes, obtaining in 2004 a bachelor's degree. In 2005, she finished her study with Bernard Winsemius, earning a master's degree in Carillon Music. In 2007, thanks to a cultural scholarship from the City of Gdańsk, she took master classes with Geert D'hollander in Belgium.

Monika is an assistant teacher of carillon in the Music Academy in Gdańsk, at the same time studying choir conducting. She is a laureate of two international carillon competitions (first and second prize) and finalist of the Queen Fabiola competition (2008). She is recognized as an active musician, playing concerts in Lithuania, France, the Netherlands, Denmark, Ireland, and Belgium.

Mark Lee

Mark Lee is certified as a Carillonneur by the Guild of Carillonneurs in North America and performs regularly at the University of Chicago's Rockefeller Memorial Carillon and at Naperville's Millennium Carillon. He currently serves as coeditor of the Guild's newsletter, Carillon News. Mark is the music director at St. Bonaventure Oratory in Chicago, the organist at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Skokie, Illinois, and the choir director at Congregation Beth Shalom in Naperville, Illinois. He is also an examiner for the Royal Conservatory of Music Examinations in Toronto, Ontario.

Thomas Lee

Thomas Lee began his carillon studies at Yale University, where he graduated with a B.A. in psychology. He then graduated from the Royal Carillon School 'Jef Denyn' with “greatest distinction,” studying under Eddy Mariën, and passed his Guild of Carillonneurs in North America (GCNA) accreditation exam in the same year. He is currently a doctoral candidate in psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, and performs with his tango nuevo group Oscuro Quintet in his spare time.

The carillon duo Campana Nova was formed in 2006 when Eddy Mariën thought it might be fun to play carillon duets instead of having a carillon lesson with Thomas Lee. The duo's name reflects the old and the new — translated from the Latin, it means “new bell.” Campana Nova has performed across Belgium and the Netherlands, and is excited to be performing its debut North American tour.

Eddy MariËn

Eddy Mariën is currently the city carillonneur of Mechelen, Leuven, Halle, and Meise. He teaches on the faculty of the Royal Carillon School 'Jef Denyn'. He has recorded several carillon CDs and performed and lectured in Europe, America, New Zealand, and Australia. After winning first prize at the international carillon competitions of Nijmegen (1989) and Berlin (1991), Eddy has been regularly invited as a member of the jury in international competitions and exams.

Christine Power

Christine Power is an assistant carillonneur at the Millennium Carillon in Naperville, Illinois. She passed the advancement examination to become certified as a Carillonneur at the 2005 Congress of the Guild of Carillonneurs in North America. She performs regularly on the Millennium Carillon in Naperville and on the Laura Spelman Memorial Carillon in Rockefeller Chapel at the University of Chicago. She has been a frequent guest recitalist in the Chicago Botanic Garden's Carillon Concert Series. Christine holds a bachelor of music degree in piano performance and pedagogy from Louisiana State University.

Tim Sleep

Tim Sleep, Naperville City Carillonneur, performs regularly on the Millennium Carillon in Naperville, Illinois, and at the University of Chicago's Rockefeller Memorial Chapel. He also tours, performing guest carillon recitals throughout the country. He currently serves as corresponding secretary and board member of the Guild of Carillonneurs in North America (GCNA) as well as secretary of The Millennium Carillon Foundation in Naperville, Illinois.

Tim studied carillon with Wylie Crawford and John Gouwens and became a Carillonneur member of the GCNA in 2004. He holds a bachelor's degree in music education from North Central College in Naperville, Illinois, and a master's of science degree in educational administration from Northern Illinois University in Dekalb, Illinois. A retired band director, middle school principal, and long-time church musician, Sleep currently serves as organist at Knox Presbyterian Church in Naperville.

Brian Tang

An Illinoisan by birth, Brian Tang spent the first ten years of his life in Naperville.  He studied carillon with Jeff Davis for three and a half years at the University of California, Berkeley, where he recently earned a degree in cognitive science.  He returned to Naperville last year to become a certified member of the Guild of Carillonneurs in North America. As a carillonneur, Brian would like to share underappreciated music and contribute to the development of the carillon as a concert instrument. His many interests include bread pudding and musicals (but not High School).

Janet Tebbel

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, playing the 50-bell Taylor carillon since 1979, and has also been the carillonneur of the Miraculous Medal Shrine, with the 47-bell Paccard/Bigelow carillon, since 2002.

Janet began her carillon studies with R. Hudson Ladd at the University of Michigan and continued to play at the University of Rochester, New York, while earning a master's degree at the Eastman School of Music. With a grant from the Belgian-American Educational Foundation, she spent a year at the Royal Carillon School in Mechelen, Belgium, studying with Piet van den Broek, and earned a final diploma from the school.

Janet 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 for 12 years, and as chair of the Membership Enhancement Committee of the Guild. Janet is a music educator with a focus on early childhood and elementary. After years of teaching full time, she is enjoying freelance carillon, organ, and teaching opportunities.

Melissa Weidner

Melissa Weidner regularly plays the Williams Carillon at the University of Denver. She is music director and organist at St. Vincent de Paul Church in Denver. She began her carillon studies with Robert Grogan while a graduate student at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., later continuing her studies at the University of Denver with Todd Fair and Carol Jickling Lens. In 2009, Melissa passed the advancement examination to become a certified Carillonneur at the Congress of the Guild of Carillonneurs in North America held at Longwood Gardens, Pennsylvania. She holds a bachelor of music in music theory degree from the University of Oregon, and a master of music in sacred music degree from The Catholic University of America.

Andrew Wetzel

Upon discovering that the universe is a really interesting place, Andrew Wetzel decided to spend his life studying it, first earning a B.S. in physics from Harvey Mudd College, and then earning a Ph.D. in astrophysics from the University of California, Berkeley. He is now a postdoctoral research associate in the Astronomy Department at Yale University, where he studies galaxy evolution and cosmology (the large-scale structure of the universe). Andrew began playing carillon at U.C. Berkeley, where he studied with Jeff Davis, and in 2010 he passed his advancement exam at the Naperville Carillon to become a Carillonneur member of the Guild of Carillonneurs in North America.

Trevor Workman

Trevor Workman was appointed carillonneur by Bournville Village Trust in 1965, having studied with Clifford Ball, who had occupied the position since 1924. Trevor is recognized on the world stage, having represented Great Britain in numerous European and world carillon events. He has completed extensive recital tours of Europe and the United States and regularly plays in Holland, Belgium, and France. In 2008, Trevor gave the inaugural recital on the Carillon of York Minster, England — the first carillon to be installed in an English Anglican Cathedral.

Trevor is a former president of the British Carillon Society and is active in promoting the carillon and the carillon art in England. The Bournville Carillon celebrated its centenary in 2006, and Trevor is now engaged in developing the George Cadbury Carillon School, the first of its kind in the United Kingdom, which was opened in October 2006 by Sir Adrian Cadbury. This venture is being developed in conjunction with the Royal Carillon School 'Jef Denyn' in Mechelen, Belgium, and the Netherlands Carillon Institute Dordrecht.