In this Olympic Summer, Grand Valley State University continues its own international tradition with the Sixth International Carillon Concert Series, featuring weekly performances on the Cook Carillon on the Allendale Campus. Concerts are Sundays at 8 p.m., and are free of charge with seating on the grounds of the university's beautiful campus.
We've established a place in this musical niche ¿ the outdoor carillon concert, said University Carillonneur Julianne Vanden Wyngaard from Holland, where she is completing more than a half year of studies at The Netherlands Carillon School.
Our series is now known as one of the best-attended and most appreciated in the world she said.
Weekly audiences average about 175 people, many of whom are families.
The Cook Carillon consists of 48 bells atop the 10-story Cook Carillon Tower, each controlled by cables attached to levers below, configured like a piano keyboard. The performer plays the instrument by striking the levers with the heels of the hands. With good technique, the bronze bells, some weighing thousands of pounds, can be played with speed and dynamics that resemble a piano.
International performers are able to build a Michigan performance schedule that also includes concerts on the instruments at Michigan State, the University of Michigan, and Cranbrook.
Highlights of this year's series include a performance by the carillonneur of the Australian National Carillon, performers from Belgium and the Netherlands, and some of Michigan's finest players.
This will be the last series for Grand Valley as a one-carillon university. Beginning this Fall, the Beckering Family Carillon will bring the fascinating sound of the bells to downtown Grand Rapids. The instrument and tower, on the Pew Campus, will become the centerpiece, in both sight and sound, of downtown's West Side.
The summer concerts in Allendale usually run 45 minutes. Audience members are encouraged to bring lawnchairs, Frisbees, or bikes, and are urged to move about the campus.
The following is the performance line-up:
June 18 & 25
Richard Giszczak, Ann Arbor
July 2
Eddy Marien, Beligium
July 9
Marcel Siebers, The Netherlands
July 16
Suzanne Magassy, Australia
July 23
Anne Kroeze, The Netherlands
July 30
Jeremy Chesman, Ann Arbor
August 6
Patrick Macoska, Ann Arbor
August 13
Jenny King, Bloomfield Hills
August 20
Julianne Vanden Wyngaard, GVSU
