A carillon is a musical instrument consisting of at least 23 bronze bells, played from a mechanical keyboard allowing for precise control and nuanced expression. There are about 160 carillons in
the United States, most housed in towers on university campuses or in religious buildings. These join about 500 other carillons worldwide for a global total of about 660. Notable carillons in the
Chicagoland area include the 48-bell Theodore C. Butz Memorial Carillon at the Chicago Botanic Garden, the 72-bell Millennium Carillon on the Naperville Riverwalk, and the 72-bell Laura Spelman
Rockefeller Memorial Carillon at the University of Chicago. Other university carillons include those at Yale, Princeton, Berkeley, Michigan, Kansas, and over 40 other campuses in North America. A
more comprehensive list of carillons in the United States and abroad can be found here.
The Carillonneur
I studied the carillon while an undergraduate at the University of Chicago, playing on one of the world's most formidable carillons. The Laura Spelman Rockefeller Memorial Carillon, housed in
the tower of Rockefeller Memorial Chapel, is a massive instrument of 72 bells, weighing a collective 100 tons. I studied first with Oliver McDonald, then with Jim Fackenthal, under whom I passed my
exam to become a full member of the Guild of Carillonneurs in North America. I continue to play regularly at the University of Chicago.
Past and upcoming recitals
Upcoming recitals:
Check back soon!
Past recitals:
2018 August 5. University of Denver. Denver, Colorado.
2018 July 15. House of Hope Presbyterian Church. St. Paul, Minnesota. Watch.
2018 July 15. Central Lutheran Church. Minneapolis, Minnesota.
2018 June 12. Millennium Carillon. Naperville, Illinois.
2018 June 11. Chicago Botanic Garden. Glencoe, Illinois.
2018 June 10. St. Chrysostom's Episcopal Church. Chicago, Illinois.
2018 June 2. Centralia Carillon. Centralia, Illinois.
2017 July 11. Millennium Carillon. Naperville, Illinois. Watch.
2017 July 10. Chicago Botanic Garden. Glencoe, Illinois. Watch.
2017 June 2-3. Thomas Rees International Carillon Competition (5th prize). Washington Park. Springfield, Illinois.
2016 August 23. Millennium Carillon. Naperville, Illinois.
2016 August 22. Chicago Botanic Garden. Glencoe, Illinois.
2016 August 9. Chicago Botanic Garden. Glencoe, Illinois.
2016 July 3. University of Denver. Denver, Colorado. Watch here or here.
2015 July 31. McDonogh School. Owings Mills, Maryland. Listen.
2015 July 29. Washington Memorial Chapel. Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. Watch.
2015 July 28. St. Thomas' Church, Whitemarsh. Fort Washington, Pennsylvania. Watch.
2015 July 26. Princeton University. Princeton, New Jersey. Watch.
2014 July 20. University of Denver. Denver, Colorado. Listen here or here.
2014 June 17. GCNA Advancement recital. 72nd Congress of the Guild of Carillonneurs of North America. University of Denver. Denver, Colorado.