International Carillon Festival Program
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A th A N N I V E R S A R Y CELEBRATION FEATURING PERFORMANCES BY GEERT D’HOLLANDER JOEY BRINK AMY JOHANSEN MICHAEL SOLOTKE KOEN VAN ASSCHE TWENTY FOURTH INTERNATIONAL CARILLON FESTIVAL MARCHFeaturing 20-24, daily carillon 2019 concerts by carillonneurs from Belgium, Poland, The Netherlands and the United States of America. SPONSORED IN PART BY 1 SPONSORED IN PART BY Thank you for joining us in celebrating one of the WELCOME TO THE world’s greatest carillons, Bok Tower Gardens’ TWENTY FOURTH Singing Tower. With performances by world-renowned carillonneurs, enjoy a renaissance of this unique musical INTERNATIONAL instrument through debut performances of new CARILLON FESTIVAL compositions and music performed throughout the 500-year history of the carillon. WHAT IS A CARILLON? HOW IS CARILLON MUSIC A carillon is a musical instrument consisting of at WRITTEN AND PLAYED? least 23 cast bronze bells that are precisely tuned and Although carillon music looks like piano music, the arranged in chromatic progression so that music in any treble clef is usually played by the hands and the bass key can be played. Unlike other types of bells, carillon clef by the feet. The carillon’s action is mechanical, bells are fixed in a frame—the bells do not move. which allows the performer to control the dynamics Instead, the clappers inside strike the bells to produce (loud and soft) by the force of the strike. There is a considerable range of sounds up to five or six octaves. no mechanism to dampen the sound after a bell is Because of its weight and size, the carillon is the largest struck. Because carillon bells are rich in overtones, the bell instrument. A carillon is played from a keyboard consonant and dissonant combinations are sometimes on which the keys are depressed by the player’s closed reversed in carillon music to account for the presence hands and feet. The keys are connected to the clappers of a minor-third overtone in each bell. by vertical and horizontal wires. HOW ARE THE BELLS TUNED? ABOUT OUR CARILLON Carillon bells are tuned just after they are cast and The carillon at Bok Tower Gardens has 60 bells before they are installed. A bell is placed on a lathe and ranging in weight from 16 pounds to nearly 12 tons. metal is carefully removed from the various heights of The instrument was designed and built in 1928 by the inside wall of the bell. Bells only have to be re-tuned John Taylor Bellfoundry, Ltd. of Loughborough, approximately once every 300 years. England which still makes bells today. There are three carillons in Florida, approximately 200 in North America and 600 throughout the world. 1 MEET GEERT D’HOLLANDER RESIDENT CARILLONNEUR AT BOK TOWER GARDENS PHOTO CREDIT:: MICHAEL POTTHAST Belgian-American He has made numerous carillon arrangements composer and and composed more than 50 works for carillon, carillonneur Geert published world-wide. He was first prize winner D’hollander was in more than 30 international competitions named Bok Tower for carillon or composition; was awarded the Gardens’ fourth University of California Berkeley Medal for full-time carillonneur “Distinguished Service to the Carillon”, and the in October 2012. prestigious Dutch “ANV-Visser Neerlandia Prize” He has studied, with his carillon composition “Ciacona”. He performed, taught, frequently gives Master Classes in Europe and the arranged and USA and performs all over the world. composed carillon music for more than 35 years. He has held permanent and guest teaching positions of carillon performance and composition BECOME A MEMBER at the Royal Carillon School in Mechelen, THERE’S SOMETHING NEW TO Belgium, the Dutch Carillon School in Amersfoort DISCOVER IN EVERY SEASON and at the University College Roosevelt in AT BOK TOWER GARDENS. Middelburg, both in The Netherlands. From 1997- YOU CAN APPLY BY VISITING THE 1999, Geert was the Carillonneur and Professor of INFORMATION DESK Carillon at the University of California at Berkeley, IN THE VISITOR CENTER. succeeding Ronald Barnes. 2 ABOUT THE CARILLONNEURS AMY JOHANSEN – AUSTRALIA Amy Johansen is University Organist and Carillonist at the University of Sydney, Australia. Her duties include performing on the von Beckerath organ in the Great Hall and on the War Memorial Carillon for graduation ceremonies, recitals, and special events. She also leads a team of 8 honorary carillonists, as well as overseeing and performing in the organ and carillon recital series. Born and educated in the United States, Amy Johansen completed degrees in Organ Performance at the University of Florida and Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. Postgraduate studies followed with Thomas JOEY BRINK – USA Trotter in London, and Naji Hakim in Paris. Joey Brink is the sixth University In 1997, Amy began carillon studies at the Carillonneur at the University of Chicago, University of Sydney with Dr Jill Forrest, and where he performs twice daily on the 72- passed her Advancement Recital for the Guild bell Rockefeller Memorial Carillon and of Carillonneurs in North America (GCNA) directs the University of Chicago Guild in 2006 at Yale. She has been a recitalist at of Carillonneurs. He serves on the board congresses of the GCNA, the World Carillon of the Guild of Carillonneurs in North Federation (WCF) and the Springfield America, co-chairing the Johan Franco Carillon Festival, and has played recital tours composition committee. Brink began across the USA, Canada, England, Belgium his carillon studies with Ellen Dickinson and France. in 2007, as an undergraduate at Yale University; graduated from the Royal Carillon School “Jef Denyn” in Mechelen, Belgium in 2012; and studied further with Geert D'hollander at Bok Tower Gardens in 2015. In 2014, he became the first American to receive first prize at the International Queen Fabiola Carillon Competition, in Mechelen, Belgium. 3 ABOUT THE CARILLONNEURS MICHAEL SOLOTKE – USA Michael Solotke is a Connecticut-based carillonneur who has performed across North America and Europe. He began playing carillon as a member of the Yale Guild of Carillonneurs in 2010, where his instructor was Ellen Dickinson. In 2012, he participated in an intensive summer study program at the Royal Carillon School ‘Jef Denyn” KOEN VAN ASSCHE – BELGIUM in Mechelen, Belgium, where he studied Koen Van Assche is carillonist of the with Geert D’hollander, Eddy Marien, and Belgian cities of Antwerp, Lier, Turnhout Koen Cosaert. At the June 2013 congress and Herentals. of the Guild of Carillonneurs in North He first studied music and flute in America, Michael passed his carillonneur Antwerp, and at the age of 14 he started exam advancement recital and became a his carillon studies at the Royal Carillon Carillonneur Member of the GCNA. In 2016, School “Jef Denyn” in Mechelen, where he Michael completed a one-month carillon graduated in 1986. He won performance residency at Bok Tower Gardens in Lake prizes at several international carillon Wales, Florida. competitions, and has given recitals in Michael holds a B.S. in Molecular Biophysics Europe, the USA, and Australia. & Biochemistry from Yale, and is currently He is president of the Flemish Carillon a medical student at the Yale School of Guild and of the World Carillon Medicine. His interests outside of carillon and Federation. He authored a book on playing medicine include the outdoors, playing the method for the carillon and he teaches piano and trombone, distance running, and carillon at the Royal Carillon School “Jef Belgian beer. Denyn” in Mechelen and at the Academies of Music in Puurs and Lier. He is also known for his performances combining carillon with other instruments, especially with the mobile carillon “Bronzen Piano” (www.bronzenpiano.com), which is a collaboration with Anna Maria Reverté. They have played several concerts together in Barcelona, with symphonic band in The Auditori at the famous Sagrada Familia. 4 SCHEDULE OF EVENTS MARCH 20 | 1 P.M. MARCH 20 | 3 P.M. GEERT D’HOLLANDER JOEY BRINK OPENING CONCERT TWO SONGS FOLK SETTING What a Wonderful World Let All Things Now Living Bob Thiele (1922-1996) (Ash Grove, 2010, for carillon) Geert D’hollander (b. 1965) Variations on an Appalachian Folk Song* Geert D’hollander (b. 1965) CLOUD WATCHING Theme Reverie (2015, for carillon) Cantabile Joey Brink (b. 1988) Adagio Colors of the Wind (from Pocahontas) Andante Alan Menken (b. 1949) Animato Le Brouillard HONORING MILFORD MYHRE (The Fog, 2016, for carillon) Three Designs Stefano Colletti (b. 1973) Milford Myhre TRANSCRIPTION Stars & Stripes Forever* Chaconne in F John Philip Sousa Johann Fischer (1646–1716) arr. Milford Myrhe arr. Bernard Winsemius * Performed as duet with Alex Johnson FROM THE AMERICAN SONGBOOK Alex Johnson, Bok Tower Garden’s “2019 Blanchard Carillon Every Time We Say Goodbye Fellow” grew up in a suburb of Dallas, Texas where he began Cole Porter (1891–1964) his musical training with piano at the age of eight. Orchestral and marching percussion became his primary musical interest by age 10, with which he flourished in his high school band and In celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the carillon at Kirk in the Hills, Michigan in 2010, percussion program. Kirk carillonneur Dennis Curry commissioned Geert D’hollander to write Hymn Preludes for While studying physics at the University of Rochester, New the Kirk, a set of six works for carillon. D’hollander’s setting of Let All Things Now Living (The York, Alex was introduced to the carillon and almost instantly Ash Grove) is an absolute favorite of mine. became attached to the instrument. After exploring a variety of Reverie gives the feeling of drifting off into a peaceful dream while sitting in a meadow career options with physics and linguistics research, he’s now of wildflowers as the sound of birds and rustling leaves play out in the wind.