Carillonneurs coming from afar to ring Yale’s bells

The bells of Harkness Tower don’t stop ringing in the summer. In fact, artists from around the world will be traveling to the campus to make the 54 bells of the Yale Memorial Carillon come alive in free Friday evening recitals June 22 to Aug. 10.

During the school year, the tower is home to the Yale University Guild of Carillonneurs, a student organization that rings the bells twice a day and tours nationally and internationally in Europe.

The group also sponsors the Summer Carillon Concert Series, featuring international and national guest carillonneurs from Philadelphia to Poland, offering music ranging from “Moon River” to the works of J.S. Bach, and more.

The concerts begin at 7 p.m. and last one hour. Listening space is provided at the Loria Center rooftop terrace at 190 York St. Guests — who are invited to bring lawn chairs, picnic dinners, and friends —can gain access to the space beginning at 6:30 p.m.

“Almost all visitors to Yale proudly showcase their photos of the emblematic structure of Harkness Tower. Don’t miss the opportunity to go beyond the sight and experience the music of the Yale Memorial Carillon in concert, as it was intended,” says Kerri Lu ’14, who — with fellow Yale Guild of Carillonneurs member Lynnli Wang ’15 — will present the final concert in the series.

The concert dates and carillonneurs will be:

June 22: Nick Huang, Singapore

June 29: Joey Brink, Mechelen, Belgium

July 6: Trevor Workman, Bournville, England

July 13: Ellen Dickinson, Yale University Carillonneur

July 20: Anna Kasprzycka, Gdańsk, Poland

July 27: Auke de Boer and Adolph Rots, The Groningen Carillon Duo, the Netherlands

Aug. 3: Lisa Lonie, Philadelphia, PA

Aug. 10: Kerri Lu ‘14 and Lynnli Wang ‘15, Yale Summer Carillonneurs

The Yale Carillon can also be heard daily at 12:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. throughout the summer.

Learn more about the group and the instrument at the Yale Guild of Carillonneurs website; for information on the series, contact Kerri Lu and Lynnli Wang at carillon@yale.edu.