Beckering Family Carillon

The bells will be ringing this summer. The Cook Carillon Bells photo by Bernadine Carey-Tucker. (GVSU)

Peg West
GVSU

Carillonneurs from around the world will come to the Allendale and Grand Rapids campuses of Grand Valley State University this summer for the annual concert series that this year marks 25 years of performances at the Cook Carillon Tower.

All concerts are free – including free nearby parking — and open to the public. The concerts last approximately one hour and take place rain or shine.

The Cook Carillon International Concert Series on the Allendale Campus features a reunion recital along with the concert lineup. The performances will take place at 8 p.m. Sundays beginning June 23.

Cook Carillon Concerts

June 23 – Reunion recital

June 30 – Open tower tours

July 7 – Bernard Winsemius, (The Netherlands)

July 14 – Gijsbert Kok, (The Netherlands)

July 21 – Tim Sleep, (Naperville, Illinois)

July 28 – Laura Ellis (University of Florida)

Aug. 4 – Sue Bergren (Naperville, Illinois)

Aug. 11 – Lisa Lonie (Philadelphia)

Aug. 18 – Julianne Vanden Wyngaard (GVSU carillonneur)

The Cook Carillon Tower is named for major donors and longtime Grand Valley supporters Peter and Pat Cook, who died in 2010 and 2008 respectively. The tower’s 48 bells were cast in 1994 in the Netherlands. The bells for the Beckering Family Carillon, named for the Beckering family of Pioneer Construction, were cast in 2000 in France.

On the Pew Grand Rapids Campus, the 19^th annual Beckering Family Carillon International Concert Series will present five concerts at the Lacks International Plaza located at the DeVos Center. The performances are at noon Wednesdays beginning July 3.

GVSU’s Beckering Carillon (Photo by Amanda Pitts)

Beckering Family Carillon Concerts

July 3 – Helen Hofmeister (Grand Rapids)

July 10 – Bernard Winsemius (The Netherlands)

July 17 – Gijsbert Kok (The Netherlands)

July 24 – Tim Sleep (Naperville, Illinois)

July 31 – Alex Johnson (Rochester, New York)

For more information, visit www.gvsu.edu/mtd, or call Grand Valley’s Music and Dance Department at (616) 331-3484.

The Beckering Family Carillon will ring in the season with a special holiday concert on Christmas Eve, Dec. 24.

By Matthew Makowski
GVSU

Grand Valley State University’s Beckering Family Carillon will fill the air above Grand Rapids with the sounds of the season during a special holiday concert.

The concert will take place on Christmas Eve, Dec. 24, from 9:30-10:15 p.m. on the Pew Grand Rapids Campus, and will be performed by Julianne Vanden Wyngaard, university carillonneur. The concert will be free and all Grand Valley parking lots will be open to the public.

The Beckering Family Carillon Tower was dedicated in fall 2000 with the support of the Beckering family of Pioneer Construction. The 151-foot bell tower completes the look of a European village square on the Pew Grand Rapids Campus and contains 48 bronze bells cast at the Paccard Bell Foundry in France. The largest bell, called the “bourdon,” weighs 4,500 pounds; the smallest weighs 25 pounds.

For more information, contact the Music, Theatre, and Dance Department at 616-331-3484. Please note that Grand Valley State University will be closed from Dec. 24-Jan. 1.