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.