Concert Schedule

Near the start of the semester the UR Carillon Society will perform half hour concerts every Sunday (time TBA).  Concerts can be attended in person on the Eastman Quad or online via Facebook livestream 

Events are subject to change due to considerations such as weather.

The carillon may be played for Convocation, September 11, Meliora, Scare Fair, and other special events. 

Wondering when the bells will ring? We have a Tower Time schedule for that!

Carillon Tower Location: Rush Rhees Library, 755 Library Rd, Rochester, NY. 

2023-2024 Concert Programs

2023 Meliora Weekend Information

The Arthur T. Satz Music Department at the University of Rochester and the Hopeman Carillon Society are presenting a weekend of events for the 50 Year Celebration of the Hopeman Memorial Carillon. Bells have rung in the dome of Rush Rhees library on the University of Rochester campus since the dedication of Hopeman Chime in 1930 as a living memorial for Arendt Willem Hopeman, a ringing celebration of public music and Dutch culture. The Hopeman family were specialists in shipbuilding, carpentry, and engineering. In 1973, with the approval of the Hopeman family, the chime was replaced by a 50 bell carillon with bells cast by the Dutch bellfoundry Royal Eijsbouts. A carillon is a tower bell instrument with at least 23 bronze bells played manually with a touch sensitive baton keyboard, originating from the Low Countries. The Hopeman Memorial Carillon at the University of Rochester is one of about 190 carillons in North America.

As part of the University of Rochester’s Meliora weekend celebration, current and past University of Rochester carillon players, chime players, and national and international guests will gather this October for a weekend of concerts and discussions, all of which are open to the public. These include concerts by guest carillonists Alex Johnson and Koen Van Assche. Johnson graduated in 2018 from the University of Rochester, and has since won the International Queen Fabiola Carillon Competition, and is currently the University Carillonist of the University of Chicago. Van Assche is a Belgian carillonist and pedagogue. He is the President of the World Carillon Federation, city carillonist of Antwerp, Lier, Herentals, and Turnhout, and teacher at the Royal Carillon School ‘Jef Denyn’ and Music Academy of Lier. Events include  

  • Song Of the Bell Carillon Concert | October 6th, 5:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m. on the Eastman Quadrangle

The University of Rochester Carillon Studio will play a concert inspired by German poet Friedrich Schiller’s poem “Song of the Bell.” The concert will feature pieces inspired by bell culture, and pieces that reflect the poem’s subtitle: 

 

I call the living,
I mourn the dead,
I break the lightning.

 

  • 50th Anniversary Concert of the Hopeman Memorial Carillon Carillon Concert | October 7th, 12:30 p.m.-1:30 p.m. on the Eastman Quadrangle

Alex Johnson ‘18 will return to Rochester to play a concert celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Hopeman Memorial Carillon. His eclectic program includes favorite pieces of U of R carillon alumni, music on nature (inspired by the University of Rochester Arboretum), and popular tunes from 1973 when the carillon was dedicated. His program will end with music written specifically for the Hopeman Memorial Carillon, including Sagoyewatha and North Star by well known Rochester carillon composer and former bellman Charles Zettek, and Johnson’s own award winning composition Butterfly Fantasia. Johnson’s concert will be followed by a reception at the Hawkins Carlson room in Rush Rhees Library.

  • International Carillon Culture Dialogues Panel Discussion | October 8th, 1:30 p.m.-2:30 p.m. in Dewey room B-315, limited seating

Alex Johnson, Koen Van Assche, Claire Janezic, and current and former members of Rochester’s carillon community will take part in a panel describing their work and experiences in the carillon world, and welcoming audience discussion and questions.

  • Two TriptychsCarillon Concert | October 8th, 5:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m. on the Eastman Quadrangle

Koen Van Assche will play a concert in two halves, beginning with arrangements of classical music, and ending with pieces originally written for carillon. He will begin with music by Mozart, Schubert, and Chopin, including two Schubert impromptus. The second half of his program consists of original carillon pieces, opening with a piece by Mechelen-Romantic carillon composer Jef Rottiers, followed by two US premieres: Mist Against the Cathedral by Claire Janezic ‘22, and Heavenly Creatures by Jeroen Malaise. The latter work is a cycle of four compositions, with each composition representing a season, wind direction, and ancient Chinese celestial guardian seen as a constellation. 

2022-2023 Concert Programs

Past Concert Programs

Many past concert programs can be found on the Hopeman Carillon Instagram page.

Past concert videos can be found on the Hopeman Carillon Facebook page.

Videos of past concerts can also be viewed on the Hopeman Carillon YouTube page.