Westminster's Summer Carillon Concert Series Announced

The Carillon Summer Concert Series at Westminster College will welcome four guest carillonneurs to perform on the College’s 42-bell Duff-Armington Memorial Carillon throughout the month of July.

The series will open on Friday, July 9, with a performance by Tom Gurin, the carillonneur for Duke University Chapel. A graduate of Yale University and the Royal Carillon School “Jef Denyn” in Mechelen, Belgium, he performed the inaugural carillon recital at North Carolina State University. In addition to carillon performing, Gurin is also an active composer for orchestras, chamber concerts and films.

Lisa Lonie, the university carillonneur at Princeton University, will perform on Friday, July 16. A carillonneur since her teen years, Lonie is also the carillonneur at two Pennsylvania churches: St. Thomas’ Church in Whitemarsh and The Church of the Holy Trinity in Philadelphia, which houses the oldest carillon in North America. She has performed widely and internationally. She is a member of the Guild of Carillonneurs in North America, a former juror and chair of the Carillonneur Examinations Committee and has served on its Board of Directors. She currently chairs the Nominating Committee and sits on the Music Heritage Committee.

Claire Janezic will be the featured carillonneur on Friday, July 23. Janezic has been playing carillon for four years, studying at the University of Rochester. She has received instruction from Lisa Lonie, the July 16 carillonneur in Westminster’s concert series. At the University of Rochester, she is a member of the Carillon Society.

Julia Zhu will be the final featured carillonneur on Friday, July 30. Zhu has presented concerts and lectures throughout Europe and North America. She was appointed carillonneur at Saint Thomas Fifth Avenue in New York City in 2015. Zhu studied at Yale University, the Royal Carillon, Hunter College and is currently pursuing a doctorate at Stanford University.

All concerts begin at noon and are free and open to the public. Seating is on the quad outside of Old Main. Audience members are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and lunch to enjoy during the concerts. In the event of inclement weather, seating will be in Wallace Memorial Chapel.

One of only 55 college carillons nationwide, Westminster’s bells—42 in all—are an integral part of campus life. In addition to ringing the “Westminster Chime” every quarter hour throughout the day, the carillon is regularly played by Paula Kubik, Westminster organist.

For more information about the concert series, contact Diane Gabriel in the Office of Faith and Spirituality at gabriedl@westminster.edu or 724-946-7117. To learn more about the Duff-Armington Memorial Carillon, click here.

Pictured clockwise from top left are Tom Gurin, Lisa Lonie, Julia Zhu and Claire Janezic

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