Culver Academies’ first carillon recital of the year will be held next Saturday. Academies Carillonneur and Organist John Gouwens will perform several carillon works, including Gian Carlo Menotti’s “Six Pieces for Carillon,” Matthias van den Gheyn’s “Prelude no. 9,” and one of Gouwens’s own compositions, “Cortege.”
Also on the program is Bach’s complete “Partita no. 3,” originally written for solo violin. The recital will conclude with Roy Hamlin Johnson’s paraphrase on the traditional Easter chant, “Victimae Paschali Laudes.”
Gouwens says the best place to listen to the carillon is about 300 feet from the tower, depending on weather conditions. If it rains, the tower will be open during the performance to let people see the instrument up close. Otherwise, a tour of the carillon will be offered after the recital.
It takes place next Saturday at 4 p.m. Eastern on the 51-bell carillon at Culver Academies’ Memorial Chapel. It’s the first of eight Saturday afternoon recitals that will be held between now and October.
