The Art of Carillon
4/8/2016
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Are you the midnight musician? How wonderful! 
Thanks to a gift from Paul and Carol Collins, we have been privileged to have two Collins Carillon Fellowships at Bok Tower Gardens this year. These advanced students stay at Pinewood Estate and gain experience playing, composing, arranging and training under our Carillonneur Geert D’hollander. They also perform our live carillon concerts Mondays through Wednesdays in season. As an added perk, they get to enjoy lots of valuable after-hours rehearsal time in the Tower – a rare treat for carillonneurs whose instruments are located where playing hours are restricted.
“This must be the only carillon in the world where, if you play at 11 pm, you will later hear, ‘Are you the midnight musician? How wonderful!’ instead of ‘Grrr…please stop, we’re trying to sleep!'” muses Margaret Pan, our Collins Carillon Fellow from October to January.
The annual springtime Concert Under The Stars takes place at the Gardens Saturday, April 25 at 7 p.m., featuring an unforgettable evening of Gypsy Jazz with The John Jorgenson Quintet. Violinist Ashley Liberty and pianist Daniel Strange will open the show.
“This year’s Concert Under The Stars takes guests back to the Parisian jazz haunts of the 1930s and 1940s,” says Brian Ososky, Director of Marketing and Public Relations. “The music has a swinging, upbeat sound that will really connect with concert-goers. John Jorgenson is one of the best in the business, and people are going to be blown away when they hear him on the guitar; it’s unbelievable.”
The group’s style has been called Gypsy Jazz after the dynamic string-driven swing created by Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli in 1930′s Paris, but Jorgenson’s compositions draw in elements from Latin, Romanian, Classical, Rock and Greek styles, so “21st-Century World Music” is perhaps a more apt description.
Two world-class carillon students have the unique opportunity to study under Gardens’ Carillonneur Geert D’hollander thanks to a new fellowship program made possible by a gift from Paul and Carol Collins. This also means visitors will enjoy live carillon music seven days a week through early May 2015.
Christmas Day at Bok Tower Gardens will certainly be a very memorable experience for everyone in attendance.
In addition to complimentary Holiday Home Tours of Pinewood Estate for the first 1,000 visitors, Gardens carillonneur Geert D’hollander will share his 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. performances with a very special guest. For the first time, D’hollander’s 9-year-old daughter, Rosalie, will join her father in the Tower’s playing cabin to perform a heartfelt duet of “Silent Night.”
For the first time, two Americans earned first and second place at the seventh International Queen Fabiola Carillon Competition in Mechelen, Belgium. Winner Joey Brink and runner-up Brian Tang both traveled to Lake Wales this spring to prepare for the world’s most prestigious competition under the guidance of Gardens’ Carillonneur Gert D’hollander.
“I couldn’t be more proud of them,” Geert said. “It is truly an amazing accomplishment.”
Winner of the first Queen Fabiola Competition in 1987, Geert’s name was also on the program this summer. He was given the honor to introduce a compulsory composition for mobile carillon and strings.
A Night of Roots-Rock, Newgrass & Homestyle Americana April 26!
The countdown is on for the Gardens’ premier outdoor live music event!
Concert Under the Stars features annually-changing performances in a unique festival atmosphere. This year’s lineup features progressive American folk rock and “newgrass” band, The Greencards, along with the roots-rock and country sounds of Connor Christian & Southern Gothic.
Advance: $20 adults. $8 children ages 5-12. Children under 5 admitted free. Day of: $25 per person. $10 children ages 5-12. Tickets include all-day admission.
Geert D’hollander is winding down his first full season as carillonneur at Bok Tower Gardens this month. His last carillon concerts of the season can be heard this Friday, May 3 – Sunday 5 and Thursday, May 9 through Sunday, May 12 at 1 & 3 p.m.
Don’t forget we also have a special after-hours performance this Sunday in celebration of Cinco de Mayo, too!
In October 2012 Geert joined Bok Tower Gardens in the coveted position as the fourth carillonneur in the history of the Gardens. As an internationally acclaimed composer, performer and instructor, he has brought with him a passion for the carillon that has encouraged him to push the envelope during performances throughout his first season here at the Gardens.
With perfect weather, more than 1,000 friends, and an evening full of great music I think it is easy to say tonight’s concert was one of the best we’ve held at Bok Tower Gardens! We want to thank you for coming out to spend the night with your friends and family here at the Gardens and we hope to see you again soon.
Check out some of the photos from tonight’s concert!
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If you’ve been following our new blog for the past week or so or seen one of our ads someplace, you may have noticed us referring to our upcoming Concert Under The Stars on April 27th in a never-heard-of-that-before kind of way. I’m referring to our marketing and promotion of the concert as being an evening of “blue-jazz pop-grass” with The Duhks and the Alison Brown Quartet.
So… what is blue-jazz pop-grass exactly?
Tell us what you think “blue-jazz pop-grass” is in the comments below!
Since his arrival last October, Geert D’hollander has had his “plate” full once becoming the fourth carillonneur in the history of Bok Tower Gardens. His enthusiasm for the carillon has led him to create Harmonious Fare, a new “flavorful” concert series that pairs musical selections with themed picnic dinners during sunset atop Iron Mountain.
“The Singing Tower is a magical instrument, and its music is a great form of storytelling to inspire one’s imagination and transport you to another time and place,” says D’hollander. The final series performance theme is titled “Seafarer’s Delight” and will include selections ranging from Disney’s “The Little Mermaid” to Handel’s “Water Music.”