The Guild of Carillonneurs in North America

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The Guild of Carillonneurs in North America

The GCNA is a professional organization dedicated to promoting the carillon art in North America.

We are The Guild of Carillonneurs in North America (GCNA), a professional nonprofit organization dedicated to the promotion of the carillon art in North America. We are musicians, bellfounders, carillon technicians and builders, and bell enthusiasts. We do not maintain a fixed office or headquarters, nor are we compensated for our work. Rather, we are motivated by our passion for the art, voluntee

ring our time and workspaces. Since our founding in 1936, we’ve been a leading promoter and educator of the carillon art in both North America and the world. We encourage the composition and distribution of carillon music; support the development and expansion of the carillonneur as a profession; and advocate for the building, maintenance, and improvement of new and existing carillons. Learn more about what we’ve been doing all this time on our website: https://www.gcna.org/guild-history

What is a carillon? It is a musical instrument of at least 23 cast bronze bells which are connected to a keyboard. Carillons developed through a series of advancements in timekeeping and bellringing over the last 500 years. They are most concentrated in the Low Countries of Europe, where they originated. However, Americans and Canadians became increasingly interested in the instrument throughout the 1900s, and today there is a thriving carillon culture on the continent. Learn more about carillons on our website: www.gcna.org/about-carillons

08/17/2026

The Kaap Memorial Carillon at the First Evangelical Lutheran Church, Green Bay, WI, consists of 47 bronze bells cast by Petit & Fritsen. The instrument is in concert pitch with bells ranging in weight from 20 to 5,280 pounds. The carillon, a gift of and supported by the Kaap Memorial Carillon Fund, was dedicated in service on December 22, 1957. Learn more at https://www.firstlutherangb.org/page/carillon

📷: Gerald Martindale

08/10/2026

In September 2005, a 37-bell carillon was delivered to Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church and, over the course of several weeks, installed in the church tower. Cast in Aarle-Rixtel, Netherlands by the Petit and Fritsen foundry, the Carillon was assembled and finished by The Verdin Company of Cincinnati, Ohio. This carillon was made possible by the generosity of an anonymous donor. In May 2006, the carillon was expanded to 49 bells. The carillon is played regularly before and after Sunday services.

08/03/2026

The Mary M. Emery Memorial Carillon, an instrument of 49 bells, is located in a campanile in Dogwood Park in the Cincinnati suburb of Mariemont, one of the first planned communities in the nation. The original instrument of 23 bells was installed when the tower was built in 1929 by Gillett & Johnston, Croydon, England; in 1968, 26 Petit & Fritsen treble bells were added. After 40 years, the 1968 keyboard, treble action, and clappers were in need of replacement; and the old open bearing 1929 action and clappers had also reached the end of their useful life. In 2008, a general renovation of the instrument was completed by Meeks, Watson and Company.

Each week, visitors to Mariemont’s Dogwood Park can listen to live performances on the Mary M. Emery Memorial Carillon. The 2026 season of concerts began on Memorial Day at 2:00 p.m. and follow every Sunday at 7pm June through Labor Day.

07/27/2026

The Iowa State University Campanile-Carillon Model is a cross-disciplinary project to construct a working, 1:5 scale mobile model of the Iowa State's Campanile and a 27-bell carillon. The bells were cast in 2018 by Meek, Watson, and Company. The model is used at various university events and outreach programs across the state and throughout the nation. It also serves as an educational tool and a musical instrument. Many enjoy the musical experiences and learn the complex engineering of the carillon.

Iowa State University Society of Carillon Alumni and Friends

07/21/2026

The Carlsberg Company of Denmark provided funding for the construction of the 50-bell carillon at Exhibition Place in Toronto. The bells were cast by the Royal Eijsbouts foundry of Asten, the Netherlands, and were installed in the tower in 1974. The largest bell weighs 4,850 pounds and the instrument transposes up a perfect fourth from concert pitch. Five of the large bells are equipped with outside hammers to sound the Cambridge Quarters and hour strike. The project to completely renovate the carillon was completed in July 2022 by Meeks, Watson and Company from Georgetown, Ohio. Gerald Martindale plays the Exhibition Place Carillon once or twice most weeks of the year.

07/14/2026

The Shelmerdine Memorial Carillon in the tower of First United Methodist Church of Germantown, Philadelphia, contains 50 bells, ranging in size from 15 lbs to 6720 lbs. Cast in 1927 in Loughborough, England, by John Taylor & Co., the original 48-note instrument was enlarged with two bells from Petit & Fritsen during a 1990 renovation made possible by a grant from the Presser Foundation. The renovation, completed by Richard Watson and The Verdin Company, included a completely new transmission and rehanging of all bells. All mechanics, from the top of the keys to the clappers, were replaced. Additionally, the instrument transposition was changed to concert pitch, with a range of Bb, C, C # chromatic for four octaves.

07/11/2026

🎵🌳 Cet été, laissez-vous envoûter par les sons de notre carillon. Nos concerts en plein air sont l’occasion parfaite de faire une pause et de vivre un moment musical dans un cadre inspirant.

🔔 Situé sur l'esplanade de l’Oratoire, nos concerts de carillon sont gratuits et accessibles à tous. Que vous soyez de passage ou fidèle visiteur, chaque prestation offre une expérience sonore unique.

➡ Horaire des concerts de carillon : https://saint-joseph.org/fr/patrimoine/

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🎵🌳 This summer, let yourself be enchanted by the sounds of our carillon. Our open-air concerts are the perfect opportunity to pause and enjoy a musical moment in an inspiring setting.

🔔 Located on the Oratory's esplanade, our carillon concerts are free and open to everyone. Whether you're visiting for the first time or a longtime guest, each performance offers a unique sound experience.

➡ Carillon concert schedule: https://saint-joseph.org/en/patrimony/

07/06/2026

The only traditional carillon in Quebec, the instrument at L'Oratoire Saint-Joseph du Mont-Royal is an important element of Quebec’s heritage. Sixty-two bronze bells make up an instrument weighing nearly 19,000 kg in total. The largest bell, the bourdon, weighs 3,600 kg, while the smallest weighs only 5 kg.

The set of bells comprising the carillon was made by the Paccard Foundry, a French foundry and bell maker. Originally intended for the Eiffel Tower, it was loaned to Saint Joseph’s Oratory in 1955 for its 50th anniversary, before being offered to it by generous donors. The carillon is played regularly by Andrée-Anne Doane.

06/29/2026

The Washington National Cathedral's Kibbey Carillon is one of the heaviest in the world. Given by Miss Bessie J. Kibbey in memory of her grandparents, the 53 bronze bells of the carillon were cast at one time and installed in the early 1960s. The carillon was manufactured by the John Taylor & Co. of Loughborough, England, and was dedicated on September 22, 1963. The carillon can be heard in weekly performance by Edward M. Nassor, Cathedral Carillonneur.

The smallest bell of the carillon weighs 17 pounds. The largest weighs 24,000 pounds, or 12 tons, and measures eight feet, eight inches in diameter. The carillon is played via a keyboard and pedals, situated high in the Cathedral’s central tower (150 feet above the nave floor) and directly amid the bells. The keyboard controls a mechanical tracker system that uses transmission wires to move the clappers. The bells remain stationary while a metal clapper strikes the inside of the casting. Learn more at https://cathedral.org/music/bells-carillon/

06/24/2026

An invitation to the 84th Congress of The Guild of Carillonneurs in North America from our host, the Alexander McGaffin Carillon in Cleveland, OH, from June 14-18, 2027.

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New Haven, CT

Website

http://www.gcna.org/

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