July 25 Carillon Concert is Free and Open to the Public

An internationally acclaimed carillonneur who is also an MIT-and-Cal-Tech trained astrophysicist will perform at Storrs Congregational Church’s second carillon concert of the season on Sunday, July 25.

The concert will begin at 5 p.m on the church lawn at the corner of Route 195 and North Eagleville Road. The event is free and open to the public.

It is one of a three-part series that features the artistry of talented musicians from across New England playing the church’s historic Austin Cornelius Dunham Carillon.

“Our concerts provide a rare opportunity to listen to this storied instrument in a beautiful outdoor setting,” said Dr. Patricia Snyder, director of music ministry for Storrs Congregational-UCC. “And the upcoming performance offers a chance to hear a superbly talented and experienced carillonneur. It promises to be a delightful musical feast.”

The program includes an eclectic mix of carillon music. Selections range from 18th century original compositions to some of the best contemporary pieces for the carillon. The audience will also be treated to transcriptions of popular works, such as the theme from Sesame Street.

ABOUT THE CARILLONNEUR
The carillonneur for the July 25 concert is Margaret Pan, who graduated from the Royal Carillon School in Mechelen, Belgium in 2012 and spent autumn 2015 as carillon fellow at Bok Tower Gardens in Lake Wales, FL. She has played recitals across North America, Belgium, and the Netherlands and gave her first virtual recital representing the Guild of Carillonneurs in North America (GCNA) at this year's World Carillon Federation congress.

Pan won prizes in international competitions in Groningen, the Netherlands (2012) and Springfield, IL (2017) as well as the Queen Fabiola competition in Mechelen (2019). She has served on the GCNA exam committee since 2013, first as juror and currently as co-chair.
She holds physics and astrophysics degrees from MIT and Caltech and works on planetary dynamics in our and other solar systems at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory.

FOR CONCERT-GOERS
The concert will be held rain or shine.
Audience members are invited to bring lawn chairs, blankets, and picnics. A playground is available for children. Masks are required for unvaccinated people who enter the building to use the restroom facilities.

Those who wish to do so may listen from their cars. Parking is available on the street and in the church parking lot off North Eagleville Road.

The concert will also be accessible online through a link on the church website. An on-site monitor enables concert goers to watch the player in action inside the tower.

ABOUT THE HISTORIC CARILLON
The church’s carillon has been serenading the Storrs-Mansfield area since 1931. It has 36 bells, the largest of which, the Bourdon, weighs 2,800 pounds. The instrument is the only carillon east of the Connecticut River and one of the few anywhere that are completely American made.