NEWS RELEASE
ST. GEORGE'S ANGLICAN CHURCH
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The bells of St. George’s Anglican Church will sing out over the city in a live carillon concert on Sunday, Aug. 20, 2023 beginning at 12:10 p.m.
The 40-minute program will be performed by Deborah Hennig, a professional carillonneur and resident of Stratford, Ont. Deborah is a graduate of the prestigious Royal Carillon School in Mechelen, Belgium, and has performed several concerts in Europe and as a guest artist in North America.
The program includes classical and popular music arranged for the carillon as well as pieces written especially for the carillon.
The concert opens with the joyful, sweeping grandness of the Prelude from J.S. Bach’s Cello Suite No. 1. This will be followed by the Prelude from Bach’s Cello Suite No. 5, which has a highly dramatic opening followed by a quick, dance-like section.
The concert continues with two works by Latina composer Alice Gomez (b. 1960) whose background as a percussionist can be heard clearly in Air and Dance and Lament and Alleluia. The latter begins with a mournful, lyrical lament after which the music winds up into a fast Alleluia where the notes literally tumble over each other.
The bells continue to sing with a beautiful arrangement of Moon River, the Breakfast at Tiffany’s theme song made famous by singer Andy Williams. An arrangement of Simon and Garfunkel’s dramatic, lyrical Bridge Over Troubled Water rounds out this pair of popular songs.
The program then transports listeners to Spain, starting with the warm lyricism of “On the Burro” by American composer Frank Della Penna (b. 1975) followed by “Asturias” by the Spanish Romantic-period composer Isaac Albeniz. Also known as “La Leyenda”, the piece was originally written for piano but has been popularised as a work for classical guitar. The piece is intense, lyrical, and pure Andalusian flamenco.
This concert is free of charge. The bells can be heard best from the area immediately surrounding the church. Douglas Street and the Courthouse parking lot offer good listening areas and audience members are encouraged to bring a folding seat for the concert.
The Cutten Memorial Carillon at St. George’s was originally a 23-bell instrument, installed in 1926 by the British bell foundry Gillett and Johnston. In 2006, it was refurbished and expanded (by US bell founders Meeks, Watson) to 39 bells and is a rare gem among carillons in Canada.
Location: St. George’s Anglican Church
99 Woolwich Street, Guelph, Ont.
Date: Sunday, Aug. 20, 2023 at 12:10 p.m.
Duration: 40 minutes
Admission: Free
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