Concord University to host 2024 North American Guild of Carillonneurs Annual Congress

ATHENS, WV (LOOTPRESS) – Concord University was selected as the host for the 2024 North America Guild of Carillonneurs Annual Congress on June 5-8, 2024.

The greater Mercer County community is invited to attend. The event is free of charge. Carillon players from all across North America will be in attendance, many on faculty at prestigious institutions of higher education. There will be time for the community to go inside the carillon cabin where the instrument is played and to meet the musicians.

The Congress will feature performances by international level carillon performers, workshops for members of the guild, and performance examinations for prospective carillon players. Dr. Jacob Womack, Marsh Endowed Associate Professor of Music and Chair for the Department of Fine Arts and Communication, along with Jesse Ratcliffe, a Concord Alum, submitted the successful proposal to host the Carillon Congress at Concord.

Dr. Womack says of the opportunity, “Hosting the 2024 Guild of Carillonneurs Congress is a huge honor for the institution and state. This is a great way to pay homage to former Concord President Marsh who brought the carillon to Concord and had a great passion for the instrument. The carillon congress is an annual event that attracts some of the best musicians from North America and abroad. The University is very excited to host this event.”

This Carillonneurs Annual Congress has previously been hosted by prestigious institutions such as Yale, University of Chicago, University of Michigan, among others.

Concord University owns the only grand carillon in the state of West Virginia, a 48-bell instrument atop of Marsh Hall. The carillon has similarities to the piano and organ. There are 48 levers that control the bells that are depressed either by a closed fist or by foot. The depressed levers transmit the sound via rods and clappers which make the bells ring. T he largest bell weighs about 4,000 pounds.