Description
About the carillonneur
Karel Keldermans is one of the preeminent carillonneurs in North America and a carillonneur for Concordia Seminary since 2000. He retired in 2012 from the position of full-time carillonneur for the Springfield, Ill., Park District, where he also served as the director of the renowned International Carillon Festival for 36 years. He has given carillon concerts around the world for the past 40 years. He has released six solo carillon CDs and one of carillon and guitar duets with Belgian guitarist Wim Brioen. For 12 years, Keldermans, along with his wife, Linda, co-owned American Carillon Music Editions, the largest publisher of new music for the carillon in the world. Together they wrote the book, Carillon: The Evolution of a Concert Instrument in North America (Springfield Park District, 1996), and in 1998, they were honored jointly with the Berkeley Medal for “distinguished service to the carillon art.” Keldermans was president of the Guild of Carillonneurs in North America for five years and served on the Board of Directors for nine years. Keldermans studied carillon with Piet van den Broek at the Royal Carillon School in Mechelen, Belgium, from which he graduated “with great distinction.” He also did postgraduate study with Peter Bakker at the Netherlands Carillon School in Amersfoort. He has a master’s degree in carillon performance and campanology from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Ill.
Featuring national and international carillonneurs, the annual Summer Carillon Concerts are held at 7 p.m. Tuesdays in June. Guests are invited to bring lawn chairs, blankets and picnics and enjoy the music from the Main Quadrangle or on the Seminary grounds near Luther Statue. In the event of rain, guests may gather under the archways and tower on campus.
The carillon at Concordia Seminary is one of only 170 such instruments in North America. The 49 bells have been played atop the 120-foot Luther Tower since 1971, and are dedicated to all pastors who have served The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod.
