Carilloneurs

There is a unique event going on during most of this week in Saint Paul--a convention of carilloneurs! 

From a local post:

What, you say, is a carilloneur? Somebody who plays a carillon! No, I didn't say carrion!

What's a carillon? A set of tuned bells in a bell tower!

Why haven't I seen one? There are only 164 of them in the entire United States, while there are 182 carillons in The Netherlands!

The three carillons in Minnesota are at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, at Central Lutheran Church in downtown Minneapolis by the Convention Center, and at House of Hope Presbyterian Church in St. Paul. 

All this week there will be free public concerts which you can listen to from the lawn of House of Hope Church at 797 Summit Avenue in St. Paul. A tent is set up to protect listeners in case of rain. Bring a lawn chair or blanket to sit on!

The world's leading carillon players are coming to town to play for each other and for us.

Think of your kids. Maybe this would be something they'd enjoy. The last convention of carillon players in St. Paul was 50 years ago! There IS a weekly Sunday afternoon carillon concert series at House of Hope every Sunday beginning on the Fourth of July and every Sunday for the next several weeks, at 4 p.m. Remember, they are outdoors. And if you become bored, you can just walk away or amuse yourself with a book.