Member bio
Robin Austin became a carillonneur member in 1981. He currently co-chairs the Barnes Memorial Grant and is a past member of the GCNA Board and the Examination Committee. Robin began his carillon studies in 1979 with Frank Péchin Law (Valley Forge) and continued his studies with Jacques Lannoy (Douai, France), earning the carillonneur’s diploma from the French Carillon School in 1982. He earned a Bachelors of Arts from West Chester University and a Master of Social Service from Bryn Mawr College and has studied piano with Praxiteles “Ted” Pandel (West Chester University), Charles Engel (Settlement School) and Michael Tsalka (Temple University).
Robin served as carillonneur of Grace Episcopal Church, Plainfield, New Jersey (1985-1990), Princeton University (1993-2012), and the Thomas Rees Memorial Carillon (2012-2014). He has performed throughout North America and Europe and played the dedication recitals for Concord College (1997) and Longwood Gardens (2001). He helped initiate interest in and raise funds for the restoration of the Princeton University carillon, “The Class of 1892 Bells,” and hosted the GCNA’s 1995 congress at Princeton. Among other GCNA Bulletin articles, Robin wrote a two-part biography of Arthur Bigelow (1910-1967), Princeton University’s first carillonneur, made possible thanks to the generosity of and his friendship with Marianne Bigelow Lyon, Arthur’s daughter.
Robin is a retired fundraising professional and held leadership positions at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. He currently serves on the Dean’s Advisory Board for the College of Arts and Humanities at West Chester University where he regularly audits French courses. He and his spouse Gary Wescott enjoy gardening and travel.
