Ronald Barnes Memorial Grant

Ronald Barnes

As the leading promoter and educator of the carillon art on the continent, The Guild of Carillonneurs in North America invites you to apply for a Ronald Barnes Memorial Grant. They help North Americans pursue studies in carillon performance, composition, music history, or instrument design.

The grant fund was established in 1998 and named in honor of Ronald Barnes. A prominent carillonneur and respected member of the GCNA, he made extraordinary contributions to the North American carillon art through his compositions and musicological research. Since the first grant cycle in 2007, we have awarded over US$140,000 to more than 2 dozen research projects.

See past recipients

Eligibility

Grants of up to US$14,138 are available for the 2025 grant cycle depending on the number of successful applicants.

• You must be a resident of North America.
• You will propose to study carillon performance, composition, music history, or instrument design in North America. You may not request to commission music, sponsor recitals, or back commercial ventures.
• Membership in the GCNA is not required.

2024 grant recipients

Congratulations to the grant recipients of the 2024 cycle!

• Alan Bowman will catalog the 1,360 remaining Anton Brees Carillon Library catalog records, adding information such as digitized file IDs and updated catalog records metadata to ensure easy discoverability. Between 2016 and 2019, 1,660 of the library's reel-to-reel carillon concert recordings were professionally digitized. This collection includes performances by many influential carillonneurs from the 1950s to the 1990s.
• Carson Landry is researching and documenting the level of activity of all carillons in North America, including factors such as frequency of playing, institutional financial support, and the presence or lack of a paid carillonist position. This information will be submitted to the GCNA's forthcoming online carillon directory and Towerbells.org, and will be used to inform a second phase (not yet funded) to identify trends among inactive or active carillon programs and best practices of successful renovation and revitalization efforts.

How to apply

To apply, submit a completed application form to the co-chairs of the Ronald Barnes Memorial Grant Committee, Robin Austin and Carolyn Bolden, at barnes@gcna.org. In your application you will provide:

• A clear and concise statement outlining your plan of study
• A brief summary stating why your proposal merits an award as it relates to the mission of the grant fund
• An estimated budget for your proposal (the Barnes Committee has outlined budget considerations as a guide)
• Details of your personal background, including education, work experience, and other activities and achievements
• Letters from 3 references in support of your proposal

Key dates

• Application deadline: March 1, 2025
• Grants awarded: Mid-June 2025
• Project deadline: June 2027 (projects must be completed within 2 years)

What to expect after you apply

The Ronald Barnes Memorial Grant Committee reviews all applications. Jurors are appointed annually by the Board of Directors. For the 2025 grant cycle, they are Hunter Chase, Dave Johnson, Carol Jickling Lens, Ed Nassor, and Carla Staffaroni, with Austin Ferguson and Sue Bergren as alternates. The committee chairs are not jurors.

If your proposal is accepted, you will sign a Letter of Agreement, which formalizes your project and outlines the terms and conditions of using the grant.

Mission of the grant fund

The Ronald Barnes Memorial Grant fund seeks to promote the growth and vitality of the North American carillon culture by encouraging study in carillon performance, composition, music history, or instrument design. It's named in honor of Ronald Barnes, who for nearly 50 years was a major force in establishing a North American approach to the art of the carillon. The GCNA established the fund in 1998 and began awarding grants in 2007.

Meet Ronald Barnes