Past Barnes Grant recipients

The Ronald Barnes Memorial Grant fund helps North Americans pursue studies in carillon performance, composition, music history, or instrument design.

Projects supported: 27

Total amount awarded: US$142,494

2024 (US$14,478)

Alan Bowman is cataloging 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.

2023 (US$14,197)

Tom Gurin is conducting a musicological study on the influence of John Powell on American carillon culture.

Lisa Lonie and Janet Tebbel are completing a second phase of work on the Ronald Barnes Collection, housed at the Anton Brees Carillon Library. The final product will be a comprehensive online finding guide along with a detailed inventory of Barnes' compositions and manuscripts.

Naoko Tsujita is collecting data for an eventual database of chamber music scores for carillon and other instruments.

2022 (US$13,062)

Simone Browne is conducting oral history to produce carillonneur biographies.

Carlos Colón-Ortiz researched dances archived in his homeland of Puerto Rico to create carillon arrangements. He hosted a webinar on the project.

2021 (US$12,606)

Yiqing Ma studied Bianzhong repertoire, techniques, tunings, and scales to develop techniques for adapting this ancient Chinese repertoire to the carillon. She hosted a webinar on the project.

2020 (US$12,333)

Laura Ellis created a professional recording of representative carillon compositions of Alice Gomez titled Jubilant Bells: Carillon Music of Alice Gomez (Raven OAR-185).

Michelle S. Lam and Elisa Tersigni collected and analyzed responses from a quantitative and qualitative survey aimed at those broadly involved in the North American carillon community. They reported the results at the 2022 GCNA Congress (summarized in the 2023 GCNA Bulletin).

2019 (US$11,827)

Robin Austin, Lisa Lonie, and Janet Tebbel created folder-level descriptions of all materials in the Ronald Barnes Collection, housed at the Anton Brees Carillon Library, and developed a user-friendly finding aid. They hosted a webinar on the project.

Kimberly Rockness Wood was to write a young adult book about carillons, including the definition/description, history (bells to carillons), current examples of carillons in North America, and the future of the carillon. The project was not completed and the grant was refunded.

2018 (US$11,000)

Jaime Fogel designed and produced a traveling informational exhibit on the technical processes of bell founding: Singing Bronze. You can borrow the traveling exhibit or request a permanent copy.

Benjamin Sunderlin researched the metallurgical and acoustic properties of 4 bell molding and casting methods: traditional continental, traditional English, resin-bonded sand via pattern, and modern continental. He hosted a webinar on the project.

2017 (US$7,681)

Rachel Perfecto created an online guide to arranging music for the carillon and hosted a webinar on the project.

Pamela Ruiter-Feenstra studied carillon with Tiffany Ng and jazz with Ellen Rowe to support the preparation of the multicultural carillon composition Belonging: A Carillon Call to Care for All. She published a detailed discussion in the 2021 GCNA Bulletin.

2016 (US$3,235)

Robin Austin, Lisa Lonie, and Janet Tebbel created folder-level descriptions of all materials in the Arthur Bigelow Collection, housed at at the Anton Brees Carillon Library, and developed a user-friendly finding aid. They published reports in Carillon News (November 2017), page 19, and Carillon News (April 2018), page 16.

Mitchell Stecker studied the compositional techniques of Roy Hamlin Johnson, with an emphasis on the Carillon Book for the Liturgical Year.

2015 ($10,567)

Joey Brink investigated the design materials and fabrication techniques in order to reduce the cost of a practice keyboard while still maintaining a suitable practice experience. He gave 2 presentations (members only) and published a report in Carillon News (November 2017), page 14–15.

2014 (US$8,800)

Andrée-Anne Doane researched the extensive collection of carillon music of Émilien Allard and compiled a compresensive inventory and catalog at the Anton Brees Carillon Library.

2013 (US$4,100)

Frances Newell studied the method of arranging symphonic, piano, and vocal works for carillon under the mentorship of Carlo van Ulft, producing 4 arrangements:

1. Mondnacht, from Liederkreis, Op. 39, by Robert Schumann, published by the GCNA
2. Trois Gnossiennes for Piano, by Erik Satie, published by the GCNA
3. Pastoral Symphony, Op. 68, No. 6 (final movement), by Ludwig van Beethoven, published by American Carillon Music Editions
4. Ave Maria, Op. 52, No. 6, by Franz Schubert, published by American Carillon Music Editions

2012 (US$6,750)

Ed Herrmann created high-quality audio recordings (members only) of each of the 72 bells at the Rockefeller Memorial Chapel for use in practice instruments and composition software.

Tiffany Ng conducted research at the Netherlands Carillon and Washington Memorial Chapel to work on her doctoral thesis "The Heritage of the Future: Historical Keyboards, Technology, and Modernism." It contains a chapter concerning the social role and repertoire of Frank Péchin Law, the carillonneur at both venues, with respect to his varied audiences at the different venues.

2011 (US$3,558)

Sharon Hettinger developed a "carillonneur family tree," stored at the Anton Brees Carillon Library, that documents and preserves pedagogical lineage for North Americans, those living and deceased, who studied here or abroad, and includes those carillonneurs from abroad who may have pedagogical roots or temporary residency in North America. She published a report of her project in Carillon News (November 2013), page 7.

2010 (US$2,500)

Carol Anne Taylor developed and produced the music book The Spanish Liturgical Year for Carillon, published by the GCNA. It contains 15 arrangements of Hispanic music, appropriate to the Spanish liturgy, that are useful for both church and concert settings.

2009 (US$0)

No grant awarded.

2008 (US$3,000)

Carol Anne Taylor underwent 2 non-consecutive weeks of intensive advanced instruction in carillon repertoire, pedagogy, and performance from William De Turk at Bok Tower Gardens.

2007 (US$2,800)

Kim Schafer conducted research at Stanford University and Yale University to work on her doctoral thesis "Remembering and Performing the Ideal Campus: The Sound Cultures of Interwar American Universities."