Iowa State will host The 57th Congress of The Guild of Carillonneurs in North America from June 16 to 19 as part of celebrating the 100-year anniversary of the Bells of Iowa State.

From Wednesday through Saturday, the events will include workshops, presentations and public recitals, said Tin-Shi Tam, ISU carillonneur.

“The evening events are dedicated to the Bells of Iowa State,” Tam said.

This is the third year ISU has hosted the Congress, Tam said. The guild also held its annual meeting in Ames in 1965 and 1980.

“During the next four days, there will be about 130 carillonneurs at Iowa State from the U.S., Canada and even some from Europe,” said Robert Lindemeyer, associate director of the ISU Industrial Technology Center and co-chair of the 57th Congress. “There will be wonderful music coming from the bells every evening, afternoon and even in the morning.”

The carillon concerts are open to the public without charge, Tam said.

“We are thrilled to have all of the carillonneurs here. It enforces how much of a tradition the carillon is at Iowa State,” Lindemeyer said.

Wednesday from 7 to 7:15 p.m., Tam will play the carillon. Her opening recital will feature three compositions from the winner of the annual carillon competition, as well as two pieces written by Jeff Prater, professor of music and head of the music theory division at ISU.

Following Tam’s performance, there will be presentations in the Tye Recital Hall in Music Hall.

“At eight o’clock on Wednesday evening, there will be a multimedia presentation on the history and tradition of the Bells of Iowa State given by Bob Lindemeyer who is a Stanton Memorial Foundation member,” Tam said.

Lindemeyer’s presentation, entitled “The Bells of Iowa State: An Enduring Tradition,” will include video clips and slides of the history of the campanile and carillon.

The program is open to the public, Lindemeyer said.

“Aside from myself, Margaret Doe will be speaking,” he said. “She is president of the Stanton Memorial Carillon Foundation and grand-daughter of Edgar Stanton — the man who gave the first set of bells as a gift in memory of wife who passed away in 1895.”

Debbie Knapp, granddaughter of Laura Storms Knapp, the first woman to play the carillon, will also be speaking Wednesday evening.

George Matthew Jr., from Norwich University in Northfield, Vermont, will play Thursday from 5:15 to 6 p.m..

Todd Fair from Netherlands Carillon School in Amersfoot, The Netherlands, will play from 6:15 to 7 p.m.

Gordon Slater from the Houses of Parliament in Ottawa, Ontario, is scheduled for Friday from 7 to 7:45 p.m.

Milford Myhre from the Bok Tower Gardens in Lake Wales, Florida, will play from 8 to 8:45 p.m.

On Saturday, Helen Hawley from Lawrence, Kan. will play from 4:30 to 5:15 p.m. The Carillonneur members of GCNA will perform from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.

“We welcome anyone to attend [the recitals]. Bring a lawn chair or a blanket to enjoy the music,” Tam said.

Lindemeyer said the carillonneurs prefer to listen to the music at a distance.

“One of the better spots to listen is from the front steps of Curtiss Hall,” he said.

Tam said the Congress is meeting at ISU in conjunction with the anniversary of the Bells of Iowa State.

The Bells of Iowa State were donated to the university by Edgar W. Stanton in memory of his first wife Margaret Price MacDonald Stanton.

The 10 bells installed in 1899 were the first scientifically tuned bells to be exported by the John Taylor & Company of Loughborough, England.

In 1929, following the death of Edgar W. Stanton, 20 bells and a playing console were added in his memory. In 1956, The Stanton Memorial Carillon Foundation purchased 13 treble bells and in 1967, the 50th bell was added.

Between 1992 and 1994, the carillon and the campanile underwent a major renovation.

The carillon was renovated by the I.T. Verdin Company and the Meeks, Watson & Company.

The work included a redesign of the framing and positioning of the bells, new clappers for all the bells, a new transmission system (radial action) for the instrument and new playing and practice consoles.

This will not be the only chance to celebrate the anniversary of the ISU carillon tradition, Tam said.

“We will have another big event in the fall for students. There will be a 100th anniversary concert on Sep. 12 which will include the choir, band concerts and family activities,” she said.