The bells of the Campanile will ring out in many melodic tunes this weekend during the 1998 Spring Carillon Festival.

On April 24-26, the Stanton Memorial Carillon, located inside the Campanile on central campus, will be graced with the talents of many carillonneurs, including special guest Albert Gerken from the University of Kansas.

Tin-Shi Tam, university carillonneur, will kick off the festival Friday at noon playing requests. She will give a carillon recital Friday at 5 p.m., featuring a mixture of Belgium music, pieces from the classical period, early baroque pieces and French Canadian music.

The festival continues on Saturday with a seminar titled “The Importance of Musical Considerations in Building or Renovating a Carillon” delivered by Gerken at 2 p.m.

He will follow the seminar with a recital of his own at 3 p.m.

At 4 p.m., guests are invited to tour the Campanile.

Gerken has been a carillonneur at KU since 1964 and has been a member of the Guild of Carillonneurs in North America since 1962.

The Carillon Festival has been an annual event for the last four years, and there is a different special guest every year, Tam said.

Following Gerken’s recital will be a tour of the Campanile, concluding Saturday’s festivities.

On Sunday at 2 p.m., Tam will provide the family aspect of the concert. It will feature the Ames Children’s Preparatory Choir, ISU Dance, ISU/Ames Flute Ensemble and the ISU student carillonneurs.

“It’s a family concert,” Tam said.

The student carillonneurs are Iowa State students who have been taking classes from Tam in the music department.

Music 126x and Music 118e are the two courses offered at the university for instruction on carillon and are open to all students.

“Music 126x is a beginners carillon class,” Tam said. “You learn basic skills of how to play carillon and different aspects of carillon.”

It teaches not only how to play but gives an overview of understanding carillon as a musical instrument. No auditions are necessary to enroll.

Music 118e is the applied course in carillon with one to one instruction. Tam said this course is also open to beginners, but she encourages students to take 126x first.

“You’re required to play up in the Campanile from time to time [in 118e],” she said.

Tam and her students and other carillonneurs practice performing in the practice console in the music hall. Once students feel comfortable there, they demonstrate their talent and hard work in the Campanile.

The students will play during the 2 p.m. concert on Sunday.

Tam hopes that students and families will come to the festival and enjoy the sounds of the carillon — and hopefully the good weather.

“The audience is growing. We hope we can have even more people,” she said.

Tam encourages students to use the festival as an excuse to take a break from studying for finals.

There is also a composition competition tied into the festival for composers of carillon music.

“The purpose is to encourage young composers to write music for the carillon,” she said.

The competition is open to anyone, and entries are received from around the world, Tam said.

Next year the festival will be in celebration of the centennial anniversary of the carillon.

“Look out for more celebration activities next year,” Tam said.

Submit musical requests for Tam’s noon concert this Friday, by e-mailing her at [email protected].