Around 20 carillonists are set to bring the tuneful bells of the Bathurst War Memorial Carillion to life when the inaugural Festival of Bells is held early next month.
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The event, which will be held from May 7 to 9, will see the Carillon solidify its original purpose as a musical instrument, with performers to take on a host of classic and contemporary pieces.
Featured carillonist Denise Garland, who is one of four local performers set to play the Carillon, said the event will showcase the landmark's true capabilities.
"We gave the community a taste of what to expect with an evening concert last month but at the festival, expect to hear the Carillon sing in a number of voices," Ms Garland said.
"There will be over three hours worth of Carillon performances throughout the festival, ranging from classical staples and traditional pieces honouring Australian servicepeople to modern pieces reflecting popular culture."
The modern pieces will feature during the twilight family concert session of the festival [May 8, 4pm to 6pm], and include selections from Forrest Gump, Game of Thrones, Harry Potter and Les Miserables.
Ms Garland said the selected pieces to be performed across the festival consist mostly of duets, allowing for a more practical approach to playing the clavier.
"The clavier requires the player to hammer pegs with their fists and feet, which places greater emphasis on arpeggios [broken chords] rather than full chords, and duets allow for greater control over sound," she said.
"With that said, there will be a range of solo pieces traversing a variety of genres, so there will be enough to satisfy a diverse array of audiences."
With the Carillon now complete, Ms Garland said the possibilities are endless as far as music is concerned.
"The clavier is complex enough to accommodate trios, and we have an ever-expanding vault of sheet music to deepen the Carillon's songlist," she said.
In addition to the Carillon, a host of local bands, choirs and ensembles will provide additional entertainment to highlight the sheer diversity of Bathurst's creative community.
Festival of Bells programs are available from www.bathurstregion.com.au.
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Sam Bolt
"I'm not in the business of telling people what to do. I'm much more in the business of describing things, situations and stuff like that and leaving them out there, and you can make up your minds about them." -Nick Cave
"I'm not in the business of telling people what to do. I'm much more in the business of describing things, situations and stuff like that and leaving them out there, and you can make up your minds about them." -Nick Cave
