Homborch party and bells labs
Jan
is
The bell man
"Hello, I am Jan and I am infected with the bell virus. I've been researching it in my Bells Lab for years, but the only result is that I'm infecting more and more people!" (Innovatieve klokkenmuziek | België | Bells Lab)
Jan will be bringing his portable carillon to the Homborch festival.
The program includes workshops for children and adults, and a small concert.
"Jan Verheyen is the driving force behind Bells Lab. He likes to share his passion for handbells, bells and carillon.
He has been the city carillonneur of Hasselt since 2008 and also of Neerpelt since 2015. Jan worked hard to install a carillon there. He is also a much sought-after concertist at home and abroad and teaches carillon at the Royal Carillon School in Mechelen and at the academies of Mol and North Limburg.
Jan has done his musical studies at the Carillon School in Mechelen, the Netherlands Carillon Institute in Dordrecht and also has a master's degree in music from Luca Arts in Leuven. He also holds a master's degree in language and literature (Germanic Languages)."
The tourcarillon
" The tourcarillon is a unique mobile carillon, that can be used for all kinds of projects. It’s designed so that it can be used both indoors and outdoors.
The instrument consists of 4 modules with 42 bells in total, which means almost 1300 kilos of bell bronze.
The carillon finds itself on a trailer which at the same time serves as a stage. For outdoor concerts the carillon is ready in five minutes.
The instrument can also be driven off the trailer and placed on a larger stage and driven inside.
The carillon is a realisation of the Fonderia Allanconi from Italy."
A carillon in the garden city
The idea was to join in with the Homborch Festival with the Bells Lab's mobile carillon to spread the word about the “carillon project” as widely as possible, but also to ring the bells in the city once again. The good news is that most of the people we met were aware of the project and, even if they didn't want to participate, they were delighted to see it come to fruition. There were lots of questions and discussions. Where will the carillon be placed, when will it ring, how often, etc. Everyone was reassured, informed, and some joined the adventure.
Jan gave two mini-concerts, everyone was able to understand how the carillon works, and I took advantage of the musical call to meet the “passers-by.” Those who wanted to were able to test the carillon by ringing the bells and making their notes resonate in the public space. There was even a local resident, who is participating in the project, who missed the “Homborch festival parade” where she was supposed to play her flute in the marching band. She told me she was with the bells!
A musical event for children and adults took place, bringing together about thirty people: “let the bells ring”!
