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Welcome
 What is the GCNA?The Guild of Carillonneurs in North America is a volunteer-based organization all about the carillon. Founded in Ottawa, Ontario, in 1936, we have spent nearly a century helping people discover and love the art of the carillon. We support the development of our members and we encourage the building of new carillons, the improvement of existing ones, and the writing and distribution of carillon music. |  What is a carillon?A carillon is a musical instrument! Imagine a bell tower full of bells (at least 23 to be exact) which are each connected via wires to a large wooden console. The console has a keyboard, a pedal board, and a bench. By playing at this console, a "carillonneur" or "carillonist" can play all kinds of music. Carillons are found across North America and the world, often at common gathering spaces, like parks, schools, and churches. |  Where do I fit in?We are excited to have you here, no matter the reason you became interested in carillons. Whether you play them, make them, study them, or just like to listen to them, becoming a member of the GCNA is a worthwhile choice. We offer many benefits to membership, including discounts at our music store, access to our member database (where you can connect with likeminded carillon enthusiasts), access to our publications, and more. |
Summer carillon recitalsThe best way to listen to carillon music is live and in person! Did you know that there are close to 200 carillons across North America? Many carillons are played throughout the year, and many plan special recitals during the summer months. Check out this year's recital listings! Can't make it to a carillon recital in person? Check out our online music listings to listen to carillon music from anywhere!
| New carillon sheet music for saleCheck out the 20+ new items available now at the GCNA sheet music store, available in both hard copy and PDF formats! Members are eligible for a 10% discount (25% for those who are full-time students).
Spring 2025 issue of Carillon NewsThe spring 2025 issue of Carillon News has dropped! Print subscribers should monitor their mailboxes; everyone else can read online. In this issue, meet the Board candidates, and learn about Puerto Rican danzas.
2025 volume of the BulletinThe 2025 volume of the Bulletin has dropped! Print subscribers should monitor their mailboxes; everyone else can read online. In this issue, read the report of the 2024 GCNA congress and learn about Serbian bell and carillon culture, among other new research.
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Classified ads / job postings
We welcome classified advertisements regarding the sale or donation of items that may be of interest to GCNA members such as second-hand practice consoles, collections of sheet music, publications, recordings, etc. Employers are welcome to submit job postings for carillonneurs and related positions (including full-time or part-time, employee or contract positions). For more, visit the Classified Ads / Job Postings page.
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Meet our members
Members: sign up to be featured here!
Adrian Gebruers
Of Flemish-Irish parents, Adrian holds the unique distinction of being the first Irish carillonneur in the long history of the instrument. A graduate of the National University of Ireland, he also studied at the Municipal School of Music in Cork (Ireland) and at the Universities of Salamanca and Navarra in Spain. He received his initial carillon tuition from his late father (Staf Gebruers) and subsequently studied at the Royal Carillon School in Mechelen (Flanders). In 2025 he celebrates his fifty-fifth year as Carillonneur of St Colman's Cathedral in Cobh, a picturesque harbour town on Ireland's southern coast; in the summer of 2002 Cobh and University College Cork were the location for the 13th Congress of the World Carillon Federation and in the summer of 2003 of the IX Eurocarillon Festival. In 2019 at a ceremony in Dublin, the Minister for Arts formally designated Carillon Playing in Cobh part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Ireland. Adrian has concertised in Europe, North America, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Japan. He has been the recipient of several Travel Awards and a research grant from the Irish Arts Council and Department of Foreign Affairs, as well as a Tyrone Guthrie Centre – Cork County Council Regional Bursary and commissions from the Contemporary Music Centre Ireland and Alfred University (New York). A former Assistant Principal of Colaiste Muire in Cobh, he is lecturer in carillon studies at the Music Department of University College Cork. A founding Vice-President of Eurocarillon, he was President of the World Carillon Federation from 1998 to 2006. In 2022 he was unanimously elected an Honorary Life Member of the Carillon Society of Britain and Ireland in recognition of his services to the carillon art. In 2005 he received from Pope John Paul II the very special honour of being made a Papal Knight of the Order of St Gregory the Great (KSG) for services to the Church. He has become increasingly interested in composing and adapting music of the Irish traditional idiom for the carillon, an instrument that he believes is particularly suited to this genre. He is married to physiologist Dr Elizabeth Gebruers and they have two sons, two daughters and nine grandchildren.Jennifer Herrmann
Jen Herrmann discovered the carillon in 2017 upon enrolling at the University of Chicago Law School. She studied with Joey Brink for the next three years and passed the GCNA Carillonneur Exam in 2020. Jen has performed on several carillons in the Midwest and in the Boston area, and served on the planning committee for the 2023 Annual Congress held in Cohasset, MA. Prior to law school, she lived and worked in Ukraine for several years. When not making music, she works as an attorney in Boston, and can be found hiking or searching for the best kayaking spots in Massachusetts.
Benefits include...
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Support the GCNAIn addition to donating directly, use our special link when shopping at Sheet Music Plus and a portion of your purchase will go to the GCNA! |
Contact us: info@gcna.org
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