Carillon Concert at Grace Church Sunday

Presenters at the recent "community forum" suggested making the city a destination for cultural events by showcasing its assets. One such draw might be the Pittis Carillon at Grace Episcopal Church, one of only four in New Jersey with real bells. It attracts carilloneurs from around the world and certainly its concerts deserve the broadest audience possible.

Plaintalker most recently reported on a January 2011 visit by the Yale University Guild of Carilloneurs and past blog posts have featured the annual concerts held along with the church Peach Festival. On Sunday, the public will have an opportunity to hear the magnificent carillon played by Toru Takao of Duesseldorf, Germany.

From the Grace Church web site:

Toru Takao was born in 1977 in Himeji, Japan. He earned a diploma in German Literature in 2000 at Kwansei-Gakuin University, Japan. After his academic study, he spent a year in Los Angels, California and another year in Germany, doing volunteer work.

It was in Germany that he was introduced to the carillon, and he was greatly inspired by what he heard. Since 2002, he has taken carillon lessons from Mathieu Polak, Arie Abbenes, Bernard Winsemius and Frans Haagen. In 2008, he earned a Diploma (Master of Music), from Utrecht Conservatory.

Toru has won several Prizes at the international competitions including 2nd prize at Queen fabiola concours in Mechelen, 2008 and 3rd prize at Alexius Julian Old music competition in Lier, 2010.

Currently he lives in Duesseldorf, Germany and active as freelance carillonist.

The concert begins at noon on Sunday, July 10. Grace Church is located on Cleveland Avenue at East Seventh Street. Concert attendees usually bring lawn chairs and sit outside to hear the music.

If you can't make the concert Sunday, save the date of Aug. 21 for the Peach Festival and a carillon concert featuring Gerald Martindale, Carillonneur of the historic Metropolitan United Church of Toronto.

The Pittis Carillon is a real hometown Plainfield treasure, as it was donated by the Pittis family, owners and managers of many buildings in Plainfield's 20th century downtown, but also great contributors to the city's cultural legacy. Not only is Albert Pittis still serving on the Cultural & Heritage Commission, he was for many years involved with the Plainfield Outdoor Festival of Art before the Recreation Division took it over. If indeed there is to be a focus on the arts as a key element of the city's identity, we owe the Pittis family a debt of gratitude for all the groundwork that has been laid through their contributions.

--Bernice