13th August, Friday 8:30 pm / the tower of St.Catherine’s Church /

Nature, Mother and the Fountain of Sounds

Katarzyna Takao-Piastowska, Toru Takao  /Poland/Germany/Japan/

Camille Saint–Saëns (1835-1921) 

Z „Karnawału zwierząt” (opr. T. Takao):
– Wstęp i marsz królewski lwa
– Kury i koguty
– Żółwie
– Słoń
– Kangury
– Akwarium
– Kukułka w głębi lasu
– Skamieliny
– Łabędź
– Finał 

Toru Takao (*1977)
Rai-Jin (Bóg Piorunów)

Astor Piazzolla (1921-1992)
Ave Maria / Tanti Anni Primi (opr. T. Takao)

Geert D’hollander (*1965)
Bolero for Bells 

KATARZYNA TAKAO-PIASTOWSKA

is a city carillonneur in Emmerich am Rhein, Germany.  She studied music theory and composition and received Master diploma in 2005 from Music Academy in Gdansk. After her study in 2005, she was awarded for Huygens scholarship and took part in project for carillon performance and campanology in Dutch Carillon School in Amersfoort, the Netherlands. From 2006 to 2008, she studied carillon performance with Geert D’hollander in Rooseveld Academy in Middelburg, Netherlands. In 2008 she won the first prize eq equo together with Richard de  Waard at the carillon contest in Middelburg and in 2015 she got to first prize in Goes. In 2013 together with her husband, Toru Takao, they won the 2nd Prize at Duo carillon competition in Zwolle, Netherlands. 

In 2015, she graduated Royal Carillon School, Mechelen, Belgium.  

Currently Katarzyna lives in Germany and she is active as a freelance musician. She and her husband work together to promote carillon culture in Germany, Japan and Poland.  Katarzyna is a member of Polish and German carillon society.

TORU TAKAO

is Japanese Carillonneur. He studied carillon performance in Utrecht Conservatory (Nederlandse Beiaardschool Amersfoort) with Arie Abbenes, Bernard Winsemius and Frans Haagen. In 2008, he graduated with Master of Music (MMus) degree. He participated a number of international carillon performance competitions and won several prizes, notably 2nd prize in Belgium’s „Queen Fabiola” contest in 2008 and 1st prize at the „NKV Carillon Competition” in the Netherlands in 2008 and in the occasion of 100 years of establishment of the Dutch carillon society in 2018. 

Currently Toru lives in Wuppertal, Germany. In 2012, he and his wife Katarzyna reinstituted regular recitals for the carillon of St. Aldegundiskirche, Emmerich, Germany and in 2015, they started to organize carillon music festival ”Emmericher Glocken Sommer” in cooperation with local guild and church. They are City Carillonneur of Emmerich in 2019. Since 2017 he is one of the members of German carillon association. He is one of the founding members of “Association for Carillon Art in Japan” to advise restoring or installing carillons in Japan and promoting carillon music culture in Japan.