2.08 – Saturday – 12:05 pm

/ the tower of the Main Town Hall /

Early Music and a Children’s Story

Annie Gao (USA) i Boudewijn Zwart (the Netherlands)

Program:

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Koncert włoski BWV 971 (arr. A. Gao):
I. Allegro
II. Andante
III. Presto

Wolfgang Amadeusz Mozart (1756-1791)
Symphonia g-moll nr 40, KV 550 (arr. B. Zwart):
I. Molto Allegro

Het beest met een achternaam
Improvisation to a Dutch children’s story

is a carillonist and software engineer from the sunny suburbs of Southern California. She first met the carillon in 2017 as a member of the Yale University Guild of Carillonneurs, completed her GCNA Carillonneur exam in 2020, and graduated from Yale in 2021 with a combined B.S./M.S. in Computer Science. She then had the tremendous privilege of continuing her carillon studies internationally with Geert D’hollander, Boudewijn Zwart, and Eddy Marien, and along the way, was selected for the quinquennial Kors Monster Festival Performance Nomination (2024), as well as The Diapason’s „20 Under 30” list (2025). She has taught carillon performance masterclasses all over the United States, and currently serves the GCNA as chair of the Emerging Artists Grant committee and jury member of the Carillonneur Exam. In her free time, Annie enjoys competitive ping pong, puzzles and brainteasers, good reads, and opportunities to explore and improve her fascinatingly bad sense of direction.

studied piano at the Sweelinck Conservatory in Amsterdam and carillon at the Dutch Carillon School in Amersfoort. He is also trained in orchestral conducting and organ performance, and has extensive experience serving as choir conductor. He currently holds the position of City Carillonneur in Amsterdam, Apeldoorn, Barneveld, Bergambacht, Den Helder, Dordrecht, Ede, Gouda, IJsselstein, Nijkerk, Schoonhoven, Wageningen and Zeewolde. He is also the organist of the Reformed Church in Lutjegast. In 2021, he published a best-selling chorale book containing harmonizations and compositions based on the melodies of all 150 Psalms of the Genevan Psalter. Boudewijn has also advised many carillon restoration projects internationally, and has taken the lead in driving new innovations, including the Do-It-Yourself carillon (‘Doe-Beiaard’) for elementary school classrooms and the Glass Carillon in Utrecht-Leidsche Rijn. He travels throughout Europe with his self-designed travelling concert carillon, under the name ‘Bell Moods,’ and performs in both solo and ensemble settings with all sorts of music groups. Last but not least, he is the proud grandfather of twelve beautiful grandchildren.