Wesley Arai, associate carillonist at the University of California, Berkeley, will return to Spokane for the annual Fourth of July Concert at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist.
The concert will begin at 9 p.m outside the cathedral.
This year’s program will include a duet with Cathedral Carilloneur Byrl Cinnamon, playing John Philip Sousa’s “Stars and Stripes Forever.”
“I think one of the major benefits of having two people playing isn't that you can make more sound, but that it's a lot easier to have two independent, or more complicated things going on at once, which would be much more physically and mentally difficult with a single performer,” Arai said in a press release.
The St. John the Evangelist carillon in Bishop Cross Tower is one of the finest in the world and one of a very few in the Pacific Northwest, according to the church. The carillon consists of 49 bells, cast and installed by John Taylor & Sons of Loughborough, Leicestershire, England. The bells are played prior to Sunday services, as well as times of religious and civic festivals.
The lawn opposite the Cathedral on 12th Street is known as a great place to enjoy a picnic and listen to the carillon recital. Spokane city fireworks (about 10 p.m.) may be watched from the gated access road on the north side of the Cathedral, which is closed to traffic.
“Carillonist” is incorrect. “Carillonneur” is the correct term.
Thanks for the correction Roger