The Jacobs School of Music Meet Me at the Metz Carillon series returned for the semester Sunday with Amy Hamburg’s performance of “America: 250 Years.”
The event takes place every Sunday at the Arthur R. Metz Bicentennial Grand Carillon in the Cox Arboretum on Indiana University’s campus. The 91-foot-tall tower houses a carillon, one of three bell instruments on IU’s campus, consisting of 65 bells played through baton-like keys and foot pedals.
The event drew a crowd of about 14 and created a relaxed atmosphere, with attendees finding shady spots and sitting on blankets or in lawn chairs. A few attendees chose to read while the peaceful bells chimed in the background.
Hamburg recently went on a U.S. tour playing the carillon and said Sunday’s performance featured the same music she played while on tour. The recital lasted for one hour and included music inspired or written by African American, queer and Native American musicians.
“I had to think about, okay, what is America to me?” Hamburg said. “Well, America is a melting pot.”
During the recital she performed three pieces from African American organist Florence Price. Hamburg also arranged a version of “Lakota Lullaby” for the carillon, a traditional Lakota Sioux Native American song.
Musicians must walk 67 steps to reach the Metz Carillon Tower, while other carillons Hamburg has played have had closer to 100 stairs. She said playing the instrument requires more athleticism than one might expect because of the climb, but also because you must use every limb to play the instrument. The bells and clappers can be heavy, she said, requiring her to put more weight on the keys. ]
Hamburg is a permanent guest performer for the series and plays it often in addition to the Jacobs carillon students. Elijah Buerk, associate instructor of carillon and organizer of the Meet Me at the Metz weekly series, also plays the instrument and will perform at the series for the rest of the month.
Buerk led a tour of the tower at the end of the event and demonstrated how the carillon plays. Tours are offered at the end of each Sunday performance.
Buerk is a second-year master's student in organ at IU and has been playing the carillon for about 10 years. Despite the small turnout, attendees were excited about the performance and eager to hear more from the instrument. Bloomington resident John Parrilli said he attended the last performance of the series last spring and was impressed. When he was riding his bike through campus Sunday evening, he decided to stop and listen.
“I look forward to more performances here for sure,” Parrilli said. “I hope more people can come out and enjoy it.”
