Five Cornell alumni chimesmasters now living in the Boston area are playing a series of three chimes concerts in West Newton this summer. The one-hour concerts are taking place in the bell tower of the First Unitarian Society in Newton (FUSN) in West Newton starting at 7:00pm.

The alumni chimesmasters will be joined by other players from FUSN. If the weather is nice, you can bring blankets or chairs and sit out on the lawn. If it is raining, FUSN will provide indoor listening space. The chimesmasters will play a variety of music, including classical and popular. Afterwards, you can meet the players in the tower and see how the bells are played, and maybe even ring a bell or two!

The alumni are:

• Kathryn Barger PhD '08

• Bob Feldman '66 '75

• Cathy Longley-Cook '03 '05

• Scott Silverstein '08

• Jenny Xia '13 

FUSN’s 11 bells comprise an instrument called a “chime," similar to Cornell's 21 bell chime (but with no foot pedals.) Cast in 1916 by the McShane Bell Foundry of Baltimore, they hang in the belfry at the top of the tower of FUSN’s historic building. They range in weight from 575 pounds to 3,350 pounds, with a combined weight of almost seven tons. The player rings them by pushing down 11 wooden hand levers on a playing stand, each lever attached by a cable to the clapper inside a bell. There is no electrical assist; playing is totally by human effort.  (One chimesmaster at Cornell received Phys Ed credit for playing.)

For more information, see www.fusn.org or contact Robert Feldmanat Robert_Feldman@hotmail.com

No registration is required. We hope to see you at one or more of these concerts!