The sound of the carillon bells is iconic across campus. The campanile has been a landmark at UNI since its construction was completed in 1926.
In the 1920s many organizations and notable people came together to raise funds for the construction of the campanile. Fifteen of the original bells were dedicated to various sponsors of the landmark. Since construction was completed in 1926, the campanile has acted as the center of various campus activities including the tradition of “campaniling” during homecoming. UNI’s Guild of Carillonneurs have been hard at work making campus come alive since then. The Carillonneurs at UNI consist of seven active members including president Caroline Schafer and are advised by Professor Erik Rohde.
The campanile consists of an instrument called the carillon. The 56 bells within the campanile are attached to wires which are controlled by the instrument. Often compared to an organ, the carillon is played with your fists instead of your fingers.
The Guild of Carillonneurs is open to anyone at UNI, as the carillon is a rare instrument no experience is necessary. When Schafer, president of the group first joined two years ago she was nervous, but quickly felt at home in the guild. “I hadn’t gone to the student org fair they had a table at, so I was a little nervous because I thought they already had, like most of the people they wanted to accept that year,” Schafer said. Once she had been accepted to the group she found a routine.
Many members of the group are only able to practice for limited hours. “You have two choices, you can either practice up in the campanile where everyone can hear you, or we actually have a practice instrument in the choral rehearsal room. Students can reserve time in that room to practice, which is obviously more private.” said Rohde, adviser to the Guild of Carillonneurs.
Schafer said, “the practice instrument is unfortunately in the same room as the only organ on campus and where all the choirs practice, so it’s not that easy to get in for practice time on it.” In regards
to their performances she said, “we mostly sight-read for our concerts every week. Which is also a main piece of the audition, seeing if you are able to sight-read or not.” These chimers collaborate to create setlists for all events, including their Friday lunch concerts. Students can hear a range of styles playing from classical to pop. The Guild of Carillonneurs President Caroline Schafer has been a part of the group for 2 years and enjoys the array of music played from the campanile. “I enjoy playing the pop music, but I mean, I think it’s good to have a mix of stuff,” said Schafer.
It is common on campus to hear familiar pop songs being played from the campanile. “Last week I could hear a Taylor Swift song from all the way across campus,” said UNI student Kenidi Haller.
The Guild of Carillonneurs also takes requests for both their Friday lunch concerts and for other events around campus. Rohde said, “The Friday lunch concerts are a regular thing, but the campanile is played at other important events like campaniling at homecoming, there’s always a big concert that happens then. We get other special requests frequently from other various events that are happenig around campus to have the campanile played.”
The campanile music is an essential part of UNI’s campus atmosphere. Haller said, “The sound of the campanile playing just adds so much to the unique experience of attending UNI. Hearing the campanile play is my favorite part of the week.” For almost a century the bells of UNI’s campus have had an iconic presence on campus.
In recent years the Guild of Carillonneurs has become quite active again. Rohde credits this success to Emily Clouser, the former president of the guild. He said, “She is the one who started the Friday Lunch Concerts, she’s the one who started the live streams which you can watch on the social media pages. She was the impetus for this growth. Rohde also shares his enthusiasm for the upcoming anniversary of the campanile, “The campanile is about to be 100 years old in 2026, which is exciting.”
