The annual Carillon Festival in August on the Dunham Carillon will be fund-raisers for three local charitable organizations.

The concerts, featuring guest carillonneurs and the church’s carillonneur-in-residence, are scheduled for three consecutive Thursdays and each will encourage goodwill donations for a separate local organization.

The dates and organizations are: August 6 – the Uniform Fund of the Windham Area Interfaith Ministry (WAIM); August 13 – the Holy Family Shelter in Willimantic; and August 20 –Windham Habitat for Humanity.

The outdoor concerts are free of charge and open to the public.  Seating is on the lawn of the Storrs Congregational Church at 2 North Eagleville Road, adjacent to the University of Connecticut’s main campus in Storrs.  Bring along a picnic dinner and dessert, lawn chairs, and blankets to enjoy the music. And invite your family and friends too!

The concerts will each start at 6:00 pm and take place rain or shine – in the event of inclement weather, the concerts will move indoors.

Guest carillonneur Gerald Martindale performs Aug. 6.

The concert schedule is:

Thursday, August 6 at 6:00 pm – Guest carillonneur Gerald Martindale is Carillonneur of Metropolitan United Church in Toronto. He has completed 17 carillon tours of the United States and 5 of Europe.

The opening performance on August 6 will feature singer-songwriter Tony Memmel, who, though born missing his left forearm, taught himself to play the guitar by constructing a self-made cast.  Based in Nashville, Tennessee, he has made several appearances to enthusiastic audiences in Eastern Connecticut over the past year.

Goodwill contributions will go to support the Uniform Fund, part of WAIM’s Back To School Program. It provides area school children with certificates to help purchase a new outfit: pants, uniforms, or other necessary items like shoes, underwear, etc. for the first day of school.

Guest carillonneur Andree-Anne Doane performs Aug. 13.

Thursday, August 13 at 6:00 pm – Guest carillonneur Andree-Anne Doane is Carillonneur at Saint Joseph’s Oratory of Mount Royale in Montreal. She has performed numerous recitals in Montreal, made recordings for radio and television, and recorded under the SNE Label.

The opening performance on August 13 will feature Beck ‘n Call, a bluegrass/Gospel group that formed under the leadership of David Hagan.  They play eclectic Americana including bluegrass, folk, blues, Gospel, and retro pop.

Goodwill contributions will go to the Holy Family Home and ome aShelter in Willimantic, a 28 bed home and shelter for mothers and children, who meet certain criteria. Residents are provided with 3 meals a day, life skills workshops, case management, laundry facilities, an education program for children, and other assistance.

Carillonneur-in-residence David Maker performs Aug. 20.

Thursday, August 20 at 6:00 pm:– Carillonneur-in-residence David Maker assumed stewardship of the Dunham Carillon in 1994, performing, teaching, and undertaking many public relations initiatives. His advocacy resulted in the instrument’s renovation in 2011.  From 2007 to 2009 he also served as Carillonneur of Trinity College in Hartford.

The opening performance on August 20 will feature the East Woodstock Cornet Band, a concert band comprised of approximately 35 musicians from Woodstock and the surrounding towns. The band’s repertoire is a wide variety of music from overtures and classical music to marches, show tunes and pop.

Goodwill contributions will go to Windham Habitat for Humanity, a locally run affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International, a nonprofit, ecumenical Christian housing organization. Habitat for Humanity works in partnership with people in need to build and renovate decent, affordable housing.

High in the steeple of the Meeting House, the bells of the Austin Cornelius Dunham Carillon have been serenading the Storrs-Mansfield area since 1931.  It is the only carillon east of the Connecticut River and one of the few carillons anywhere that are completely American made.   It is the last and largest carillon manufactured by the legendary Meneely Bellfounders.  Renovation in 2011 gave the instrument five new bells and a re-designed playing mechanism.

Festival Opening Acts: August 6 – Tony Memmel; August 13 – Beck n’ Call; August 20 – East Woodstock Cornet Band.