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Arts & Entertainment

Musikfest Performer Profile: Cast in Bronze

Frank DellaPenna, the spirit of the bells, moves the obscure carillon out of the darkness.

Frank DellaPenna fell madly in love with an obscure musical instrument decades ago.

He vowed then to bring this 4-ton beauty, originally born in 15th century Europe, out of the dark and marry its haunting voice to other instruments.

Now, celebrating his 20th anniversary as carillonneur/creator of the musical act, Cast in Bronze, DellaPenna finds joy in the young and old alike who come to hear, photograph and thank him for shedding light on the carillon.

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A musical instrument transported across the country each year from February to December, DellaPenna’s carillon is built of 35 tuned bells of all sizes, layered and mounted sturdily on a framework atop a trailer.  

The stoic-appearing bronze shapes come alive as he uses his fists and feet to strike wooden levers wired to each bell’s clapper. Blending various instruments with the resonating alloy bells, initially his experiment has produced sounds unique in musical genres from classical to rock to pop.

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Fans have turned out each year for the past 13 years of Musikfest to hear the musician and composer perform on an instrument that can only be played outdoors because of its enormous weight.

“It is wonderful that they care that much,” says the Pottstown resident after a  performance, while greeting new, as well as veteran enthusiasts, who he has seen grow from childhood to teens and adults.

Evening performances at Muskiest are strikingly dramatic as DellaPenna appears in black garb, black boots and gloves, with his face concealed by a golden mask representing the Phoenix. The costume is symbolic of the carillon’s early beginnings in village churches or municipal towers, where the musician was hidden from view.  The mask symbolizes the carillon’s rise from obscurity.

A pianist, DellaPenna learned the carillon from his childhood piano teacher, the late Frank Pechin Law, who inspired him. Years later, he studied under the tutelage of Jacques Lavnnoy, director of the French Carillon School in Tourcoing, France, where he became the first American to graduate with the degree of Master Carillonneur.

Eventually, DellaPenna followed in the footsteps of his first teacher, becoming the resident carillonneur at the Washington Memorial Chapel in Valley Forge. One day, in a twist of fate, a stranger, who was impressed with DellaPenna’s artistry, provided him with a carillon, loaned for 20 years. Cast in Bronze was born.

Late last year, DellaPenna debuted his newest love at Longwood Gardens. Bells he had acquired from a church in the United States were combined with 10 new bells cast in The Netherlands.  Protégés Cyrus Rua and Wylie Crawford have been trained to carry the musical message, and members of DellaPenna’s family have joined the entourage.

“The idea is that anyone can do anything in life, if they believe they can,” says DellaPenna.

In keeping with the carillon’s history, DellaPenna performs at Renaissance Fairs throughout the United States. He will perform next at the Renaissance Fair in Pittsburgh.

Cast in Bronze can be experienced every half-hour from 5:30 to 10 p.m. daily at Handwerkplatz on the North Side of Bethlehem.

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