UC Berkeley’s Carillon Guild plays the Campanile bells
I have always loved hearing the bells from Sather Tower, unofficially the “Campanile,” when walking around campus. I sometimes imagine my life as a movie or music video; the bells become the soundtrack for my day. Especially when I hear a song I recognize, that never fails to make me smile. But it wasn’t until this year, as a Berkeley senior, that I had the opportunity to meet the people behind the music.
(Left) A view of the Campanile, photo by Student Affairs; (Right) The bells inside the tower.
UC Berkeley’s Carillon Guild consists of a professional carillonist and a group of students who play the bells at the top of the 307-foot tall Campanile, also known as the carillon. The instrument is made up of 61 bells at UC Berkeley and is played using a keyboard connected to the bells. They give free performances every day — with the noon time slot being the professional carillonist and the 6 p.m. time slot being for the students to practice. Additionally, they give 45-minute recitals on Sundays and often host themed recitals for different holidays.
Berkeley’s carillon is incredibly unique because of how present it is in our campus. At most other universities, you would not be able to hear the carillon play nearly as often, and students definitely would not have any access to it — so it really is a special treat.
If you want to see the bells up close, you can visit the Campanile and take the elevator all the way to the top. It’s free for students with their Cal 1 Card anytime the tower is open, and there’s also a beautiful view of the bay!
(Left) Andrew playing the carillon; (Right) Bryce (bottom left) and Steven (top left) with Carillon DeCal students.
Meet the guild members
Andrew Hiranprasitikul and Bryce Tim are two members of the Carillon Guild, and I had the chance to meet with them to learn more about the carillon and their experience being a part of the Guild.
Andrew is a third-year studying mechanical engineering and has been a part of the Carillon Guild for nearly two years. He learned to play under the previous carillonist Jeff Davis, and now continues to perfect his skills through lessons with the new carillonist, Simone Brown. Andrew has been passionate about music since he learned to play the piano at five years old. He fondly remembers hearing Hedwig’s Theme from Harry Potter playing from the Campanile on Cal Day which inspired him to join the Carillon Guild his first year.
“I really love the community that the Carillon Guild creates,” he expressed. “The carillon brings together very kind and driven (and often quirky) individuals, which really reminded me of being around art students back in high school. I found that I was able to share ideas and bond with those in the guild, and it truly made the carillon feel like its own community, beyond the music.”
Bryce is a senior studying molecular and cell biology. He joined the guild in fall of 2023 and began teaching the DeCal the following semester. He even restarted the Berkeley Carillon Guild as an official RSO (registered student organization). Like Andrew, he started his music journey at five years old playing the piano. He was inspired to learn the carillon through hearing one of the noon recitals during a walk on campus. “When someone is playing and I’m near the tower, I always need to crane my head up to see our famous landmark ring out,” he shared. “That walk, I felt pride in being a Berkeley student and being able to experience something so unique and quintessentially Berkeley. I wanted to be a part of the group that recreates this feeling for other students who may be taking a walk from one of their classes to the next.”
Try it out
Ever wonder who’s playing The Campanile bells? 🤔 It’s UC Berkeley students! We got the VIP experience: a lesson from @ucbells and we signed their official log book! If you’re a UC Berkeley student interested in music (or heights!), follow @ucbells to see who is behind the music and maybe even become a player yourself! 🔔
#UCBerkeley #UCBerkeleyLife #CollegeLife #StudentLife #Campanile
I had the amazing opportunity of getting to see the carillon up close and learn how to play! They started by showing me some of their practice rooms which are located on the first floor of the Campanile, a floor only guild members have access to. The practice rooms each contain their own replica of the carillon used at the top of the Campanile so they have a chance to practice without it being heard by the entire campus.
The carillon is an instrument similar to an organ, but is played quite differently. It involves a series of handles that you press down on to play each bell as well as foot pedals that control some of the larger bells. They showed me the proper posture and form for playing, and taught me how to play Hot Cross Buns (I have no music experience, so this is about the extent of what I’m able to do). Once I mastered that, they took me up to the playing cabin at the top of the Campanile. I got to play my masterpiece for the entire Berkeley campus, which was such a surreal experience! It was incredible to see the mechanics behind the sound I always hear when I’m outside.
The great thing is there’s an opportunity for you to try it too! Each semester, the Carillon Guild hosts a DeCal taught by its members so that students get an opportunity to learn how to play the carillon. The hope is that you would go on to take their Music 40 class to continue to learn and maybe even join the Guild yourself! You can learn more about how to join these classes or the Guild by visiting their website or their Instagram page.
Andrew is also one of the students that teaches the DeCal. “I love that the students are very excited to play the bells and are determined to learn the instrument within the short period of a semester. It has also been a great learning experience for me as a teacher and a communicator of ideas. I’m always really happy and proud to watch the students play their favorite music on the carillon for the DeCal final recital,” he shared.
The view from the top of the Campanile.
Stop and listen
Now that you know a little more about who is behind the bells on campus, take a second to stop and listen next time you’re out and about and hear them ringing. As Andrew explained, “it creates a shared experience for anyone who steps foot on campus, whether you’re a student, faculty member, guest, or anyone who participates in the campus experience. Throughout the Berkeley campus, the carillon offers something constant for people to enjoy and come back to, even decades later.” A lot of hard work behind the scenes goes into making this possible, and it’s part of what makes UC Berkeley so unique.
Rachel Holmes, Class of 2026, is majoring in media studies and minoring in theater and performance studies. Cover photo by Bryce Tim.
Want More?
- Find the perfect DeCal for you.
- Learn more about the Campanile and other things that make Berkeley Unique.
- Discover more campus traditions!