History of Cast in Bronze
Cast in Bronze began in 1991 when America’s Only Traveling Carillon was placed in the care of Frank DellaPenna by an anonymous benefactor. DellaPenna transformed this virtually unknown bell instrument from obscurity to performing for Pope John Paul II, Walt Disney World’s Epcot, national television and radio. Cast in Bronze has performed more than 10,000 shows, reaching millions of listeners at music and renaissance festivals across the nation.
History of the Carillon
The carillon was invented as a folk instrument for bell towers in the Netherlands over 500 years ago. It took over 350 years before the carillon was first introduced in America in the late 1800’s. Now, many carillons are found in civic towers, church towers, on college campuses, in parks and botanic gardens. About 50 years ago the carillon was placed on a movable device. These instruments became known as traveling or mobile carillons. They made the carillon more accessible to listeners and more versatile to perform with other musicians. There are approximately a dozen traveling carillons in the world. Two are in the United States, both operated by Cast in Bronze.