Letter from the Bell Man
June 2009

Dear Friends,

As many of you know from the last newsletter, another traveling carillon is in the United States. As a result, I have trained some other carillonneurs to do the Cast in Bronze show on this instrument. To date, the instrument has been performed by Robin Austin at the Remsen Barnfest in New York, by Frank DellaPenna at the Carolina Renaissance Festival, by Wylie Crawford at the Florida Renaissance Festival, and by Jonathan Lehrer at the Texas and Georgia Renaissance Festivals. It will also appear for the Guild of Carillonneurs Convention that will take place at Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, where I have been invited to perform for my colleagues.

CAST IN BRONZE AT BUSCH GARDENS – TAMPA, FLORIDA

Cast in Bronze performed for Busch Gardens in Tampa, Florida on June 6, 2009. The appearance of Cast in Bronze celebrated the opening of “Summer Nights” and their 50th Anniversary.

YOU CAN OWN A PIECE OF CARILLON HISTORY!

It was necessary for me to replace all the keys and pedals on the carillon. They activated the 35 bells for the last 40 years, played 10,000 shows, created music for a Pope, rock stars and millions of people. For those of you wishing to own a part of this historic carillon of Cast in Bronze, I am offering these original keys at what it cost me to replace them. There are 35 keys, (32 keys remain, three have already been purchased). They can be purchased for $250.00 each. Each key will be autographed with a certificate of authentication. To order your historic key, please call Cast in Bronze at 800-601-6609.

NEWEST RELEASE!

The newest CD, “The Bells”, the musical based on the book by the same title, continues to receive rave reviews from fans. If you are interested in this recording and/or the book both are available in my shop.

in mind, this CD is a slight departure from my other CD’s because it is music written for a musical. The story of the musical is about a town in France that loses its carillon for 30 years, and their struggle to get it back. Many of the selections are vocals without the carillon because of the story line. However, many feel that these songs and compositions represent a new evolution of Cast in Bronze music.

The book which this story is based on, The Bells, by d.ennis, can be purchased on the website, also.

A FEW DISAPPOINTMENTS

TELEVISION INTERVIEW:

I was supposed to appear on CN8, an east coast cable TV station with a viewing audience of 8-10 million, in December of 2008. That station made some major changes a few weeks prior to my scheduled appearance, and to date the segment has not aired.

I would really like to appear on national television to educate the public about the carillon, but it is easier said than done. I will continue contacting TV producers in an effort to share the music of Cast in Bronze with the TV audience.

THE BELLS MUSICAL

This past year, I contacted a producer that put 120 shows on Broadway. He liked my musical enough to invite me to his office to discuss producing it. Things were going very well…too well. Soon the stock market fell, his stable of investors disappeared, and my dream of getting the musical produced this year vanished. I was politely informed that it was just not the right time. I will continue to try to get the musical produced in some form, and keep you abreast of my progress.

That same week I was notified by The Venetian Casino in Las Vegas that they were not going to book me for the Christmas gig we had been discussing for exactly the same reason. No. It was just not my week.

FACEBOOK

Everyone has been telling me I need to be on FACEBOOK. So, I have done as you asked. Join me, & please be patient as I try to learn how to use it!

From this point forward, all newsletters will appear on the Cast in Bronze website.

Please keep writing. I enjoy hearing from you. Please keep listening to the music and sharing it with your friends. Please encourage your friends and family to get on my free mailing list, via my website... www.castinbronze.com

And please stay well.

Sincerely,
Frank DellaPenna
The Spirit of the Bells