The sound of carillon bells will fill the air this week as Michigan hosts the 75th Carillon World Congress.
A carillon is a set of tuned bells in a tower, which are hooked up to a keyboard played manually by one person called a carilloneur.
Steve Ball plays the Baird carillon at the University of Michigan Baird. He says the role of a carilloneur is to "perfume the air with music for civic occasions and really make the city a more beautiful and artistically enriched place."
He says the carillon is “a completely unknown art," despite the fact that it has been around for centuries:
"It’s the ipod of 1650. It’s the way of creating a public music, something that could be enjoyed by everyone, like a public flower garden except aurally."
Ball and 200 other carillon experts will be in Michigan for the World Carillon Congress this week.
The conference, which runs June 26 - July 2, includes free public concerts at the state’s 12 carillon towers from Ann Arbor to Grand Rapids. You can see a schedule here.