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The National Carillon 55th Anniversary: 55 Ensemble Works (1970 - 2025)
Image
National Carillon
Date
24 August 2025
-
11 October 2025
Time
12:30 - 1:30pm
Place
National Carillon
To mark the National Carillon’s 55th anniversary, a Carillonist will, over the next few weeks, perform 55 carillon ensemble works—13 original compositions and 42 arrangements—exploring themes of 'United identities': Australian indigeneity, regionalism, and multiculturalism; 'Our natural environment’, and 'Spirituality and music in contemporary Australia'.
Each piece goes beyond traditional solo carillon performance, with live vocals, rich instrumentation, or backing tracks.
The works features iconic music by Midnight Oil, Helen Reddy, Paul Kelly, Bruce Woodley & Dobe Newton (I Am Australian), Neil Murray, and more, alongside First Nations contributions from Chris Sainsbury, Brenda Gifford, Jo Geia, Ziggy Ramo, and the late George Rrurrambu of Warumpi Band.
Together, these works offer a vibrant soundscape of stories and shared hopes, inviting audiences to celebrate harmony, peace, and connection through melodies that span cultures — from unofficial anthems to global songs of unity recognised around the world.
Sunday 24 August 12:30pm - 1:30pm
Performer: Thomas Laue
|
Piece name |
Composer |
Arranger |
| Concert title: Let us visit a different kind of space | ||
| Yumalundi | ||
| Moonlight Serenade | Glenn Miller | Jos Lerinckx |
| National and International perspectives | ||
| Autumn moon over placid lake | Lu Wencheng | Thomas Laue |
| Hiroshima Peace Song | Minoru Yamamoto | Thomas Laue |
| Anthem Combined | Joe Geia & Peter Dodds McCormick | Thomas Laue |
| Taba Naba | Torres Strait Islands traditional song | Thomas Laue |
| Space: from Outer to Inner | ||
| Boomerang Nebula: Freeze | Thomas Laue | |
| Boomerang Nebula: Thaw | Thomas Laue | |
| Boomerang Nebula: Refreeze | Thomas Laue | |
| Boomerang Nebula: Exit | Thomas Laue | |
| gently does it: Intro & Invitation | Thomas Laue | |
| gently does it: Peace | Thomas Laue | |
| gently does it: Festive Finale | Thomas Laue | |
| Closing thoughts | ||
| Take Me Home, Country Roads | Bill Danoff, Taffy Nivert and John Denver | |
Saturday 6 September 12:30pm - 1:30pm
Performer/s: Thomas Laue
|
Piece name |
Composer |
Arranger |
| Concert Title: Bells Augmented | ||
| Respectful recognition of both flags | ||
| Anthem Combined | Joe Geia & Peter Dodds McCormick | Thomas Laue |
| Three world premieres: New Australian music celebrating the National Carillon’s 55th Anniversary | ||
| Circadian Memory | Emma Greenhill | |
| Bikeway | Ronan Apcar | |
| Bellbird Chimes | Frank Millward | |
| Magpies and the Origins of Lake Burley Griffin | ||
| Matin | Ian Blake | |
| Snaking | Sally Whitwell | |
| Reflective Moments | ||
| gently does it | Thomas Laue | Thomas Laue |
| Gift of Peace | Sister Chân Lực Nghiêm & Thomas Laue | |
| The Fiddle And The Drum | Joni Mitchell | Thomas Laue |
| Nobel Peace Prize Song | Tibetan Institute Of Performing Arts | Thomas Laue |
| A Different Way | Shams Ahmed, Ben Bram, Nathan Fertig, Sasha Fiks, Micah Hendler, Yaara Mokady, Sophia Wackerman | Thomas Laue |
| Where have all the flowers gone? | Pete Seeger | Thomas Laue |
Sunday 21 September 12:30pm - 1:30pm
Performer: Thomas Laue
| Piece name | Composer | Arranger |
| Concert Title: United Nations International Day of Peace: “Act Now for a Peaceful World” | ||
| Scarborough Fair / Canticle | Paul Simon & Art Garfunkel | Thomas Laue |
| Gift of Peace | Sister Chân Lực Nghiêm | Thomas Laue |
| The Fiddle And The Drum | Joni Mitchell | Thomas Laue |
| Ahimsa | U2 and Allah Rakha Rahman | Thomas Laue |
| The Song of the Birds | Traditional Catalonian | Thomas Laue |
| What a Wonderful World | Bob Thiele & George David Weiss | Thomas Laue |
| Imagine | John Lennon & Yoko Ono | Thomas Laue |
| Show pity | John Rzeznik, Marsh family | Thomas Laue |
| gently does it: Peace | Thomas Laue | |
| At Peace with You | Johnny Sahilatua | Thomas Laue |
| Blowin’ in the Wind | Bob Dylan | Thomas Laue |
| Nobel Peace Prize Song | Tibetan Institute Of Performing Arts | Thomas Laue |
| Rainbow Connection | Paul Williams and Kenneth Ascher | Thomas Laue |
| Where have all the flowers gone? | Pete Seeger | Thomas Laue |
Saturday 11 October 12:30pm - 1:30pm
Performer/s: Parillax Trio: Thomas Laue (carillon), Veronica Bailey (marimba), Tom Fell (saxophone)
| Piece name | Composer | Arranger |
| Concert title: Australiana | ||
| Opening dance | ||
| Blood Sugar Fairy | Ian Blake | |
| Four world premieres: New Australian music celebrating the National Carillon’s 55th Anniversary | ||
| Together | Nat Bartsch | |
| Montage | Peggy Polias | |
| Lullaby Dream | Elena Kats-Chernin | |
| The Lake | Dulcie Holland | Thomas Laue |
| Songs that rocked Australia | ||
| You’re the Voice | Chris Thompson, Maggie Ryder, Andy Qunta, Keith Reid | Thomas Laue |
| Beds are Burning | Rob Hirst, Jim Moginie, Peter Garrett | Thomas Laue |
| Sun, Earth, Moon | ||
| The Setting of Ra-Harakhte | Larry Sitsky | |
| Rhapsody in Three | Thomas Laue | |
| We are one | ||
| I am Australian | Bruce Woodley, Dobe Newton | Thomas Laue |
This project has been assisted by the Australian Government through Creative Australia, its principal arts investment and advisory body, by the ACT Government through artsACT, and is generously supported in partnership with the National Capital Authority.
