I play the carillon, an instrument with bronze bells, originating in the Low Countries (Europe) in the early 16th century.
VIDEO
"Chartres", a carillon composition of Roy Hamlin Johnson, played during the 2023 World Carillon Congress in Utrecht (NL) on the "Bronzen Piano", a mobile carillon.
BIOGRAPHY
Claire Janezic is an American carillonneur living in Belgium. She is currently a Masters student for Music at the Lemmensinstituut in Leuven (BE) studying carillon in a pedagogical context with Carl van Eyndhoven, and also receiving carillon lessons from Koen Cosaert.
Claire began her carillon journey studying under Doris Aman at the University of Rochester, where she graduated in 2022 with a Music and History double-major and an Audio and Music Engineering minor. During her time at the U of R, Claire enjoyed playing mbira and gamelan, serving as Music Director for No Jackets Required, a student popular music group, and as music director for Dream Visualize Create, a community theater group. Claire spent her final year at the University of Rochester teaching carillon, organizing a weekly carillon concert series, and playing concerts in the United States.
Claire’s carillon education continued under Koen Van Assche at the Royal Carillon School ‘Jef Denyn’ in Mechelen, Belgium. She studied through a Fellowship from the Belgian American Educational Foundation (BAEF), graduating in June 2023. Her thesis was entitled “Barber, Menotti, and Rota in Bok Tower: An Analysis of the first published North American Carillon Music.” She studied the following year with Geert D'hollander as a Blanchard Carillon Fellow at Bok Tower Gardens (FL, USA), where she also frequently performed concerts.
In July 2024 Claire was laureate of the International Carillon Competition "Queen Fabiola" in Mechelen (BE), and in September 2024 she won the first prize of the International Carillon Interpretation Competition in Brielle (NL). She will perform some concerts this summer as a result of her 1st place prize.
Claire is currently a Carillonneur member of the Guild of Carillonneurs in North America (GCNA) and also serves on the Board of Directors and the Awards Committee. In 2021, the GCNA awarded her a grant to premier an original carillon composition. Claire is also the assistant carillonneur of Turnhout.
Claire has performed carillon concerts in the US, Belgium, Denmark, Ireland, Germany, Lithuania, France, and the Netherlands. In 2022 Claire played a concert during the Midwest Carillon Regional Congress (MI, USA). In 2023 she performed the opening recital of the World Carillon Congress and during the Festival of Old Music in Utrecht (NL). In addition to solo concerts, Claire is part of the Carillon duo “Fellowship of the Ring” with Sydney Nguyen (USA).
