Updated, June 28, 2022 / Good morning! By 7:20AM, Tues., June 28, 2022, PN analytics showed this post had received 403 hits since midnight! FYI: The 72 bells that have been ringing from this Millennium Carillon, high inside Moser Tower, have been quiet for the past year during restoration work. The scaffolding now is down and sometime this fall City Carillonneur Tim Sleep is expected to climb up to the cabin to perform. Stay tuned!
Original Post, Sept. 4, 2020 / Rainbows happen in the good old summertime at Rotary Hill, accompanied by the sound of music. Concerts will be held at noon on Saturdays and 4PM Sundays through October. Then at noon on Saturdays and 3PM on Sundays until New Year’s Eve.
The Moser Tower with the 72-bell Millennium Carillon is located along the Riverwalk, 443 Aurora Ave. across from Naperville Central High School, in downtown Naperville, Illinois. (PN Photo, Oct. 24, 2018)
Carillon Concerts in 2020 / Submitted by Tim Sleep
September 11 Observance / Sept. 11, 2020
From noon to 12:30PM a special 30-minute concert on the 72 bells of the Millennium Carillon inside Moser Tower will play on Wed., Sept. 11. A solemn tolling of the “Big Joe” bell followed by “In Memoriam,” a carillon piece written following the events of September 11, 2001, meant to be played in bell towers throughout the world.
Carillon music can also be heard beginning at 5:45PM, just prior to the observance at 6PM at the Cmdr. Dan Shanower Sept. 11 Memorial along the Riverwalk. The Naperville Municipal Band and Young Naperville Singers also perform. The 45-minute observance is being coordinated by Marty Walker for the Americanism Committee of the Exchange Club of Naperville.
World Pancreatic Cancer Day / Nov. 19, 2020
A FREE luminary making session also is set before the 30-minute concert from 6 to 6:30PM.
Organizer Ann Zediker added, “Of course, this is an outdoor event, for which we will follow social distancing and mask guidelines. We hope the community will join us to honor loved ones and raise awareness for pancreatic cancer research!”
Scroll down to ‘December 2020’ for New Year’s Eve happenings…
Above / The 72 bells in Moser Tower are played using the keyboard pictured here. The keyboard is located in the enclosed air-conditioned cabin high in the tower and below the observation deck, now closed for the season. (Photo courtesy Marilyn Schweitzer)
Weekly Recital & Concert Schedule
Tim Sleep, City Carillonneur, prepares the weekly recital schedule. Look for the schedule to be posted and updated here from April through December 2020. As monthly concerts are finished, they likely will be deleted.
New Year’s Eve 2020
Dec. 31 Sun 5:30PM New Year’s Eve Family Concert
Dec. 31 Sun 11:15PM New Year’s Eve Duet Concert
A few details about the bell-ringing celebration on New Year’s Eve…
Naperville Park District invites the community to the Countdown at the Carillon, featuring both the Early Family Countdown at 6PM and the Traditional Countdown at midnight. The free events take place at the base of the Naperville Millennium Carillon in Moser Tower, located at 443 Aurora Ave., across from Naperville Central High School.
Festivities will begin at 5:30PM. Entertainment will be magical until 6:30PM. Participants are encouraged to dress for the weather, as the entire event is outdoors.
The Traditional Countdown will take place at midnight, with Carillon music beginning at 11:15PM. The music will feature carillonneurs such as Sue Bergren and Tim Sleep in a duet concert and likely will include selections from the “Nutcracker Suite,” a Viennese waltz, and “Try to Remember” from the musical, “The Fantasticks.” After the midnight countdown to the New Year, the bells will ring a Royal Peal, then will play “Auld Lang Syne,” and conclude with music from the “Royal Fireworks” by Handel.
So… Ring out the old and ring in the New Year with the Millennium Carillon Countdown. Cheers to peace and prosperity!
Whatever the season…
The iconic Moser Tower with the Millennium Carillon is a short distance from downtown Naperville, Naper Settlement, Nichols Library, Centennial Beach and North Central College.
Watch for schedule of tours to begin again in the springtime!
During the first weeks of April, Moser Tower is aglow with blue to heighten understanding for ADS during Autism Awareness Month. Throughout the year, the tower often is illuminated in colors that stand for the changing seasons, special days and different events. (PN Photo)
Can you hear it?
The big “Joe Naper” bell and 71 additional commemorative bells from generous donors help ring out the story of one of the largest musical instruments in the world, standing 14 stories high (about 10 feet higher than the Statue of Liberty) at the base of Rotary Hill along the Riverwalk to look toward the future in Naperville.
The bells sound the hour audibly throughout the day, with a single bong on the half hour.
Can you see it?
The Riverwalk park setting around the Moser Tower is open year-round during normal park district hours. Visitors are welcome to listen to the harmonic bells of the carillon at any of the scheduled performances. Many visitors bring collapsible lawn chairs. Concerts usually last about one hour.
(Closed temporarily to tours due to pandemic) From May through October, Moser Tower is open to the public on weekends, weather permitting. Visitors can climb the 253 steps to the observation deck near the top of the 160-foot tower, enjoy a spectacular view while learning about the workings of 72 different-sized bells and reading their engraved messages, and getting to know the unique features of one of the world’s largest musical instruments.
On a clear day, we highly recommend the climb to the observation deck of Moser Tower where you can see the Chicago skyline.
The Millennium Carillon in Moser Tower and the Visitor Center hours are from 10AM-4PM on Saturdays and from 12 noon-6PM on Sundays, late April through the last Sunday in October.
Beginning the last weekend in May, Friday hours (10AM-4PM) run through the second Friday in August.
Visitor Center (in the old Netzley House) admission is free of charge.
Guided tours, however, are $3 for ages 5 and older; children 4 years and under are free. Visitors under 18 years of age must be accompanied by an adult.
Guided group tours, for groups of 10 or more, are available by reservation at (630) 848-3619 or by email at bmalatt@napervilleparks.org. (Closed for now)
Concerts are open to the public and free of charge.
The Millennium Carillon and Visitor Center are located along the Riverwalk at the base of Rotary Hill at 443 Aurora Ave.
Can you use it?
Set along the Riverwalk at Rotary Hill, the iconic Millennium Carillon in Moser Tower is available for rental for weddings, anniversaries, monumental occasions and other once-in-a-lifetime events.
Some folks like to entertain guests before or after special events at a catered reception at the Alfred Rubin Riverwalk Community Center’s Community Hall, located at Eagle Street and Jackson Avenue. (Temporarily on hold due to protocols for pandemic.)
Many nearby restaurants in downtown Naperville as well as historic Meson Sabika also welcome special luncheons, receptions and dinners, too.
To inquire about reserving a date for Moser Tower, call (630) 848-5000.
For everything you want to know about Naperville’s hospitality community, check out www.visitnaperville.com.
Do you know Tim Sleep, City Carillonneur?
Tim Sleep was appointed Naperville City Carillonneur in 2007 where he teaches and performs regularly on the Millennium Carillon high up in the enclosed cabin in the Moser Tower. He has performed carillon recitals at Rockefeller Memorial Chapel, University of Chicago, the Chicago Botanic Gardens and guest recitals throughout the country. He is also an Instructor for the North American Carillon School.
Now in his fourth term as President of the Guild of Carillonneurs in North America (GCNA), Sleep previously served as its Corresponding Secretary, then its Vice President. He has performed on the New Music recitals at various GCNA congresses.
First studying with Wylie Crawford in Naperville, then continuing with John Gouwens at the Culver Academies in Culver, Indiana, Sleep became a Carillonneur member of the Guild of Carillonneurs in North America in 2004.
Sleep holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education from North Central College and a Master of Science in Educational Administration from Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Illinois.
A retired band director and middle school principal, Sleep is longtime church musician currently serving as organist for Knox Presbyterian Church in Naperville.
Why do some individuals call it “The Third Gift”?
Moser Tower and Millennium Carillon was conceived in 1998 by a small group of Naperville families, and in a short time the vision spread to many other individuals, families, service clubs and businesses that donated the funds to make the vision a reality.
In the tradition of Centennial Beach (1931) and the Riverwalk (1981), the Millennium Carillon (2000) is a gift from the people of the community for all future generations to enjoy.
“Big Joe,” the carillon’s biggest bell weighs 5.8 tons, was installed on March 24, 2000, and all 72 bells were in place by April 23, 2000.
The first concert was performed on June 29, 2000.
Many individuals, families and businesses that donated funds to help build Moser Tower (The tower is named in honor of Margaret and Harold Moser, known as “Mr. and Mrs. Naperville,” acknowledging the faithful couple’s many gifts and contributions to the community.) with the 72-bell carillon are featured on a large plaque behind the tower near the Visitors Center. The plaque also recognizes the partnership with the City of Naperville and the Naperville Park District for their part in care and maintenance of the instrument.
Take a stroll around Moser Tower at Rotary Hill, hear it chime on the hour and half hour, and experience special concerts performed throughout the year.
For more information about the Riverwalk and how it was built brick-by-brick, growing to become the city’s natural treasure from Jefferson Ave. to Hilliside Road, visit Naperville Riverwalk.
Find PN photos and stories about Moser Tower
RELATED PN POSTS / CLICK HERE to see lots of history featured with a search “Moser Tower.”
