About the Guild

The Guild is the student organization responsible for ringing the bells in Harkness Tower. It is a self-perpetuating group: each fall, the current members give lessons to freshmen and sophomores (and sometimes graduate students) on the practice carillon, and, after auditions, elect new members to the Guild.

The Guild was founded in 1949 by Elliot H. Kone BR '49 as the Guild of Yale Bellringers. It was renamed in 1964, two years before the donation of 44 additional bells expanded the original chime to a 54-bell carillon.

We currently have 21 full-time members, and a few adjunct members. Each Guild member has their own ring spot (see above!). Our teacher is Ellen Dickinson, who is a Yale and Guild alum; she comes in a few times a week to give us lessons to help us continue playing beautiful music for all of campus!

Besides ringing bells for Yale's campus, the Guild does two yearly tours. The smaller tour is Mini-Tour, and past Mini-Tours have taken the Guild to Pennsylvania and Boston. The larger tour alternates between a European Tour and a Domestic Tour.

We also play handbells. For more information, click here!

During the summer, the Guild also hosts a summer series that invites carillonneurs from around the world to come play a weekly concert. In general, the Guild simply loves spending time together, so there are lots of snacks, dinners, movies, hanging out, and lots of general fun is involved!

Current Members

Click here for the list of Guild alumni.

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Erica Ho	Graduate Student 2022
	Psychology

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Erica is a third-year PhD student in clinical psychology and neuroscience, and she is also a proud Cornell Chimesmaster. Erica loves staircases, cats, and whales.

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Alvin Chung	Silliman 2021
	Economics

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Alvin is a freshman from Potomac, Maryland. He is a percussionist in YSO but a Carillonneur at heart. He also practices the piano every then and now. Give him a box of Ferrero Rochers and he will always be with you through thick. The thin will cost you extra. Maybe a chipotle burrito bowl consisting of white rice, steak, tomatoes, sour cream, corn, cheese, lettuce and guacamole?

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Annie Gao	Branford 2021
Derp	Computer Science

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Annie is a bright blue puffy jacket from Southern California who gets (too) excited by socks, ping pong, super dark chocolate (85-100%), pandas, and the sound of raindrops on umbrellas.

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Robert Carter	Hopper 2021
	Physics

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Robert is from Corpus Christi, Texas (a.k.a The Sparkling City by the Sea). He enjoys watching rousing physics videos on YouTube, among other types of videos. Robert plays the piano and is also a Baroque enthusiast who likes to indulge his ears in the beautiful sounds of the harpsichord and organ. Robert constantly asks himself where he is, not because he is lost geographically, but because he is lost inside.

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Paul Stelben	Hopper 2021
	Music

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Paul didn't want to show his face for the picture; he was too busy practicing. In addition to the carillon, he plays the bassoon. He likes to think that he plays piano and organ too, but who has time for all of that? Paul loves long walks, trains, stairs, and Frisbee.

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Anne Lu	Berkeley 2020
Tour Manager, Social Chair

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Anne loves cats, Chopin, and 72% Godiva dark chocolate. She used to love spiral staircases but has learned that it is much easier to admire them from afar.

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James Carrabino	Trumbull 2020
Heeler Monster, Social Chair

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James is sleeping so he did not write a bio. Oh bell...

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John Mori	Ezra Stiles 2020
Tour Manager, Historian	E-flat Major

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John is a fan of secondary dominants, so he tends to modulate too frequently.

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Noah Kravitz	2020
Librarian

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Noah is a freshman from Washington, DC. When he's not playing the carillon, he enjoys eating dark chocolate, playing fetch with his Welsh Terrier Maisy, and running long distances.

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Vladyslav Nazarchuk	Trumbull 2020

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Vlad is a freshman from New Jersey, thinking about studying mathematics and music. He loves cathedrals and all things medieval. If he were a musical key, it would be C minor.

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Kevin Chang	Jonathan Edwards 2020
Webmaster, Librarian, Social Chair	MB&B

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Kevin is from Pleasantville, NY. Kevin likes to eat sushi and sleep. Until Kevin comes up with a creative bio, that's all you need to know about Kevin.

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Laura Street	Ezra Stiles 2020
	English

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Laura Street is a sophomore from Atlanta, GA, but for some reason, she doesn't say "y'all." Every day, she sets aside 1.42 hours to marvel at the lack of right angles in Stiles, and actively looks for ways to climb as many stairs as possible. She is a die-hard coffee enthusiast, which some find alarming. Also, she might like classical music a little bit.

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Agata Sorotokin	Pierson 2019

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Dame Sorotokin is a Pierson freshman from San Jose, California. Besides playing carillon and piano, she enjoys attempting to throat sing (and mostly failing), eating dark chocolate, drinking tea 50 times a day, and adventuring.

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Heather Wang	Berkeley 2019
Co-Chair	Undecided

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What Heather learned in boating school is:

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Stephen Wang	Branford 2019
Treasurer

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A sophomore from Houston, Texas, Stephen is a prospective MB&B major. In his free time, he enjoys laughing loudly, building puzzles, playing tennis and lacrosse, and blah blah blah.

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Joy Chiu	Jonathan Edwards 2019
Heeler Monster, Historian, Newsletter Editor

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Joy is a warm feeling of great happiness and delight. She is typically most noticeable around the holiday season, although she does flit around Yale's campus year-round. You can conjure joy (Joy?) with fancy, nice-smelling bar soaps and furry dogs. Hugs, breakfast sandwiches, and frozen custard will work as well.

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Milo Brandt	Trumbull 2019
Co-chair	Mathematics and Music

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Milo is a fan of alliteration and, for this purpose, studies mathematics and music. He enjoys working outside hoping that, one day, he can convince the birds and other wildlife to help him (with homework), like they do in Snow White.

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Sarah Luckart	Branford 2019
Tower Keeper, Librarian	Cognitive Science

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Sarah is a junior in Branford College majoring in Cognitive Science. Outside of the Tower, she works as a Student Technician and plays viola in DPops. She has a collection of small succulents and her favorite is a red-headed cactus named George (Weasley).

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Jonathan Shao	Berkeley 2017
	WGSS

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Jonathan is from the never-drop-below-sixty-degrees land of California and is a freshman thundercoq. He is a borderline nudist. If you happen to see a guy with no clothes in the winter, it is probably Jonathan Shao.

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Alicia Ding	Pierson 2016
	HSHM and MCDB

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Alicia is in Pierson College. She sometimes laughs at inopportune moments, also plays French horn in the Yale Symphony Orchestra and has an affinity for boxes. She also generally prefers Oxford commas, but...

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Andy Zhang	Graduate Student 2015
	Linguistics

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Andy, whose cognitive science major was neurolinguistics-flavored, enjoys botany, cats, espresso, and metropolises.

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Katie Leiby	Silliman 2014
	Biomedical Engineering

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Katie is a biomedical engineering major. In her free time, she enjoys running, cooking, and knitting. She regrets that two of her favorite things, peanut butter and anything French, are mutually exclusive.

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Michael Solotke	Davenport 2013
	MB&B

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Michael is an MB&B major in Davenport College (2013). Originally from Chicago's North Shore, he also plays the trombone in the YSO and the piano. Outside of his love for Harkness Tower (his fiercest love), he enjoys sketchy late night walks, general ridiculousness, and buttons.

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Ellen Dickinson
Guild Advisor and Teacher	Music

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Ellen '97, '99 MUS, has previously been a member of the Board of Directors of the Guild of Carillonneurs in North America. She joined the Yale Guild in her sophomore year, and served as co-chair in her junior and senior years. She now serves as the Guild's advisor, and has two children, ages five and seven.