Summer Carillon Concert Series: Annie Gao

Annie Gao is a carillonist and software engineer from the sunny suburbs of Southern California. She first met the carillon in 2017 as a member of the Yale University Guild of Carillonneurs, completed her Guild of Carillonneurs in North America (GCNA) Carillonneur exam in 2020, and graduated from Yale in 2021 with a combined B.S./M.S. in Computer Science. She then had the tremendous privilege of continuing her carillon studies internationally with Geert D’hollander, Boudewijn Zwart, and Eddy Mariën, and along the way, was selected for the quinquennial Kors Monster Festival Performance Nomination (2024), as well as The Diapason’s “20 Under 30” list (2025). She has taught carillon performance masterclasses all over the United States, and currently serves the GCNA as chair of the Emerging Artists Grant committee and jury member of the Carillonneur Exam. In her free time, Annie enjoys competitive ping pong, puzzles and brainteasers, good reads, and opportunities to explore and improve her fascinatingly bad sense of direction.

Summer carillon concerts are free and open to all, including to families and their pets. The music happens rain or shine. Please note that concerts are scheduled on both Central and North Campus, so plan your commute accordingly. When you arrive, take a program from the stand near the tower and have a seat outdoors wherever you like, or bring your own lawn chair or blanket (even your own picnic!). Concert staff wearing nametags will be available to answer questions or direct you to accessible restrooms and other facilities. For best acoustics, sit far enough away from the tower to have a direct line of sight to the bells.

Metered visitor parking near Lurie Tower is available behind the Walgreen Drama Center. Additional street parking along Bonisteel Blvd. is available after business hours, and metered visitor parking is available by the E.V. Moore Building (lot NC10), the North Campus Recreation Building (lot NC44), and the Art & Architecture Building (lot NC43).