Bring a picnic to Norwich University's Upper Parade green this summer and enjoy free, outdoor concerts performed by guest artists on the 47-bell Charlotte Nichols Greene Memorial Carillon.

For six Saturdays in a row, beginning June 27, renowned carillonneurs will perform onehour concerts beginning at 1 p.m. Following the concerts, audience members will also have the opportunity to meet the musicians and tour the bell tower.

Norwich's carillon, housed in the historic Adams Bell Tower, is one of only two such instruments in the state of Vermont. The carillon is the largest musical instrument in the world, and its history dates 500 years back to the Low Countries of Europe. The instrument consists of at least two octaves of carillon bells arranged in chromatic series and played from a keyboard. The carillon is sometimes known as "the singing tower."

Concert schedule:

Sat, June 27 - Mr. Anne Kroeze, The Netherlands

Sat, July 4 - George Matthew Jr., Norwich University and Middlebury Carillonneur, Brandon, Vt.

Sat, July 11 - Sergei Gratchev & Elena Sadina, Mechelen, Belgium and Middlebury Russian School Faculty

Sat, July 18 - Gordon Slater, Canadian Dominion Carillonneur Emeritus, Ontario

Sat, July 25 - Alexander Solovov, Mechelen, Belgium and Middlebury Russian School Faculty

Sat, August 1 - Julia Littleton, Associate Carillonneur, The Netherlands Carillon, Arlington, VA

The public can contact 802- 485-2318 or email nucarillon@norwich.edu for more information.his concert series is sponsored in part by WCVT 101.7 FM Classic Vermont.