In Concert: Mr. Nassor at Washington National Cathedral

Prepare for a cascade of rolling sound as Edward Nassor, carillonist at Washington National Cathedral, enchants festivalgoers with a prelude of spiritual hymns and traditional Ukrainian melodies before a service to toll the Solidarity Bell. 

From high within the 301-foot Gloria in Excelsis central bell tower, Mr. Nassor will set the 53 carillon bells resounding in anticipation of the Eucharist to celebrate the Feast of the Holy Name. During the recital, to honor Ukraine and the Solidarity Bell commissioned by the National Bell Festival, Mr. Nassor will play a repertoire of both sacred and secular tunes alike.

Note: This is an outdoor, self-guided listening event. Please bundle-up and dress appropriately for the weather. We recommend finding a cozy perch in the surrounding Bishop's Garden and lawns. Choose a comfortable seat or spread a blanket as the bells ring out above. Then, head inside the Cathedral for a blessing of the Solidarity Bell and to hear that bell ring.

Meet the Carillonist: Edward Nassor

Edward M. Nassor is the fourth Cathedral Carillonneur at Washington National Cathedral. He joined the music department at the Cathedral in 1990, where his duties include performing preludes before Sunday Holy Eucharist and Saturday afternoon recitals on the Bessie J. Kibbey carillon.

Image: Carillonist Edward Nassor chats with visitors to the playing cabin of the carillon at Washington National Cathedral. Courtesy: Washington National Cathedral.

In 2002, he was formally recognized by the Dean and the Chair of the Cathedral Chapter as the first Cathedral employee to earn a doctorate in his field while employed at the Cathedral. His Doctor of Musical Arts and Master of Music degrees are from the Benjamin T. Rome School of Music at the Catholic University of America. While working on his doctoral degree, he became the first American to be awarded a Fulbright grant to study carillon in the Netherlands. He performed in more than 50 towers throughout Belgium, Denmark, France, Holland and Germany, before earning a Practical Diploma from the Netherlands Carillon School in 1992.

Before working at the Cathedral, the National Park Service appointed him Director-Carillonneur of the Netherlands Carillon in Arlington, Va. He has continuously performed and scheduled guest carillonneurs for the annual carillon recital series sponsored by the National Park Service since 1987. He is a 30-year member of the Guild of Carillonneurs in North America and has served as a juror on the guild’s student advancement committee. Dr. Nassor was invited by the Speaker of the Canadian House of Parliament to perform on the carillon at the Peace Tower at the House of Parliament in Ottawa during the Canadian Tulip Festival in May 2007, as part of a cultural exchange between Canada and the Cathedral.

His discography includes “Joyful Noise”; “Sound from Heaven”; “Welcome All Wonders”; “Hymns through the Centuries, Vol. 1”; “Hymns through the Centuries, Vol. 2”; and “The Joy of Christmas.”

Cover image: Architectural detail of Washington National Cathedral with the Gloria in Excelsis central bell tower rising in the distance.