Celebrating the 201st Birthday of Frederick Law Olmsted 
Recital, Inspired by Olmsted 
John A. Widmann 
City Carillonneur, The City of Frederick 
The Netherlands Carillon 
Arlington, VA, April 26, 2023 
12 noon

I. Four Miniatures – Geert D’hollander (b. 1965) 
Spring Flowers at the U.S. Capitol Grounds – Pleasance in Life 
The Reflection Pond at Bok Tower – a Zen Moment 
A Court Dance at the Biltmore Gardens – “Chateauesque” 
Central Park in the Fall – Majestic Oak Trees & Colorful Falling Leaves 

II. America the Beautiful – Samuel A. Ward (1848-1903), arr. Milford Myhre (b. 1931) 

III. Fantasy on “Ave maris stella” – John Widmann (b. 1963) 

IV. European transcriptions: 
Largo BWV 1056 
– Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750), arr. Koen van Assche (b. 1967) 
Après un Rêve, Opus 7, nr. 1 – Gabriël Fauré (1845-1924) arr. Midori Conneman 
Preludium (oorspr. g-klein) – Matthias vanden Gheyn (1721-1785), arr. van Assche 

V. Toccata Festivole – John Courter (1941-2010) 

VI. The Battle Hymn of the Republic – anon. American, arr. Leen ‘t Hart (1920-1992) 

VII. beneath a canopy of trees – Joey Brink (b. 1988) 

April 26 marks the 201st birthday of Frederick Law Olmsted, social reformer and founder of American landscape architecture. In 2022, the nation celebrated Olmsted 200, which marked the bicentennial of Olmsted’s birth.

Olmsted had a varied career which brought him frequently to Washington DC, first in 1861 as the inaugural executive secretary of the U.S. Sanitary Commission and then again in 1874 as the first landscape architect for the U.S. Capitol. 

Today’s birthday concert features the first and third-prize winners of the international Inspired by Olmsted carillon competition, sponsored in 2022 by the National Association for Olmsted Parks and Olmsted 200. In honor of Mr. Olmsted, the U.S. Congress today is also planting a tree in his honor on the U.S. Capitol Grounds. 

John Widmann is the City Carillonneur for the City of Frederick, Maryland, where he plays recitals every Sunday at 12:30, year-round, on the Joseph Dill Baker Carillon in Baker Park. He has now held that position for thirty years. Mr. Widmann graduated from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and completed his Master of Music degree from Towson University in 2011. In 2021-2022, Mr. Widmann studied for his diploma at the Royal Carillon School “Jef Denyn” in Mechelen, Belgium. He is also the Organist and Choirmaster at St. Francis Episcopal Church in Potomac, Maryland. Mr. Widmann became a Carillonneur member of the Guild of Carillonneurs in North America in 1996 and is a past member of the National Board of that organization.

For information about how to get there and where to park, please click here.