Enjoy a meditative musical performance and beautiful views.

Soak in the view of the Garden's lakes and Evening Island as you listen to a relaxing musical performance. While you are here, take a walk, or grab a bite at one of our dining locations. Morning music events run rain or shine, and will be moved to Nichols Hall on days with inclement weather.

Wylie Crawford is the Senior University Carillonneur at the University of Chicago, having served for 31 years as the fifth University Carillonneur. He is also the Resident Carillonneur for the Chicago Botanic Garden in Glencoe, Illinois (since 1986) and was the first City Carillonneur for the Millennium Carillon in Naperville, Illinois. In 2020, he became the president of the Venice Carillon Foundation, Inc., and inaugurated the Florida Carillon Festival in that year.

He is the past president of the World Carillon Federation (carillon.org), a federation of 15 international associations that organizes conferences in countries with a carillon culture. Mr. Crawford served a record-breaking 11-year term as president, having served as WCF treasurer from 1990 until 2006.

With a B.S. degree in physics and a master’s degree in teaching from the University of Chicago, Mr. Crawford is pleased to have initiated the first regular carillon instruction programs at four Chicago-area carillons. He supervised the 2007 – 08 renovation of the 100-ton 72-bell University of Chicago carillon—the second heaviest carillon in the world.

Mr. Crawford fulfilled the requirements of the Guild of Carillonneurs in North America (gcna.org) to become a certified carillonneur in 1977. During his fifty year membership in the Guild, he served three years as its vice president and 40 years as chair of the Guild’s Membership Committee. He continues as a member of its Nominations committee. He has given guest recitals in Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, Sweden, and all over the United States.

Location: Mcginley Pavilion