Bok Tower plans live-stream carillon concert during closure
Bok Tower Gardens, a historic attraction in Polk County, will livestream a concert featuring carillonneur Geert D’hollander on Thursday.
The performance — dubbed “Koncert for the Koi” — is scheduled for 3 p.m. on April 2 via the Facebook Live platform. A koi pond is near the based of the 205-foot tower, which features 60 bells installed in a chamber high above the grounds. The bells for the Singing Tower weigh in at 60 tons.
D’hollander, who is also a composer, has been playing at Bok since 2012. He is the fourth full-time carillonneur there since the Lake Wales attraction opened in 1929. The surrounded grounds (and the tower’s design) are dedicated to plants and birds that are native to Florida. The site is designated as a national historic landmark.
Bok Tower Gardens is also using the koi tie-in as a fundraiser. For decades, children have tossed coins into the pond, and Bok is now encouraging the use of virtual donations through its website. The grounds are temporarily off-limits to the public amid concerns about the spread of the coronavirus. A reopening date has not been announced.