Simone Browne appointed carillonist, University of California Berkeley

Simone Browne is appointed carillonist for the University of California Berkeley Department of Music, Berkeley, California. Browne has served in an interim capacity since the 2024 retirement of Jeff Davis.

Originally from Tucson, Arizona, Browne fell in love with the carillon during her undergraduate studies at the University of Chicago. She holds both a licentiate carillonneur diploma with great distinction and a specialization certification from the Royal Carillon School in Mechelen, Belgium. An active recitalist, she particularly enjoys playing original works for carillon and has performed on more than ninety carillons across Europe and North America. Her research projects have investigated global contemporary carillon culture, carillon oral history in North America, and the emergence of carillons in Ukraine. 

Over the last two years, she has played regular recitals on the Sather Tower carillon and taught the carillon studio while finishing her law degree. She serves as vice president of the Guild of Carillonneurs in North America, and she has contributed articles to The Diapason. 

For information: music.berkeley.edu and simone-browne.com.