University of Illinois Chimesmaster says ‘bye’ to the bells
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) – His name might go unheard, but his music says it all. Michael Broussard has been the University of Illinois' Chimesmaster for the last three years. But this semester, he's stepping away.
Broussard has always had a knack for instruments — the trombone, accordion, strings and, of course, the chimes. Even with his past experiences, this maestro never thought he'd be the man behind U of I's music.
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He said the first time he played was "horrifying," but also gave him a feeling that kept him coming back for more.
"It's also exhilarating the first time," Broussard said. "You kind of get this cool feeling of like 'Oh wow, I got to do that.' And I'm going to get to do it again and again and again."
His role has kept the over-100-year tradition of chimes alive on campus, until construction started last year. Altgeld Hall was built in 1897 and has not been renovated since 1957. Dean's Special Advisor Sheldon Katz has been overseeing the construction.
"The idea of a historic preservation is to try and make everything look the same from the outside as it did before, but what we're going to do is improve the function," Katz said.
The construction put a pause on the playlist, but Broussard often thinks back to what it was like before he said, "Bye" to the bells.
"There's something special about performing and walking outside of Altgeld on a beautiful spring day when the quad is full and no one knows you performed, but that's ok because you have this feeling of being able to give that sort of music out to people in the area," Broussard said.
Broussard took a leave of absence from his PhD program at the university to pursue a different tune. He is interning at the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville for the next three months. He hopes when he comes back, the bells will be ringing once again not only for him, but for everyone.
"The idea of music as a community builder, as something that can be really powerful and really great for people to feel like they belong to something," Broussard said. "And so for us, when we perform, we feel like we really belong to the tower, and we hope that when people hear those bells they feel like they really belong at the university."
Katz said the timeline on the construction is unknown. However, he expects that the chimes should be repaired and installed by spring 2025. As for the next chimesmaster, Broussard said it is not a position that accepts applications. Faculty recommend and select who will be in charge of preserving the sound of tradition.
