Newsmakers

Fast cars, Bond women and a vampire from Montreal

Jared Mitchell (Editor)
<p>FOR WHOM THE BELLS TOLL<br />
Although many people switch jobs mid-career, not everyone’s move is as radical as Andrea Mc ‑Crady’s. This week Dr. McCrady, 55, arrived at the Peace Tower on Parliament Hill to become Canada’s fifth Dominion carillonneur. The American family physician packed up her Spokane, Wash., home to take up her post playing the chimes. McCrady was first introduced to the carillon in 1971 when she was an undergraduate in Hartford, Conn. “The sound just grabbed me,” she said. “You catch bell fever.” The Peace Tower carillon’s 53 chiming bells range in size from over 10 tonnes to the smallest, which weighs only 4.5 kilos. McCrady, usually dressed in concert black, plays the bells from a connecting room that houses a keyboard. The instrument has touch-sensitive keys and pedals and requires active feet, so McCrady dons black dance shoes to play. Listeners on the Hill won’t be able to see her, but they’ll sure hear her.</p>

ANDREA MCCRADY