Adèle Celestine Josephina Colson (24 February 1905 – 22 December 1997) was the first woman to graduate from the Royal Carillon School "Jef Denyn" in

Mechelen Mechelen (; ; historically known as ''Mechlin'' in EnglishMechelen has been known in English as ''Mechlin'', from where the adjective ''Mechlinian'' is derived. This name may still be used, especially in a traditional or historical context. T ...

, Belgium, and the first woman in the world to earn a professional

carillon A carillon ( , ) is a pitched percussion instrument that is played with a musical keyboard, keyboard and consists of at least 23 bells. The bells are Bellfounding, cast in Bell metal, bronze, hung in fixed suspension, and Musical tuning, tu ...

certification.

Life and career

Colson was born in

, Belgium, and studied voice and piano at the Mechelen Conservatory. In 1924 she enrolled at the Royal Carillon School. refused to teach her because he believed the carillon should not be played by women. As a result, she was taught by the director Jef Denyn himself. Colson earned her carillon diploma on August 10, 1929, performing a range of repertoire including

Jef van Hoof Jef van Hoof (8 May 1886 – 24 April 1959) was a Flemish composer and conductor. Biography Born on 8 May 1866, in Antwerp, van Hoof was a pupil of Paul Gilson and was heavily influenced by the works of Peter Benoit. His dedication to the Fle ...

's , an original piece she composed, and Matthias Vanden Gheyn's third carillon prelude. Due to

gender discrimination Sexism is prejudice or discrimination based on one's sex or gender. Sexism can affect anyone, but primarily affects women and girls. It has been linked to gender roles and stereotypes, and may include the belief that one sex or gender is in ...

, she was never able to find ongoing employment as a carillonist and famously tore up her diploma. In the 1970s, Royal Carillon School director Piet van den Broek reissued her diploma that is now preserved in the Anton Brees Carillon Library.

References

External links

Photograph of Adèle Colson (c1929)
in the Bok Tower Gardens Digital Collections
Photograph of Adèle Colson looking at the camera (c1929)
in the Bok Tower Gardens Digital Collections
Photograph of Adèle Colson's carillon diploma
in the Bok Tower Gardens Digital Collections
Photograph of Adèle Colson with Jef Denyn
in the Bok Tower Gardens Digital Collections
Digitized photographs of Adèle Colson in the Regionale Beeldbank of Mechelen, Bonheiden, Duffel, Sint-Katelijne-Waver and ZemstCatalogue of the Municipal Carillon Museum of Mechelen, Belgium
{{DEFAULTSORT:Colson, Adèle 1905 births 1997 deaths Belgian classical pianists 20th-century Belgian classical musicians 20th-century Belgian women musicians Belgian women pianists Carillonneurs Belgian keyboardists Belgian women keyboardists Musicians from Mechelen Royal Carillon School "Jef Denyn" alumni