The Grote Kerk has a special carillon which dates from 1966. The carillon was cast by the bell-foundry Koninklijke Eijsbouts (Asten). In 1999 the carillon was extended. These bells were also cast by the Koninklijke Eijsbouts bell-foundry.
In the 20th and 21st centuries the city of Dordrecht appointed city carillonneurs. Since 2014, the city carillonneur has also played the carillon of the town hall tower.
Leen ‘t Hart
Leen ‘t Hart had an important influence on post-war carillon art in the Netherlands. He was carillonneur of Amersfoort, Delft and Rotterdam, but also director of the Dutch Carillon School in Amersfoort.
‘t Hart was city carillonneur of Dordrecht from 1951 to 1953.
Cornelis Pieter (Cor) Visser
Cor Visser was organist of the Grote Kerk for more than 40 years. He was also a city carilloneur for a number of years (from 1953 to 1966).
He studied carillon with the famous Belgian carillonneur Staf Nees.
Jaap van der Ende
Cor Visser was succeeded in 1966 by Jaap van der Ende. The appointment coincided with the commissioning of the new carillon. Besides city carillonneur of Dordrecht he was carillonneur in Schoonhoven, Woerden, Oudewater and Gouda.
As a carillonneur and adviser he was involved in many new construction and expansion projects in the low countries and in this way he has made an important mark on the carillon culture in the Netherlands and Belgium.
Henry Groen
After Jaap van der Ende’s farewell in 1993, two city carillonneurs were appointed, both of whom had completed their training at the Dutch Carillon School in Amersfoort.
Henry Groen graduated as a performing musician in 1986. Besides city carillonneur of Dordrecht, he was carillonneur of Apeldoorn, Barneveld, Ede, Gouda and Wageningen. In 2003 he had to end his carillonneur work due to health problems.
Boudewijn Zwart
Together with Henry Groen, Boudewijn Zwart was appointed as city carilloneur. Together with him, Zwart formed the Dutch Carillon Duo. He is a carillonneur at Ede, Gouda, Amsterdam, Bergambacht, Schoonhoven, IJsselstein, Barneveld, Apeldoorn, Wageningen and Zeewolde.
He is also president of the international carillonneur association Eurocarillon.
Since 2002 Zwart has also been in charge of the Carillon Institute Netherlands in Dordrecht, a private higher vocational training for carillonneurs.
