Wesley Arai pushes down on the batons with his fists and presses the pedals with the tips of his toes, delicately manipulating the 49 cast iron bells, which have made their home in the South Hill skyline.
Below, on the south lawn of the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, dozens sit on lawn chairs or blankets and listen to the patriotic tunes wafting from Bishop Cross Tower, waiting for the fireworks to begin.
Arai, 28, has gone up a single-person elevator (less than 3 feet wide), climbed a ship-like ladder through a brick chimney and scaled three flights of stairs to get to the carillon chamber, where he takes command of the massive instrument.
The carillon is played by striking a keyboard with the fists, and by pressing the keys of a pedal keyboard. The keys activate levers, which are connected to metal clappers that strike the inside of the bells.
It’s Arai's third year performing for the church’s Independence Day Carillon Concert.
The St. John’s carillon is the only one in Washington, and one of the only ones in the Pacific Northwest. The next closest one is in Missoula, Mont.
Arai says Spokane's carillon is one of his favorites.
“It’s a high climb to the top, but it’s worth it. The bells are so rich sounding,” he says.
Arai lives in Los Angeles and spends the summers playing carillons across the country. It’s a pastime he says, something to help him take his mind off his day job as an actuary.
He learned to play the carillon when he was a third-year student at the University of Berkeley, where he was studying mathematics and statistics. He took a carillon class as an elective and has been playing ever since, he says.
Carillons, like carillonneurs are rare. Arai estimates there are only a few hundred carillonists in the country, but says he's seen an uptick in the number of young adults learning to play.
St. John’s carillonneur, Byrl Cinnamon, plays recitals regularly for religious and civic festivals. It's cathedral tradition to bring a guest carillonneur in for the Independence Day concert.
