Music Made in Heaven Fall 2022 |
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Music Made in Heaven is a unique handbell ensemble. Each of our bells has been donated in memory of a child who has passed away and is inscribed in remembrance. The music played by the bells representing our children is unlike any other – it is a beautiful contribution the children are continuing to make to the world each time we ring. The message behind the music is one of faith, hope, joy and gratitude for our children's lives.
We call it Music Made in Heaven.
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Back in the Ring of Things |
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We’re excited to be back rehearsing each week and planning to perform at some events this fall!
Our group has changed a bit since the pandemic. Two of our members have “retired” – Judith Bergman and Steve Brown. Two others are on “sabbatical” from bells this semester – Chris Schlachter, who is completing her nursing degree, and Ann Lowe Vodicka, who is building a new house and spending time with young grandchildren. We miss these friends, but wish them well as they focus on other important things in their lives.
We also have welcomed two new members, Jean Cobb and Cyndi Peterik, and a returning member, Betty Godwin, who has moved back to the area from Texas.
At each rehearsal, we begin by reading the names of the children with birthdays that week, along with the inscriptions in their bells, followed by the ringing of those bells. In this way, we remember each child each year. We also send an email to the ringers and the families of the children on the specific child’s birthday. These memories help us focus on using our music to express joy in the gift of these children.
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Name: Cyndi Peterik
Bell Experience: 25 years in Illinois and North Carolina.
What You Might Not Know About Cyndi: She is very adventurous and always up for a challenge. She has taken seven Segway trips in the United States and Europe. She also has zip-lined in Costa Rica and Mexico and rappelled.
Quote: “I have always loved playing the bells. I’m particularly honored to be part of a group that represents such worthwhile things and makes such an impact on people’s lives.”
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We continue to provide information about “Our Children” on our website as we hear from family members.
This page of the site includes the names of our children and the inscriptions in their bells. In addition, several parents have shared with us special moments, personality characteristics and other meaningful stories about their children. We have added this information and photos to the pages for these children.
If you are interested in providing more information on your child for our website, please contact Libby Barnes at musicmadeinheaven@gmail.com or 919-740-5845.
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We have had some wonderful opportunities to hone our ringing skills over the past few months!
Four members of our group were selected to be among 100 advanced handbell ringers from around the world at Bay View Week of Handbells in Petoskey, Michigan, in August. Barbara Marley, Patricia Smith, Sterling Smith and Ruth Stevens participated in the intensive four-day event led by Fred Gramann of Paris, France, an internationally acclaimed composer, conductor, educator, handbell clinician and special friend to MMIH (and arranger of the piece “Called Home to Heaven” for our ensemble). It culminated in a concert (pictured below) attended by 550 people at Bay View’s John M. Hall Auditorium.
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Ten members of our group will participate in the 33rd Capital Area Handbell Festival, hosted by The Raleigh Ringers the first weekend of November in Raleigh. Jean Cobb, Betty Godwin, Phil Herold, Barbara Marley, Elise Pangborn, Cyndi Peterik, Patricia Smith, Sterling Smith, Ruth Stevens and Sabrina Tyndall will join 300 ringers from Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. They will work with nationally renowned handbell composer and clinician Sandra Eithun on several pieces, culminating in a free public concert at 4:00 p.m. Saturday, November 5, in the Kerr-Scott Building at the North Carolina State Fairgrounds. All are welcome to attend!
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Sunday, November 6, 3:00 p.m.
SECU Hospice House Community Memorial Service
2736 NC Highway 210, Smithfield, NC
Thursday, November 17, 7:00 p.m.
Holiday Service of Hope and Remembrance
101 S. Wilmington St., Raleigh NC
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SAVE THE DATE!
Sunday, May 21, 2023, 2:00 p.m.
The Gathering
Our annual concert featuring the performance of several pieces, along with the traditional reading of inscriptions in our bells honoring the children for whom they have been donated.
99 N. Salisbury St.,
Raleigh, NC
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At The Gathering in May 2022, Music Made in Heaven performed an arrangement of Rolf Løvland and Brendan Graham’s “The Promise”
by MMIH friend David Griffin, MMIH member Phil Herold (who
directed this piece) and MMIH director Barbara Marley.
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Thanks to many donations, the handles of all of our handbells have been inscribed in memory of a child. But we have a whole set of choir chimes available! An inscription of your choice, up to three lines, will be added to the handle of the chime you donate, in addition to being listed on our website. When the group performs, each child’s name is acknowledged in the program. The cost for each chime is $300. |
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Other Ways to Help
We greatly appreciate all financial contributions made to Music Made in Heaven as they help offset costs for the purchase of music and auxiliary equipment, insurance on the bells, printing and communication, and upkeep of our website.
Music Made in Heaven is a registered 501(c)(3) organization. All donations are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law.
For more ways to donate, please visit our website and don’t forget to choose Music Made in Heaven as your donation recipient when shopping iGive and AmazonSmile.
As always, thank you for your support!
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