Music Made in Heaven Spring 2023 |
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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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It’s been great to be back ringing and performing this year!
In the fall, we played at three events:
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the Community Memorial Service at SECU Hospice House at the Johnston County Agricultural Center in Smithfield;
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the Holiday Service of Hope and Remembrance at First Baptist Church-Wilmington Street in Raleigh; and
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the Advent Service of Healing and Hope at Edenton Street United Methodist Church in Raleigh.
We were honored to contribute our talents at these very meaningful services.
Five of our members — Patricia and Sterling Smith, Cyndi Peterik, Director Barbara Marley and Ruth Stevens — participated in Distinctly Bronze East February 23-26, a Handbell Musicians of America event for auditioned ringers to play advanced music. DB East took place in New Bern, NC, and was led by Fred Gramann of Orléans, 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).
Following DB East, Fred (center of back row) spent some time in Raleigh and attended one of our rehearsals, conducting us in two of his compositions. We were thrilled to have this extra time with Fred!
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On March 12, we shared our music during the worship service at First Baptist Church in Raleigh. We’re grateful to FBC for hosting our rehearsals each week and providing storage for our equipment!
We also were among more than 100 ringers who participated in the 2023 Virginia Festival sponsored by Area 3 of the Handbell Musicians of America March 24-25 in Roanoke, VA. We rehearsed four pieces in the weeks leading up to the festival, then worked on polishing them with conductor David Harris of The Raleigh Ringers at the two-day event, culminating in a final concert.
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On April 29, Music Made in Heaven will once again host the Bull Ring, a massed handbell ensemble to ring the National Anthem when the Durham Bulls play the Memphis Redbirds. Come out and support us at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park. We expect to perform at 6:20 p.m. (game time is 6:35 p.m.).
We also will perform at a private event, the Glenaire Annual Memorial Service, at Glenaire Retirement Community in Cary on April 30.
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Music Made in Heaven
cordially invites you to attend
“The Gathering"
Sunday, May 21, 2023
2:00 p.m.
First Baptist Church Fellowship Hall
99 N. Salisbury St.
Raleigh, NC 27603
Access surface parking lot from Hillsborough Street
Enter building through the double doors
This annual concert will feature several pieces performed
by our community handbell choir, along with the
traditional reading of inscriptions in our bells honoring
the children for whom they have been donated.
A reception will follow.
Free and open to all. Donation baskets available.
We hope to see you there!
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Name: Betty Godwin
Bell Experience: 35 years in North Carolina and Texas.
What You Might Not Know About Betty: A native North Carolinian, Betty has lived here all her life except for 2018 to 2021, when she moved to Austin, Texas, to be near her daughter.
Quote: “I am truly honored and blessed to be a part of this loving and dedicated group of ringers and now much-loved friends. It is a part of my life that I will always cherish.”
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New Scrapbook Features Our Children |
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A big thank you to Music Made in Heaven alumna Doreen Herold, who has created a scrapbook filled with tributes and photos of the children in whose names our bells are donated.
We also have been updating our website with this information as we receive approval from parents (for examples, click on the names with the asterisks on the "Our Children" page of our website). Parents interested in having an expanded tribute for their child on our website should contact Libby Barnes at musicmadeinheaven@gmail.com.
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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.
As always, thank you for your support!
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