Greetings Handbell Musicians.

     Last month, I requested submissions for handbell related Christmas memories.  Unfortunately, I did not get any responses, so I will share a couple stories I have from years past.  The first would have been while in Bells of the Sound, the first year they participated in the Seattle Men's Chorus Christmas concert series.  I recall this being eight performances over two weeks to sell-out crowds at Meany Hall on the University of Washington campus.  We opened the concert on the lift in the orchestra pit, performing Hart Morris's arrangement of Ukranian Bell Carol (aka Carol of the Bells) while being elevated into audience view on the lift.  After being a part of the orchestra accompanying the chorus for the first few pieces of the concert, we were dropped back down into the orchestra pit to put bells away and clear the stage apron for the remainder of the concert.  During one of the performances, someone picked up a 4th octave bell case which was not latched.  Needless to say, G3-B3 hitting concrete is one of the most terrifying sounds you will ever hear as a handbell musician. 

     Another year I remember clearly was the year I was involved with six Christmas Eve services.  I was in college at the time, full of ambition, but lacking in wisdom.  I was not yet a handbell director, but agreed to cover for the handbell director at my church, leading children's bell choirs at 3 pm and 4:30 pm services.  Then, after a dinner break at the one pizza joint which was open on Christmas Eve, I returned to play a solo during the Prelude of 7 pm, 9 pm, and 11 pm services.  Finally, after finishing the Prelude at the 11 pm service, I hopped in the car and drove to another church down the street in time to substitute in their handbell choir.  While I really enjoyed participating in all of these services, it was a long and exhausting day, and not likely something I will repeat. 

     As we have entered the 2012 holiday season, I wish each of you the best for all of your holiday performances, whether it be a children's choir playing the one piece they've spent the entire fall learning for a Christmas pageant or a community choir performing to sell-out crowds in large performance halls.  We have entered the season where our audiences are most eager to listen to the music we've worked so hard to prepare, and I hope that this December brings all of you great memories you will be able to share in the years to come.

Brian Tervo

chair.area10@handbellmusicians.org

 Webmaster - Rod Lloyd has been playing handbell for about 18 years. I currently play in two church choirs and the founder / director of Columbia River Handbells, a select community choir in Longview, Washington. I am author of "The Handbell Ringers Bible" and have many how to Handbell videos on YouTube "Handbells 101'. I have been creating nonprofit webpages for about 18 years since the internet arrived and am happy to take over the Area-10 website.

  Youth Chair - Ron Mallory has a master's degree in choral conducting from the University of Washington and a bachelor's degree in music composition from California State University, Long Beach. He teaches handbell classes at Forest Ridge School in Bellevue, WA, serves as choir director at Living Word Lutheran Church in Puyallup, WA, and directs the Rainier Ringers community handbell ensemble. He has over two dozen published compositions and arrangements in print, and has won composition contests sponsored by Bells of the Sound and Handbell Musicians of America. Ron lives in Maple Valley, WA with his wife, Emily.

Alaska Chair -   Ella Saltonstall was born and raised on Kodiak Island. As a youth she rang with a youth group that toured the Moscow area in Russia in the early 90's. Following college, she was a founding member of the San Diego Harmony Ringers in 1999. In 2008 she co-founded the first community choir of its kind in Maine, Penobsoct Bay Ringers. Prior to her move back to Kodiak in 2011, she learned to conduct from Area I mentors at a Director's seminar. In the fall of 2011, she co-founded and is the Artistic Director of Isle Bells, a 15 member, 5-octave community group in Kodiak.

by Cyndy Patterson, Area 10 Secretary

     Nine years ago I became the director of the bell choir at First Presbyterian Church in Medford, OR, after being a ringer in that choir and director of the choir at First Presbyterian Church in Central Point, OR for the previous 13 years. This choir had been doing a Christmas concert every year on the Sunday before Christmas, but our numbers were shrinking and the ringers were a bit tired of the stress.  While trying to decide whether to continue the tradition, I had a great idea - why not get other choirs to join us?  Each group could play the 2 or 3 pieces they had played in church for Christmas and no one would have to put together a whole concert's worth of pieces!

     My group was overjoyed with the possibility, and I got immediate buy in on the idea from 3 other churches, which along with my 3 groups gave us a total of 8 groups participating. The biggest problem was that everyone wanted to ring on their own bells.  Fortunately our chancel area is fairly large.  By moving out most of the standard "furniture" (lectern, choir chairs, communion table), we were able to make room for 3 long rows of bell tables, which meant that we would only have to do a bell reset at intermission.  Moving groups in and out of position was covered by having our organist lead the audience in singing Christmas songs.  I organized a schedule of warm up times throughout the afternoon so each group could do a run through in the space, ending with us set up for the first groups to play.

     I decided that we needed to start with a big bang, so I found a simple to memorize processional and had all the groups divided up into sections to play it as we all came in, filling the aisles and the front with ringers - it was an incredible sound with over 50 ringers playing together.

     The traditional concert had always had a great turnout.  That was one of the reasons I was reluctant to just cancel the tradition.  With 4 other church's choirs participating, the audience was literally standing room only! We had to release the pews I had set aside for the ringers to the non-ringing audience and we all stood in the back to listen to each other play.

     We had always taken a collection at this concert, which had always gone to our bell choir, but that didn't seem fair with other groups involved, so I advertised that the collection would go to the food banks at all of the churches. In the years since, we have simply put that collection into our own food bank, as it is one of the main ones in the downtown Medford area.

     For a reception, I asked all the groups to bring lots of cookies, and got some of the non-ringing husbands of my ringers to make the coffee and Wassail and organize everything.  People loved the chance to talk to the ringers after the concert.

     Our Ringing In Christmas concert is now a firmly established tradition.  The church gets phone calls from the community wanting to know when it will be held, and I don't even have to ask the other groups to participate - they just ask when.  The logistics set up the first year have worked well for the most part with little adjustment. We are getting set for this year, so come join us on Sunday evening, December 16^th at 7:00 pm on the corner of 8^th and Holly in Medford, OR!

      Handchimes have played a major role in the musical life of St. Matthew Lutheran Church in Beaverton, Oregon.  About 25 years ago, while at a Rogue Valley Handbell Festival, two of our ringers became enamored with the sound of handchimes and decided we needed a set for our music ministry. Their donation of those 3 octaves started us on a glorious musical trip of playing handchimes, fundraising to bequeath sets to start new choirs, and developing a loaner program.  We now have a full 7 octave set of Malmark chimes that we use regularly with our five choirs, plus we have two 3 octave loaner sets of Malmarks and one of Suzuki.

      We have found that by getting chimes into the hands of eager musicians (or non-musicians sometimes making music for the first time), the joy begins and on a few occasions the experience has even enticed people to join handbell programs. To encourage groups to use our loaner chimes, we have purchased the "Ring Along" series (Christmas, Favorites, and more). This easy to play system of ringing and singing allows even the "I've-Never-Played-An-Instrument-In-My-Life" kind of caroler to ring along with the best of the group (no musical notes, just circled words - if you read English, you're sure to have a great time).

     To check them out and/or to get a list of "We had a great time playing" endorsement personnel, people contact me.  A chart is kept of who has what, when they will be picked up, and when returned.  People come to the church to pick up the chimes and books and check off their name when they are returned.  First timers are given an introduction to chiming, how to care for them while on loan and how the books work. The checkout system has worked well over the years and has been used for holiday parties, neighborhood caroling, school room celebrations, professional group luncheons, chiming at retirement homes and even in the ICU, at Salvation Army kettles and they were even taken to Canada to add to the fun of a family reunion.

     If you ever get to the point where you are blessed with an abundance of handchimes, think about developing your own loaner program.  One of the reasons that our handbell/chime program is so well supported by the congregation is because so many members are able to say, "I play handchimes."  If you would like to learn more about this program, contact me at shoshm@smlcfamily.org or 503-644-9148.

Have a great Christmas season.

Shosh Meyer

     Virtual Handbell Ensemble is an exciting new project of the Handbell Musicians of America, in which you will have the opportunity to perform a new work of music via video uploads.

      Misterium, by James Meredith, consists of 135 musical segments to be recorded separately by individuals and small groups of players from around the world over a seven month period and uploaded to the web. All of the segments will be assembled by the editing videographer and the composer into the final work to be premiered online in July, 2013.

     For a video introduction by Mr. Meredith and all the information you need to participate, please visit the project website by clicking the picture above or going to virtual.HandbellMusicians.org.

 Handbell Musicians of America National Seminar moves around the country each summer. In 2013, we are so fortunate to have it in Area 10 in Portland at the Oregon Convention Center. The dates are July 24-27, 2013. Start making plans now to attend this exciting event. Keep watching HandbellMusicians.org for additional information.

April 20, 2013 * Bellevue, WA

     Emerald City Ringers, a community handbell ensemble based in the Seattle area, invites youth handbell choirs from around the Pacific Northwest to the 2013 Youth Handbell Festival. This year will feature three guest clinicians: Marlene Anderson, Ellie Hodder, and Emerald City Ringers Music Director and Area 10 Chair Brian Tervo. Please email colin@emeraldcityringers.org for a registration form.

     We are currently working with the Bellevue Red Lion Hotel for a discounted room block - rooms are anticipated to be $96/night, including free wi-fi and parking. Email for more details.

Fees (includes lunch and dinner): $55 per ringer postmarked by March 1 * $60 after March 1

Adult chaperones: $9 lunch, $12 dinner

Music List

Brochure/Registration Form

Email colin@emeraldcityringers.org or call 425-269-8182for more information.

 

      The repertoire this year is loosely organized around the theme of "Our Journey;" there are some really nice pieces on the repertoire list. Again there will be two groups The Siskiyous and The Cascades along with the Massed group and an opportunity for those ringers who love a challenge and can ring Level 4 and 5 music to ring in the Bronze Conference Choir. Ellie Hodder will once again direct the BCC; remember that you will need to apply to be part of BCC and must learn your ringing position prior to arrival. Rehearsals for the BCC will begin Friday at 4:00 pm.

     Registration materials will be sent out in early January with a March 1^st deadline for application to the Bronze Conference Choir. If you have any questions or would like registration materials sent electronically please contact Diane Barnes at dkbarnes@jeffnet.org. 

Saturday, December 8 - 7:00 pm, Southminster Presbyterian Church, 6500 Overland Road, Boise. The church's handbell choir presents their 2nd annual Christmas concert with guests Phyllis Tincher, handbell soloist, and Sean Rogers, pianist/organist. An offering will be taken for the handbell ministry at the church and Ring Praise Music Ministry. 

 Sunday, December 9 - 4:00 pm, First Baptist Church, 221 E Linden Street, Caldwell. Carols of the Bells concert featuring Treasure Valley Bronze, homeschool choirs under the direction of Ruth Whitley, plus others.

Sunday, December 16 - 4:00 pm, Nampa Civic Center, 311 3rd Street S, Nampa. Bells of Christmas, 7th Annual "Kettle Koncert" for the Nampa Salvation Army. Phyllis Tincher, handbell soloist, and Sean Rogers, pianist, with special guests Treasure Valley Bronze. Free admission, offering will be taken for the Nampa Salvation Army.

Thursday, December 20 - 7:00 pm, United Methodist Church, New Meadows, Christmas Concert by Phyllis Tincher, handbell soloist, and Sean Rogers, pianist. Freewill offering.