On August 13, Nancy Hascall lost her battle with cancer and the handbell world, Area 10 in particular, lost a dear friend, talented musician, teacher, mentor, composer and solo handbell musician who took the art form to new levels both technically and musically. I got to know Nancy well as the organizer of the Siskiyou Summit Handbell Conference. From 2006 to 2013 she taught classes, conducted, and played at Siskiyou always with grace, good spirits and a big heart. She extravagantly shared her expansive knowledge of handbell techniques and performance experience with others-a teacher at heart. Listening and watching her play handbell solos was a joy and an education as she showed great grace under fire when a performances didn't go as smoothly as planned. She shared her life and her love of handbells with us and we are better because of it. We'll see you on the other side but you will live on here in your music.

- Diane Barnes

Thank you to Shosh Meyer for these pictures from the memorial service.

February 6-7, 2015

     Jason W. Krug (b. 1978) is a native of Indianapolis, Indiana. He holds a degree in music from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

     Jason is a full-time freelance composer, arranger, clinician, and teacher. Since his first publication in 2006, he's had over 180 compositions and arrangements accepted for handbells, piano, strings, choir, and organ. His works have been featured at numerous festivals and workshops in the United States and beyond.

     In his spare time, Jason enjoys writing fiction, and has spent several years working on a young adult fantasy series, The Sadonian Chronicles. He also frequently participates in the National Novel Writing Month event in November.

     Jason continues to live in Indianapolis with his wife Ellen, his son Daniel, and his feline creative consultants Marcus and Susan.

     Registration for the event will be $55/person if registered by December 15th; after December 15th registration will be $65/person. For additional information, contact Phyllis Tincher, RingPraise@msn.com or 208-989-2811.

Conference Information

 Registration Form 

Music Repertoire

This event is sponsored by Handbell Musicians of America.

May 1-2, 2015

      Larry Sue began ringing in a handbell workshop at a 1987 music conference, followed by sixteen years with the Valley Ringers (Cupertino, CA) and eight years with Son Ringers (Mountain View, CA). He currently directs the Alleluia Ringers (Los Altos United Methodist Church, Los Altos, CA). He has also performed with Bay Bells, one of the longest-running community handbell ensembles on the West Coast. Circumstances, predilections, and incessant adventurousness also drove him to be a bass ringing specialist, and so he became the Artistic Figurehead of Low Ding Zone, the World's First Bass-Only Handbell Ensemble for the eight years of insanity perpetrated by that ensemble. His experience also includes ringing at Distinctly Bronze West and the Bay View Week of Handbells, plus many other local events, as well as the occasional foray into the area of bass handbell solos.

     He is a published handbell composer/arranger, and is the author of the Bass Ringer's Notebook. His festival conducting experience includes California Spring Rings, the Rogue Valley Handbell Festival, the Redding Handbell Festival, advanced events such as the River City Radical Ring and Redding Bronze. He has been a church musician for most of his life, serving on piano, guitar, clarinet, voice, and electric bass. Conducting and composing in the choral and instrumental ministries have been part of his efforts as well. "On the outside", he has sidelines in music teaching, piano tuning, and running his own music company. He and his wife Carla, one of the best ringers from England, have started on the adventure of making videos of their four-in-hand eight-bell duets, which they are selling at http://www.choraegus.com/wordpress/ring/eight-bell-music/. Their latest endeavors have been to produce eight-bell arrangements of music from the Nutcracker and other classical masterpieces.

     Ellie Hodder will once again conduct the Bronze Conference Choir with Larry conducting the Massed Ringing and both The Siskiyous and Cascades groups. Bronze Conference Choir is by application; rehearsals will begin Friday afternoon at 4pm.   

     Registration for the event will be $65/person if registered by March 1st, after March 1st registration will be $75/person. Registration materials will be available beginning January 1st, space is limited so register early. If you wish to receive your registration materials electronically please contact Diane Barnes at dkbarnes@jeffnet.org with your e-mail contact information.

 Music Repertoire 

May 15 & 16, 2015

     The Greater Puget Sound Handbell Conference is open to full choirs, partial choirs and individuals. If you don't have a full choir - or don't have a choir at all - you can still participate. We can place individual ringers in choirs with openings. We also invite your ensemble or choir to perform in the Final Concert on Saturday. This is a great opportunity to showcase your group and perform in front of the best audience you could ever hope for - your fellow handbell ringers!

     The conference repertoire is now available - hopefully you will find some of these selections will also fit in your ringing opportunities throughout the year. Complete registration details will be available in January 2015. If you have any questions or need additional information, please contact Jennifer Vangolen at wa.area10@handbellmusicians.org.

Saturday, March 21, 2015

     Join the Emerald City Ringers on Saturday, March 21, 2015 at Westminster Chapel in Bellevue for a day of ringing and learning with clinician Ron Mallory. Music list is below - contact Bell Buggy Express (bellbuggyx@aol.com) for special festival pricing. Registration materials coming soon - registrations received by February 14 will be $55/person.

     Contact Colin Walker, colin@emeraldcityringers.org, for more information.

Music Repertoire

This event is endorsed by Handbell Musicians of America.

  April 24 & 25, 2015

Carroll College

1601 N Benton Ave

Helena, MT

Clinician: Lee Afdahl

  Music Repertoire 

This event is endorsed by Handbell Musicians of America. 

Bellevue Presbyterian Church in Bellevue, WA has a job opening for a part-time handbell director for one intergenerational 5-octave ensemble (4 hours per week). Rehearsals are on Wednesdays, and the group plays for church services once every 6-8 weeks. The successful candidate will have proven experience in directing and developing handbell ensembles, with excellent teaching skills to demonstrate all ringing techniques. The handbells of Bellevue Presbyterian have participated in numerous international tours throughout Europe and Russia, and in professional recordings. A competitive, professional compensation rate is being offered. Position to start October 29, 2014. If interested, please contact Director of Music and Worship Scott Dean at SDean@belpres.org or call 425.454.3082. More information about the church can be found at www.belpres.org. 

The national office is a virtual operation!

To contact by phone: 937-438-0085. Please note the 1-800 number is no longer in service.

All payments for membership dues, contributions, and other invoices should be sent to our lockbox:

Handbell Musicians of America

PO Box 145400

Mail Location 521

Cincinnati, OH 45250

All other correspondence should be sent to:

Handbell Musicians of America

201 E. 5th Street, Suite 1900-1025,

Cincinnati, OH 45202

Staff emails are in Overtones and at http://handbellmusicians.org. 

Sunday, October 12 - 3:00-4:00 pm. Music of Ralph Vaughan Williams, Gabriel Faur�, and Jules Massenet. Also on the program are Regina Thomas, soprano, and Hilary Field, guitar, performing music of Franz Schubert. West Seattle Library auditorium, 2306 42nd Avenue SW, Seattle. Free and open to the public.

Saturday, October 18 - 1:15-2:15 pm. Music of Ralph Vaughan Williams, John Ireland, Gabriel Faur�, Jules Massenet, and original compositions for handbells and bell trees. Faith Presbyterian Church, 620 South Shirley Street, Tacoma. Presented by the Alliance of Christian Musicians as part of the Church Music Symposium. Open to the public; a freewill offering will be taken. Ample free parking.

Thursday, December 4 - noon-1:00 pm. Beloved carols along with lesser-known works by John Ireland, Percy Grainger, and Ralph Vaughan Williams, and classical pieces based on folk tunes and plainsong. Seattle Art Museum Plestcheeff Auditorium, 1300 First Avenue, Seattle. Free and open to the public. Free museum admission (first Thursday).  

Sunday, December 14 - 3:00-4:30 pm. Ring the Bells of Christmas! - beloved carols along with lesser-known works by John Ireland, Percy Grainger, and Ralph Vaughan Williams, and classical pieces based on folk tunes and plainsong. United Methodist Church of Anacortes, 2201 H Avenue, Anacortes. Presented by the Anacortes Arts Foundation. Ticket information at http://anacortesartsfoundation.org/.