Thanks to the Zeeland Community Band and their director Rose Wiersma! We were happy to be invited to be part of another of their community concerts. We enjoyed performing for residents and guests at Freedom Village, a senior living community here in Holland, Michigan. It’s exciting to find out how much the sound of handbells can add to a band performance! The band had put in many hours of rehearsal for this concert, and their hard work paid off. It was an interesting and varied performance, with many positive comments from the audience afterwards.
The Zeeland Community band is a community ensemble in every sense. Its mission is to encourage adults to pick up their band instruments and make music! Even people who haven’t played in many years can find a place in this welcoming ensemble. The band rehearses on Monday evenings in Zeeland. You can find out more on their website, and get in touch if you have questions.
Playing handbells with the Zeeland Community Band
As you can see from the smiling faces, the band members enjoyed this performance too. We look forward to working with this talented group again!
We’re almost at the end of our first Christmas and holiday performances in Michigan. We say “almost” because we still have one Christmas in January performance to give! After next week, we’ll be putting away our Christmas carol music, and working on other things.
Our first holiday season was a fairly quiet one, performance-wise. We deliberately kept it that way because we had family visiting in the second half of December and wanted to make that our priority. Still, we managed to fit in some fun performances first.
Ringing at the Salvation Army Red Kettle
We continued our support of the Salvation Army’s Red Kettle campaign this year. We volunteered to play 12 hours of Christmas music at D&W Fresh Market here in Holland. Thankfully, we were able to play indoors! We now have great respect for the volunteers here in Michigan who ring that tiny bell in various outdoor locations in cold weather! We had a fun surprise when Tracy Hinson from local news channel FOX 17 arrived one morning to interview us. She filmed some of our playing, and even joined in to play one bell at the end of Jingle Bells! Like us, Tracy moved to this area from California, and has enjoyed the challenge of dealing with Michigan winter weather!
Playing handbells for the Salvation Army at D&W Fresh Market in Holland
On December 3rd, we gave a performance at a breakfast fundraiser for local non-profit Grandville Friendship Homes. This turned out to be a very successful event and an enjoyable start to our holiday performances. We had the opportunity to see a presentation by a local chalk artist too!
Holiday handbells in Grandville!
On December 6th, we made our first long drive across Michigan in cold weather. It felt like quite an adventure to load our bells and equipment into the car and drive through the cold and rain. We drove to Ypsilanti, where we gave a concert for residents of a senior living community.
Getting ready for a performance at a senior living community in Ypsilanti
A performance with the Zeeland Community Band
On December 12th, we performed in concert with the Zeeland Community Band. We played a selection of 8-bell pieces for an enthusiastic audience. We also added our bells to whole-band pieces such as I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day and the Hallelujah Chorus. We’d attended several rehearsals before the event, and very much enjoyed working with this skilled group of musicians. We hope to have the opportunity to perform with them again in the future!
With band director Rose Wiersma after the concert
A couple of days later, we presented an hour-long program of Christmas handbell duets at a luncheon party here in Holland, Michigan. We enjoyed sharing our music with this friendly local group, who asked lots of interesting questions about our history and playing techniques!
Playing handbells at a Christmas luncheon party in Holland, Michigan
Christmas Eve at Ridge Point Community Church
Our last-but-one performance of the 2016 Christmas season was at Ridge Point Community Church, here in Holland. We were missing our usual Christmas Eve services at Los Altos United Methodist Church in California, so we very much appreciated being invited to play at Ridge Point. We played a 15-minute duet prelude before each of the services, and a postlude afterwards. Most exciting was the opportunity to add our bells to a wonderful performance of Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24.
Christmas Eve at Ridgepoint Community Church, Holland
Just one more performance left!
Now we have just one more holiday performance to give. After that, we’ll be saying a sad farewell to our Christmas music. We’ll have to find out what we can remember about playing our non-Christmas pieces!
We’ll be leading a workshop with a church handbell choir in a couple of weeks’ time. After that, we’ll be starting to prepare for a duet concert in Warner Robins, Georgia at the beginning of April. In the meantime, we’ll be enjoying our first Michigan winter, and finding out more about SNOW!
It’s time for another Alzheimer’s Benefit Concert! Once again we’ve teamed up with T. Paul Rosas, Senior Organist at Los Altos United Methodist Church, to offer an evening of music and entertainment for a very good cause.
This concert will be fun! We’ll be playing some of our eight-bell duets, including two that are brand-new and unpublished – Linstead Market and I Vow to Thee My Country. We’ll also be presenting two “world premiere” performances of handbell and organ collaborations!
Larry and Carla
About T. Paul Rosas
T. Paul Rosas is the founder and organizer of Alzheimer’s Benefit Concerts in the San Francisco Bay Area. He is an accomplished organist and composer. Paul loves to combine many different styles of music and different performers to create unique and exciting musical events. He uses his talents to benefit research into Alzheimer’s Disease.
Paul is the Senior Organist for Los Altos United Methodist Church. He also works with such notable local groups as Master Sinfonia and Schola Cantorum. On Saturday evening, Paul will be playing some great pieces on the organ and piano. If you were disappointed not to hear Debussy’s “Clair de Lune” at LAUMC a couple of Sundays ago, you’ll be able to hear it on Saturday instead!
T. Paul Rosas at the piano
About Anna Bekker
We’re excited that talented mezzo-soprano Anna Bekker will also be joining us for the evening. Anna is a graduate of the University of Rochester’s Eastman School of Music. She has performed as both a vocalist and a pianist in various settings throughout the United States and abroad. She has given concerts in the United Kingdom, Germany, the Czech Republic and Italy. Anna has spent a great deal of her musical career as a choral singer, performing extensively, including performances at Davies Symphony Hall and Carnegie Hall. She will be performing three art songs at the concert on Saturday evening.
Anna Bekker
The evening will finish with an ice cream reception. Admission is free, and an offering will be taken to benefit the Alzheimer’s Association. We hope you’ll be able to come along to what promises to be a fun and entertaining concert!
We’re excited to be able to add a new video to our selection of handbell duets with organ accompaniment! Over the last few years, we’ve very much enjoyed being part of the music ministry at Los Altos United Methodist Church. We’ve led Monday evening rehearsals with the Alleluia Ringers, and played handbells in Sunday morning services.
One of the highlights for us has been collaborating with some of the talented musicians at the church. We’ve added handbell parts to choir anthems, used our bells to accompany congregational singing, and performed in concerts for the Alzheimer’s Association. It’s been so much fun to hear music played by Senior Organist T. Paul Rosas in the morning services. Paul has written accompaniments to a couple of our 8-bell pieces too!
It’s been a long time coming, but we finally managed to get a video of Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee with organ accompaniment. We’re grateful to Los Altos UMC for this recording from the last of three morning services on May 22nd, 2016:
We also have a recording from the summer of 2015, when we performed this piece in our concert with Philadelphia Bronze in King of Prussia, Organist Ross Boerner is the Director of Music Ministries at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church:
Would you like to play our handbell duets with organ accompaniment?
If you’d like to play Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee, the music is available for purchase and download from Choraegus. You can buy it either with or without the organ accompaniment.
You might also like to take a look at our other organ-and-handbells collaboration, which we published earlier this year. Come Christians, Join to Sing is also available from Choraegus. We played this on Easter Sunday!
Any questions?
We’re always happy to answer questions about buying or playing our music. If you have questions, please contact us and we’ll be glad to help.
It’s been another busy week of handbell duet performances for us! We played at the Salvation Army Kettle here in Mountain View, and at fun holiday events in Palo Alto and Los Altos. We also had another opportunity to play our handbells at the Annual Night of Remembrance at the Chapel of the Chimes in Oakland.
Have we mentioned how much we love playing handbells at the Chapel of the Chimes? The Night of Remembrance is always a very special evening. People gather together to remember loved ones who are no longer with us, and to light candles and celebrate lives. The building itself is a beautiful place. It has Gothic-style architecture and intricate stonework that reminds Carla of much older churches and cathedrals in England.
There’s also a Christmas tree that looks like this:
We played two pieces during the service itself: The Water is Wide (also known as The Gift of Love) and Moreton Bay. Then we moved our bells to the area beside the beautiful Christmas tree. There, we played a selection of Christmas carols and holiday music while guests enjoyed refreshments.
Did we mention the spectacular Christmas tree?
More holiday performances ahead!
Our weekend will continue with performances at the German Christmas Market in Mountain View. We’re also looking forward to our concert with VoiceWorks in Redwood City tomorrow. And on Monday, we’ll be taking a nap – unless another booking arrives! Yes, we’re still available for last-minute bookings in the run-up to Christmas. Contact us if you’d like to book us for your event!
We’re enjoying the run-up to Christmas, and there are more holiday performances to come!
We spent last weekend at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts. We played our handbell duets before and after the Pacific Ballet Academy’s performances of The Nutcracker. It was fun to receive such a warm welcome from so many people who recognised us from previous years! For us, this was the perfect opportunity to share some of our 8-bell Nutcracker pieces, easing gently into a selection of Advent, Christmas and holiday music.
On Tuesday afternoon we played our first session at the Salvation Army Red Kettle, here in Mountain View. We played duets for two hours, and people gave generously to help local people at Christmas and throughout the year.
Don’t miss our concert with VoiceWorks!
On Wednesday we went to Redwood City to rehearse with VoiceWorks for our shared concert on December 13th. It’s going to be a fun concert!
On Thursday afternoon we had a delightfully festive time playing Christmas carols at the Christmas meeting of a church group in Campbell. An enthusiastic audience is a very good thing. We had eight willing volunteers for our “have-a-go” session, playing Jingle Bells on handchimes. We very much enjoyed our visit, and appreciated the warm welcome we received.
On Thursday evening, we took part in the Kara Candlelight Service of Remembrance in Palo Alto. This is an annual event, and is always an emotional and moving evening.
Friday morning started early for us, with a trip to Palo Alto for a performance at a private meeting/holiday celebration there. We arrived early and spent a fun half-hour looking around the shops in chilly downtown Palo Alto.
We had a great time (and lovely, much-needed coffee and breakfast) at this event. Audience members asked us some interesting questions about our bells and music. Handbell music always seems to get people into the holiday spirit, even quite early in the morning at the start of a busy working day!
Next week’s events
Next week will bring another session at the Salvation Army Red Kettle. There will also be private holiday events in Palo Alto and Los Altos. We’ll be playing duets at the Chapel of the Chimes, Oakland, and at our concert with VoiceWorks in Redwood City.
Need music for your event this winter? It’s time to book us for the 2015 Christmas and holiday season!
Handbells can bring a magical and festive atmosphere to any Christmas or holiday event. We can give a seasonal performance of carols and holiday music. We can provide background music to add that special, welcoming touch to your corporate event or holiday gathering. Nothing says Christmas quite as well as the traditional sound of English handbells beside the Christmas tree. . Our duet performances can bring the sounds of the season to hotel lobbies, church services, shopping malls and private homes!
As the 2015 Christmas and holiday season approaches, we’re looking forward to some fun performances! We’ll be joining VoiceWorks for a concert on December 13th. You’ll also be able to see us at the German Holiday Market in Mountain View. If you’re near El Cerrito, look for us at the Sundar Shadi Holiday Display. We’ll also be adding the beautiful sound of handbells to annual services of remembrance in Palo Alto and Oakland.
If you haven’t hard an alphorn before, here’s your chance! There are only a few more days to go until Saturday’s Alzheimer’s Benefit Concert. If you live in the San Francisco Bay Area, we hope you’ll come along!
More information about the concert, written by organizer T. Paul Rosas:
Date and time: Saturday, October 3rd 2015 at 3:00pm
Place: LAUMC Sanctuary, 655 Magdalena Ave., Los Altos (at the corner of Foothill Expressway and Magdalena)
This year’s concert includes compositions by two of the Bay Area’s favorite composers, Sondra Clark and Brian Holmes. Sondra’s piece, “That Time of Year” is a setting of one of Shakespeare’s sonnets. Anne Janzer sings it beautifully. Brian Holmes will demonstrate and play the Alphorn for us. He has written two delightful pieces, “Amazing Grace” for Alphorn and organ and “Twilight in the Alps” for Alphorn and vocal trio. Casie Walker, Anne Janzer and Mayo Tsuzuki are the trio.
The program also includes a groovy piece for jazz organ and percussion, played by Paul Rosas and Dylan Damonte; evocative piano and organ duets by Dirk Damonte and Paul Rosas and the extraordinary dancing bells of Bay Area handbell duo, Larry and Carla Sue. The program will end with a “Jig for Handbells and Organ” written by Paul Rosas that will have everyone dancing.
It promises to be unique and entertaining event given to support the ongoing research into Alzheimer’s disease as well as the home services provided by the organization. Please invite your friends and family to come. It really is going to be a special concert.”
Admission to the concert is free, but a collection will be made to benefit the Alzheimer’s Association. If you can’t come to the concert, but would like to support our fundraising efforts for this important cause, please visit our Walk to End Alzheimer’s fundraising page and make an online donation there.
We’re excited to be taking part in another Alzheimer’s Benefit concert! These concerts help raise money for research and services provided by the Alzheimer’s Association.
This concert will take place at Los Altos United Methodist Church on October 3rd, 2015 at 3:00pm. The performance will feature Larry and Carla Sue playing handbells, and Brian Holmes on the Alphorn. Dylan Damonte will play percussion, and concert organiser T. Paul Rosas will play organ and piano.
Admission to the concert is free, and an offering will be collected for the Alzheimer’s Association. There’s no need to apply for tickets in advance. You’ll be very welcome on the day! If you’ve never heard an Alphorn, there’s even more reason to attend. Brian Holmes is an expert, and he’ll tell you everything you need to know about this unusual instrument. You might even get the opportunity to participate in the performance of one of the pieces!
If you’re unable to attend the Alzheimer’s Benefit Concert, you can still make a donation if you’d like to. Please contact us and we can tell you how!
Here we are, pictured with T. Paul Rosas at Los Altos United Methodist Church. We hope to see you at the concert!
Today marks the first day of the 2015 Bay View Week of Handbells! The next four days will be full of music at the John M. Hall Auditorium, as more than a hundred handbell musicians rehearse together under the direction of Carl Wiltse.
You can find out more about this event, and why it will always hold a special place in our hearts, by reading our recent post about the Bay View Week of Handbellsand taking a look at our gallery of photos.
Come to the concert!
If you’re in the area, and you’d like to attend the free concert, there’s no need to book tickets in advance. The concert will be held on Thursday, August 20, 2015 at 8:00pm in the John M. Hall Auditorium, 1715 Encampment Ave., Petoskey, Michigan. An offering will be taken to benefit the Bay View Association Music Scholarship Fund. You should plan to arrive in plenty of time to get good seats, because it’s a popular concert!
Here’s a recording from last year’s Week of Handbells – it’s Larry’s original composition A Snail’s Pace.
As usual, Pierpont Productions will make a professional recording of the concert. If you’d like your own copy of the recording, you can order one from Pierpont Productions at 231-347-4488. Alternatively, fill out the order envelope available on the day of the concert.
We’d love to see you at the 2015 Bay View Week of Handbells!
