Will you be at our handbell concert in Harbor Springs? We’ll be presenting a concert of 8-bell duets on Sunday, August 12th, at First Presbyterian Church. Here’s the concert program! As you can see, our concert will include a mixture of well-loved hymns, and beautiful traditional pieces from several different countries. We’ll also be joined by the Kirk Ringers of First Presbyterian Church for several pieces.
We’re looking forward to this concert, in such a beautiful part of Michigan. Admission to the concert is free, with an opportunity for a free-will offering. We hope to see you there!
Would you like to host a handbell duet concert?
If you can’t attend our handbell concert in Harbor Springs, you might enjoy some of our handbell duet videos on our YouTube channel.
If a live performance is more your style, and you’re considering hosting a handbell duet concert at your church, please get in touch with us. As a handbell duo, we take up less space than a traditional handbell choir, and our transportation costs are lower. We can often combine a concert with playing our duets for a morning worship service too! We’re based in Holland, Michigan, but we’re happy to travel.
The Lavender Labyrinth was a mystery to us until very recently! Since we moved to Holland, Michigan in the summer of 2016, people have been asking us if we’ve been to see the lavender in Shelby. Until last week, the answer was always “No, not yet!”
Finally, just a few days ago, we decided to go and find out what all the fuss was about. We drove to Shelby, a village in Oceana County, not far from the shores of Lake Michigan. It’s close to the popular Silver Lake State Park and the Little Sable Point Lighthouse. We’ve visited the lighthouse before, and we recommend it to anyone who comes to visit us here in West Michigan.
Cherry Point Farm and Market
Over the years, Cherry Point Farm and Market has become a traditional stopping point for many visitors to West Michigan. The Bull family began operating the farm in 1949, and the fruit market opened soon after that. The surrounding orchards date back to an even-earlier time. We’ve managed to stop at the market and buy snacks on several occasions without realising that one of the area’s most fascinating attractions was just a moment’s walk away from the market!
How could we stop at a fruit market and never notice this?
What is a labyrinth?
Although many people think of a labyrinth as being the same as a maze, the difference is that a maze is generally designed to be a puzzle. The goal is to find the route to the centre. There are many paths to choose from; some leading to dead ends. In contrast, a labyrinth is a single path where you can’t get lost. It’s a continuous circuit where the goal is simply to walk – as if through life’s journey – to relax, to meditate, or simply to exist and be present in the moment. In recent years, the use of labyrinths has increased in popularity as a spiritual and therapeutic tool. A labyrinth can be a much-appreciated retreat for people in search of peace and tranquility.
Lavender plants
The labyrinth at Cherry Point Farm and Market has earth mounds and hundreds of fragrant lavender plants that provide the pathway for walking. We were told that it takes around an hour to walk the path to the centre, but we enjoyed just wandering more randomly, taking photos along the way! Even though our visit was a little late in the season, there was still plenty of color left. Be warned, though – some of the photos on the internet have been digitally enhanced to a brighter shade of purple than you can realistically expect!
Beautiful purple lavender at Cherry Point Farm.
At the centre of the lavender labyrinth is a stone circle bordering a beautiful herb garden.
The stone circle borders the herb garden at the centre of the labyrinth
It helps to know your herbs (or get a map from the market!)
We don’t know anything about herbs, and honestly we hardly recognised any of the plants. However, they were pretty, and sweet-smelling, and home to an impressive number of bees. We were slightly envious of the way people around us seemed to be able to identify all the herbs; later we found out that a map is available from the market to help people identify the plants as they walk around. Next time we visit, we’ll be more prepared!
As if the beautiful labyrinth and herb garden weren’t enough, there’s also a little rock garden with painted stones; a fun addition to the area.
Painted stones!
Don’t forget the farm shop!
After we’d finished wandering among the lavender and herbs, we spent some time in the gift shop that sells a variety of Michigan-made products, including clothing (t-shirts and hoodies, mostly), lavender-related gifts such as lavender soap and lavender honey, jams, tea, Michigan-inspired jigsaw puzzles, photo holders, mugs, and so much more! There’s also a wide range of freshly-made baked goods, including wonderful cherry turnovers! If you’re looking for fresh fruits and vegetables, you’ll find a selection here too.
We enjoyed the chance to sit at one of the tables outside and relax for a while in the beautiful weather and peaceful surroundings. Our visit was perhaps a little late in the season, so next year we’ll make an effort to get there around mid-July – but we’re confident that even if the lavender can’t be in full bloom for the entire season, there will always be something that will make Cherry Point Farm and Market well worth a visit!
Cherry Point Farm and Market is located at:
9600 W. Buchanan Road Shelby, Michigan 49455
Admission to the labyrinth and herb garden is free. The lavender is in bloom annually mid-late July, with the color lasting into August.
Since moving to West Michigan a couple of summers ago, we’ve enjoyed the opportunity to collaborate with the Zeeland Community Band. We’ve now come to the end of our 2018 summer season with this talented and friendly group.
At the first of the Zeeland Community Band summer concerts, June 2018
The Zeeland Community Band was founded in January 1994. The aim of the band is to give adult musicians an opportunity to play their instruments again in a band setting, even if they haven’t played since school or college. The group meets on Monday evenings in Zeeland, and is directed by Rose Wiersma. The band plays a variety of concerts during the year; some for residents and guests at retirement communities, and others open to the public.
Photo credit: Zeeland Community Band
The summer concerts in June and July took place at Vande Luyster Park in Zeeland. The weather was lovely on both those evenings, and both concerts were well attended, with audience members from Zeeland and surrounding areas… and from as far away as New York!
If you missed the ZCB concerts in June and July, you still have one more opportunity to see the band this summer – at the Drenthe Community BBQ on Saturday, August 18th. We won’t be there on that afternoon, but hope to be back with the band in the fall.
Future dates for your calendar:
Drenthe Community BBQ – Saturday, August 18th at 4:30pm
Zeeland PumpkinFest – Saturday, October 6th at 5:00pm
Christmas Concert – Monday, December 10th at 7:30pm
“I vow to thee my country, all earthly things above, Entire and whole and perfect, the service of my love. The love that asks no question, the love that stands the test, That lays upon the altar the dearest and the best. The love that never falters, the love that pays the price, The love that makes undaunted the final sacrifice.
And there’s another country I’ve heard of long ago, Most dear to them that love her, most great to them that know. We may not count her armies, we may not see her king, Her fortress is a faithful heart, her pride is suffering. And soul by soul and silently her shining bounds increase, And her ways are ways of gentleness and all her paths are peace.”
I Vow to Thee, My Country is a much-loved British patriotic hymn. Sir Cecil Spring Rice wrote the lyrics, and Gustav Holst set them to music. The melody is adapted from a section of Jupiter from Holst’s orchestral suite The Planets. Nowadays, you might recognise it as the hymn tune THAXTED.
A much-loved patriotic hymn
I Vow to Thee, My Country has strong associations with Remembrance Sunday. Its patriotic text has ensured that it remains popular today. It was sung at the funeral of Sir Winston Churchill in 1965, and at the wedding of the Prince and Princess of Wales in 1981. It was also sung at the funeral of the Princess of Wales in 1997, and at the memorial service ten years later. In 1982, Michael Perry wrote an alternative text for the THAXTED melody; O God Beyond All Praising.
We first performed our arrangement of I Vow to Thee, My Country on our last Sunday at Los Altos United Methodist Church, before we moved from California to Michigan. We played it in concert for the first time in Warner Robins, Georgia and again in concert at the Handbell Musicians of America Area 5 Festival on Mackinac Island, and at the recent Area 8 Festival in Omaha, Nebraska. It’s not the easiest of our 8-bell arrangements! The middle section took us a while to learn, and still has the ability to surprise us sometimes. Still, it’s been a fun challenge.
Would you like to play this piece?
If you’d like to play I Vow To Thee, My Country, the sheet music is available for purchase and download from Choraegus. If you haven’t bought music from Choraegus before, we recommend our step-by-step guide. Please also note that our music is designed to be downloaded for you to print at home. You won’t receive anything in the mail. Purchasing this 8-bell arrangement gives you permission to print up to 4 copies for your group; you only need to pay once.
Any questions?
If you have any questions, please check our Frequently-Asked Questions! If you don’t find the answer you’re looking for, please contact us, and we’ll be happy to help!
We had lots of fun with the Area 8 BronzeFest choir at the “Bring It! Ring It!” Festival in Omaha, Nebraska. One of the highlights, for us, was having the opportunity to hear three of Larry’s original handbell compositions performed live; two of them for the first time ever!
Our thanks go to the members of the HMA Area 8 BronzeFest Ensemble for all the hard work they put in before the event, so that we could make the most of our limited rehearsal time together. Here are the three original compositions that were performed at the concert:
This piece was inspired by a certain sign that we used to drive past when we were living in California, and it’s fun to play! It’s not crazy-difficult either; the rhythms are easy to pick up, and everyone seemed to enjoy it – including the bass ringers! The cajon part was written and performed by Alex Guebert.
“Rescue does not occur only through great violence and clamor; sometimes it is a candle seen from the midst of terrible darkness”.
Larry wrote this piece fairly recently, and dedicated it to Carla. We didn’t manage to get a recording from the BronzeFest concert performance, but this “work in progress” rehearsal video will give you a good idea of how it sounds. This sensitive piece was well received at its first performance, and the sheet music is now available from Choraegus.
This piece was written in 2015, for the Siskiyou Summit Handbell Conference in Ashland, Oregon, where it received its first performance. There should have been a recording of that performance, but between us we failed to make it happen. Carla pushed the “on” button on the video recorder five minutes before the performance, to make sure it didn’t get forgotten. A minute before the performance, Larry pushed the “on” button, effectively turning off the camera and making sure that there would be no recording. Booooo.
Anyway, we also failed to get a recording from the Area 8 BronzeFest concert. We did manage to get a video of one of the rehearsals, though. There were a few glitches, but you’ll get the idea. Thanks to Lily Acatina, who stepped in to sight-read the trumpet part on keyboard at this rehearsal.
This piece is also available for purchase and download from Choraegus.
BronzeFest at the HMA Area 8 Festival in Omaha, Nebraska – June 2018
At the HMA Area 8 Festival in Omaha, we told lots of people: “You’ll find all that information on our website!” We’ve now put all the information together in one place, to make it easy to find.
Bass Handbell Techniques
If you were at Larry’s class on Bass Techniques, or Bass Layout/Teamwork, and you’d like to learn more, you can find out everything you need to know and more by reading The Bass Ringer’s Notebook. This book is available for purchase from Choraegus. If you order a copy, wherever you are, you’ll be able to hear us rejoicing here in Michigan. We’ll lovingly package up your book, and will make a special trip to the Post Office to mail it to you. Truly, we will appreciate you forever. If you missed Larry’s classes, maybe it’s even more important to buy his book!
The Bass Ringer’s Notebook – 2nd Edition. So much prettier than the 1st edition!
British-Style Four in Hand Ringing
If you went to one of Carla’s British-Style Four-in-Hand classes, and your hands forgot everything the minute you left the room, or if you missed the classes but still have some curiosity about this strange alternative multiple bell technique – do not fear. You can find more information (with extra pictures) in this detailed article on our site. If you’re wondering where you can find that free download of Happy Birthday to practise your newfound skills without spending any money, you can find it here!
Adventures in 8-Bell Music
If you enjoyed our 8-bell music class on Saturday morning, or if you missed it and would like to know more, you can find lots of 8-bell music available for purchase from Choraegus. Please note that our sheet music is designed to be downloaded and printed out by YOU. We recommend reading our step-by-step guide to make the process easier. Don’t sit and wait for the music to arrive by mail, because it won’t reach you that way. Once you’ve purchased the music, you are allowed to print out a certain number of copies for your group. Don’t pay for more copies than you need!
Questions about anything in our classes?
If you have questions about anything you heard in any of our classes, or anything you wish we’d covered, or problems with any of the techniques we demonstrated, you’re always welcome to get in touch with us.
Our 8-Bell Duet Concert
Many of the pieces we performed at our lunchtime concert on Friday are available for purchase and download from Choraegus. A few of the pieces haven’t yet been published – for example Creator of the Stars of Night and Calliope House. However, we plan to make them all available before the end of this year. We’re hoping to get new Advent and Christmas pieces published by the end of August, once we’re back from our annual trip to the Bay View Week of Handbells.
We had so much fun at the HMA Area 8 festival! Several people asked us if we’re available for further concert performances, and events such as worship services and weddings. The answer is yes, we are, so if you’re interested in booking us for an event in the future, please contact us!
Our 8-Bell Duet Concert at the Area 8 festival
BronzeFest
We had a great time with the Area 8 BronzeFest Ensemble – Larry directing and Carla playing. Three of the pieces performed in the concert were original compositions written by Larry. You can find A Minor Crash, Rescue and The Final Crossing on our music site, along with many other compositions and arrangements for handbell choir. We’re also pleased to be able to present Susan T. Nelson’s beautiful Elysium, which was also performed by the BronzeFest Ensemble.
Any questions about our music?
If there’s anything you’d like to ask, please contact us, and we’ll be happy to help!
We enjoyed our trip to the Area 8 Festival in Omaha!
The last time we’d been in Omaha was for the River City Radical Ring in 2013. We were very happy to be invited back to direct, perform and teach at the 2018 event. Besides, what’s not to love about a 600-mile road-trip?
Larry just loves a road trip!
Lots of driving!
The journey from Holland, Michigan took us more than ten hours, and we were glad we’d decided to travel the day before the festival! We arrived in Omaha in plenty of time to enjoy an evening concert by Rezound! Handbell Ensemble before settling in for the night.
We made it to Omaha!
Music and classes at the Bring It! Ring It! festival
The festival began on Thursday. Larry was looking forward to directing the BronzeFest ensemble, preparing for a Saturday afternoon concert. The chosen pieces for BronzeFest were: Festival Sanctus (Cathy Moklebust), Elysium (Susan T. Nelson), Rescue (Larry Sue), Sympatico (Jason Krug), Song of the Flowers (Kevin Mazimas Ko), The Final Crossing (Larry Sue) and A Minor Crash (Larry Sue).
With repertoire like that, there was work to do, but it was wonderful to see how well prepared the BronzeFest participants were. It meant that we could use our limited rehearsal time together to do more than just learn notes. Much progress was made between the first rehearsal on Thursday and the concert on Saturday.
The Area 8 Board of Directors had done a great job of organizing for festival participants to be able to attend a wide variety of classes in addition to rehearsals. There were classes with such titles as “Processionals”, “In-Depth Score Study”, “If Bells Grew on Trees” and “There’s More than One Way to Peel a Banana”. Carla taught several classes on British-Style Four-in-Hand Ringing, and Larry taught classes on Ringing Bass Bells and Bass Bell Layout.
One of Larry’s Bass Handbell Techniques classes
A concert by Timbré from California
Thursday ended with a banquet for all festival participants, followed by a concert presented by Timbré, a lyrical percussion ensemble based in Southern California. Their program, entitled “She Dreams the Stars” featured poetry, live and electronic music, and dance, telling the story of a young woman on a journey of discovery. The show was entertaining and thought-provoking, the costumes were sparkly, and it was good to see our friends from Timbré again. Some of them had played handbells at our wedding in California back in 2012!
Timbré – She Dreams the Stars
Our handbell duet concert
Friday was the day of our own 8-bell duet concert. We’d chosen some of our favourite pieces from the repertoire we’d used for the opening concert at the Area 5 Festival on Mackinac Island earlier this year.
Our 8-Bell Duet Concert at the Area 8 festival
The pieces we played were: Creator of the Stars of Night, Holy Manna, Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise, What Child Is This, Sakura, I Vow to Thee, My Country, Calliope House and To God Be the Glory – all arranged by Larry Sue, and all using only 8 bells each (but not necessarily the same eight!) We appreciated the kind and positive comments we received after our concert. It was interesting to find that there were many people who hadn’t previously imagined that so much music could be made using so few bells!
Showcase concerts
On Friday afternoon, we enjoyed a showcase concert – by Des Moines Concert Handbells (directed by Patrick Gagnon) and A Lovely Shade of Blue Handbell Duet. Lauren and Eric are skilled musicians, and most of their pieces used three octaves of bells. However, their first piece was our 8-bell arrangement of Angus MacDonald’s lively slip jig Chloe’s Passion. Our only regret from the festival is that we didn’t find a few spare moments to try playing it together as a double duet!
Yay! Two handbell duos in the same place!
Adventures in 8-bell music!
Saturday was the final day of the festival. Our day started at the ridiculously early time of 8:00am, so we needed coffee for our “Adventures in Eight-Bell Music” class! We enjoyed introducing people to the idea that it’s not always necessary to use dozens of bells to make music that’s worth listening to.
Larry directs a read-through of “Kingsfold” at our 8-Bell Music class on Saturday morning
We enjoyed a HymnFest presented by River City Ringers, directed by Joyce Miller. The group had commissioned a piece from Cathy Moklebust in Joyce’s honor, and had somehow managed to rehearse it in secret. What a wonderful surprise that turned out to be!
After one more rehearsal, it was time for the BronzeFest concert, which was so much fun! All seven pieces went well, and we think (hope!) everyone enjoyed the experience. Here’s a recording of the final piece in the program – Larry’s original composition A Minor Crash:
Special thanks go to Alex Guebert for writing and playing a cajon part for A Minor Crash, and to Lily Acatina, who stepped in at the last minute to sight-read the trumpet part in The Final Crossing on keyboard. Both these musicians are members of Timbré, and we appreciated their willingness to share their talent at short notice.
The final festival concert
After the BronzeFest concert, we had just one more class each to teach, then we were free to relax at the Festival Concert, directed by Tim Waugh and Barbara Meinke. The festival participants performed a varied concert of music ranging from O Worship the King (Michael Mazzatenta) to the Sesame Street Theme (Michael Glasgow) – and we enjoyed it all! The concert was accompanied by the buzzing of various audience members’ phones, as flash-flood warnings appeared and thunder rumbled overhead! We finished the evening with a reception and an opportunity to catch up with some of the friends we hadn’t seen for a while – including Tim Waugh. He and Carla had previously met at a handbell event in England in 2009!
With Tim Waugh at the end of the festival
Thanks to everyone involved!
Our thanks go to the Handbell Musicians of America Area 8 Board for inviting us to be part of this wonderful event. Thanks also to everyone who participated in the BronzeFest Ensemble or attended our classes. We felt very welcome as visitors to HMA Area 8. We hope we won’t have to wait another five years before we make it to Nebraska again!
We’ll be presenting a short 8-bell duet concert on Friday, June 29th at 12:00pm, at Bring It! Ring It! – the 2018 Handbell Musicians of America Area 8 Festival in Omaha, Nebraska. We only have half an hour at lunchtime for this concert, so we’re including just a few of our favorite pieces. There will be a mixture of well-loved hymns, traditional melodies, and an Advent carol thrown in, even though it’s completely the wrong time of year for it. Here’s the program!
If you can’t be at the concert…
We hope to see you at the concert! If you won’t be at the Area 8 Festival, you might enjoy our YouTube channel, where you’ll find lots of our handbell duets.
Alternatively, why not consider hosting a handbell concert? We can bring a concert of handbell duets to your church, and combine it with playing during a worship service. When you book us for a concert, we take up less room than a traditional handbell choir, and we bring everything we need with us. We have a wide repertoire of hymns and traditional tunes to entertain your audience. Take a look at our reviews, and contact us if you’d like to book us for your event!
Klein Vogelijn – “Little Bird”. Since moving to Holland, Michigan, we’ve enjoyed seeing how the people here still celebrate their Dutch heritage today. We’ve tried on traditional Klompen (wooden shoes) and watched them being made. We’ve had several tours of the De Zwaan windmill, and we’ve tiptoed through the tulips at the city’s annual Tulip Time event.
Tulip Time in Holland, Michigan
We’ve eaten Dutch food, and even risked the Michigan December weather to play Christmas handbell duets at the wonderful Kerstmarkt in Downtown Holland. We’ve been living here for nearly two years now, and we thought it was time for a new adventure – Dutch music!
Our first Dutch piece is an arrangement of the traditional song Klein Vogelijn. We performed this piece for the first time at our concert on Mackinac Island, for the opening of the Handbell Musicians of America Area 5 spring festival. Our video is from a rehearsal at the beginning of the year.
We’re looking forward to expanding our repertoire of traditional Dutch music over the next few months!
Would you like to play this piece?
If you’d like to play Klein Vogelijn, the sheet music is available for purchase and download from Choraegus.
Please note that Choraegus handbell music is designed to be downloaded and printed at home. Don’t wait for anything to arrive in the mail! If you’re new to buying our music online, we recommend our step-by-step guide. We designed this guide to help make the process (we hope!) a stress-free experience!
When you buy 8-bell music, your purchase entitles you to print up to 4 copies of the sheet music for your handbell group. Don’t pay for more music than you need! Purchase also gives permission for you to perform this piece and make a video of your group playing it.
Any questions?
If you have any questions about our handbell music, please read our Frequently-Asked Questions first. However, if you don’t find the answers you need, you’re welcome to contact us, and we’ll be happy to help!
After a successful application process, we’re excited to announce that we’ve been invited to perform our handbell duets as part of the 2018 Street Performer Series in Downtown Holland!
Larry and Carla at the 2017 Downtown Holland Street Performer Series
The Street Performer Series is an annual event here in Holland, Michigan, taking place on Thursday evenings throughout the summer. Downtown Holland comes alive with the sights and sounds of musicians, magicians, circus acts, dancers, face painters and other talented performers. It’s a fun community event, and a great way to spend a summer evening with friends and family.
The 2018 Downtown Holland Street Performer Series starts on Thursday, June 14, and runs for twelve consecutive Thursdays until the end of August, from 6:30 to 8:30pm.
We’ll be performing on the following dates:
July 5, outside Tin Ceiling at 10 E 8th St, Holland;
July 19, outside Resthaven Warm Friend at 5 E 8th St, Holland;
August 9, outside R.I.T. Music at 74 E 8th St, Holland.
Here’s a look at one of our performances from the 2017 series:
Our thanks go to Gentex Corporation for sponsoring this event. We also thank the Michigan Council for the Arts and Cultural Affairs for their support through the Holland Area Arts Council. We’re looking forward to being part of the Street Performers Series this summer!
