December 7 at 10:00 am – 12:00 pm EST
Michigan handbell duo Larry and Carla will be welcoming the Christmas season at Otsego District Library’s Santa and Reindeer Day! There will be popcorn, donuts, hot chocolate, an opportunity to meet Santa and his reindeer, ODL’s own Felix the Fox, crafts, and beautiful handbell music all morning. Don’t miss this exciting family event!
The holiday season tends to start early in the handbell world. We’ve been rehearsing Christmas music with the Kalamazoo Ringers for a number of weeks now. However, we put off starting our own Christmas duet practising until after our Be Still, My Soul concert in Gregory.
The time is now here, and we’re starting to work on Christmas music. We’re getting ready for the first of our holiday performances, at the Kerstmarkt in Downtown Holland, on Friday, November 29th. This European-style market is an annual event here in Holland, and this will be our third year there. It’s always a fun and festive shopping opportunity, and a chance to enjoy delicious food and watch interesting demonstrations by local craftspeople.
If you’re in need of Christmas music for your own handbell ensemble to play, we have plenty of pieces available to purchase, download and print from Choraegus, our music site. We have full-choir pieces, 16-bell pieces, 12- and 8-bell music, and even handbell solos!
We still have some limited availability for holiday handbell performances in December – so if you’d like West Michigan’s smallest handbell choir to come and play at your event, worship service or holiday party, please get in touch. If we can’t fit you into our schedule for this year, let’s plan early for 2020!
December 23 at 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm EST
Handbell duo Larry and Carla will be playing Christmas handbell music at the Salvation Army Red Kettle at D&W Fresh Market in Holland, Michigan!
December 18 at 10:00 am – 12:00 pm EST
Handbell duo Larry and Carla will be playing Christmas handbell music at the Salvation Army Red Kettle at D&W Fresh Market in Holland, Michigan!
December 16 at 10:00 am – 12:00 pm EST
Handbell duo Larry and Carla will be playing Christmas handbell music at the Salvation Army Red Kettle at D&W Fresh Market in Holland, Michigan!
December 9 at 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm EST
Handbell duo Larry and Carla will be playing Christmas handbell music at the Salvation Army Red Kettle at D&W Fresh Market in Holland, Michigan!
December 2 at 10:00 am – 12:00 pm EST
Handbell duo Larry and Carla will be playing Christmas handbell music at the Salvation Army Red Kettle at D&W Fresh Market in Holland, Michigan!
November 30 at 10:00 am – 12:00 pm EST
Handbell duo Larry and Carla will be playing Christmas handbell music at the Salvation Army Red Kettle at D&W Fresh Market in Holland, Michigan!
Before we launch into rehearsals for Advent and Christmas, we have just one more performance to do! Tomorrow we’ll be driving across Michigan to Gregory, to play in the morning service at Southwest Church of the Nazarene. In the afternoon we’ll be presenting a handbell duet concert of hymns and beautiful melodies to soothe your soul and lift your spirits. We’ll be playing well-known hymns such as Holy Manna, It Is Well with my Soul, and Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing. We’ll also be playing some traditional pieces from Scotland, Ireland, Holland and Japan. We might even sneak in a couple of Advent and Christmas carols, because that season is fast-approaching! There will also be a chance to ask us questions about our music and our instruments.
Admission to the concert is free, with an opportunity for a free-will offering. We’d love to see you there!
We have a wide repertoire of handbell duets suitable for worship, or for concerts. We invite you to read about our handbell ministry, and look at independent reviews of our performances. Please contact us if you’d like us to play a handbell duet concert at your church. We’re based in Holland, Michigan, but we’re happy to travel nationwide or internationally.
In the weeks since we came back from the Bay View Week of Handbells, we’ve appreciated the opportunity to focus on our handbell ministry. We’ve very much enjoyed being a part of worship services at several West Michigan churches. Now we’re wrapping up the summer, and reflecting on the last few months’ activities.
Just after we returned from Bay View, we made our first visit to Muskegon Central United Methodist Church. We played prelude, offertory and special music in their traditional Sunday morning service.
This summer we also played in the morning service at Christ Memorial Church, here in Holland. We’ve previously played Christmas music there, so it was fun to go back and be part of a summer worship service! We also enjoyed the opportunity to attend a rehearsal and work with their handbell choir on bass and treble handbell techniques, as they prepare for the upcoming season.
We also played duets in the morning service at our home church, Third Reformed, here in Holland. Larry had the chance to do something different too — and he enjoyed playing the cajón with the praise chorus!
We’ve also been part of the Downtown Holland Street Performer Series; our third summer at this popular event.
Now that we’re wrapping up the summer, what’s next for us? We’re looking forward to giving a program of handbell duets at a senior community party in a few days’ time. After that, we’ll be preparing for a Sunday afternoon concert in Gregory, Michigan at the end of October.
The holiday season is always our favorite time of year. Is it too early to mention Christmas? We’re still taking bookings, so let us know if you need us!
