Tag Archives: Handbells

The 21st Annual Rietberg Concert – with Handbells!

The 21st Annual Rietberg Concert will feature handbells for the very first time ever! Over the years, these concerts have featured many accomplished organists, and we’re excited to bring our handbell music to this year’s event. We’ll be playing a variety of 8-bell duets in this informal Sunday afternoon concert. There will be well-known hymn arrangements, and some more-unusual traditional pieces from different countries. We might even squeeze in a couple of Christmas carols! Organist Linda Strouf and flutist Mary Van Voorst will also make an appearance. We’d love to see you there too!

Here’s all the information you need:

21st Annual Rietberg Concert
The 21st Annual Rietberg Concert in Holland, Michigan

Can’t make it to the Rietberg Concert?

If you can’t make it to the Rietberg Concert, but you’d like to book a handbell performance at your own event, please get in touch with us. We can provide handbell music for private or church concerts, as well as for wedding ceremonies and Christmas events. We can also play our duets for worship services. We’re based in Holland, Michigan, but happy to travel.

If you’d like to see and listen to some of our handbell duets in your own home, you might enjoy our YouTube channel!

Vespers Service at Freedom Village of Holland (Private Event)

December 30 at 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm EST

Christmas and holiday entertainment handbells with handbell duo Larry and Carla

Christmas bells!

Larry and Carla will be playing Christmas handbell music at the Sunday vespers service for Freedom Village residents and guests.

Details

Date:
December 30
Time:
4:00 pm – 5:00 pm EST
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Freedom Village

145 Columbia Ave
Holland, MI 49423 United States + Google Map

New Handbell Music – Mu Süda Ärka Üles, arranged by Susan T. Nelson

We’re excited to announce that an arrangement of the Estonian folk song Mu Süda, Ärka Üles is now available from Choraegus! This arrangement is by Susan T. Nelson. We commissioned it to celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary and Campanelli Handbell Ensemble’s visit to the USA from Estonia in July 2017.

The title of the piece translates as Awake, my Heart. This interesting and beautiful arrangement is scored for handbells (4-7 octaves). There are optional handchimes, a handbell duet part, alternate bells, and bar or wind chimes. Campanelli performed the piece for the first time at Estonian House, in New York City.

An opportunity to use your “alternate bells”!

In one of the performances during the Campanelli tour, a variety of “alternate bells” were also used: Petit & Fritsen and William Dunn handbells, Deagan Pear Bells and Whitechapel Cup Bells. These were all from Susan T. Nelson’s personal collection. However, the piece works perfectly well without the alternate bells, as demonstrated in the video recorded at the Estonian House concert.

In the video, we’re playing an augmented 8-bell duet part. Larry created this to give us slightly more of a challenge than Sue’s original duet part that accompanies the full-choir score. This augmented duet part is not essential to the piece, but you can purchase it as a separate add-on if you’d like to play it. Please note that the 8-bell duet part is not a stand-alone arrangement. We’ll be publishing an eight-bell duet version at some later date!

Would you like to play this piece?

If you’d like to play Mu Süda, Ärka Üles, you can download the handbell score from Choraegus. You’ll also find more music from Susan T. Nelson there!

The Campanelli tour was one of the highlights of 2017 for us, and this piece is a wonderful reminder of the happy times we shared with the group from Estonia. We hope other handbell ensembles will enjoy playing this piece as much as we all did!

Mu Süda, Ärka Üles, for handbells
With Campanelli Handbell Ensemble and composer Susan T. Nelson – at the Malmark factory

Handbells at the 2018 Rietberg Concert in Holland, Michigan

The 2018 Rietberg Concert will feature handbells for the very first time! We’ll be the guest musicians for the 21st annual performance, which will take place here in Holland.

This informal Sunday afternoon program will feature some of our favorite hymns and traditional melodies, all played using just eight bells. We’ll talk about the history of our instrument and some of the techniques we use. We’ll also give you some information about our music, and share how handbells brought us together across thousands of miles. Did you know that we first met online on a website for handbell musicians? Handbells brought us together, when we were living thousands of miles apart!

Organist Linda Strouf will join us for a couple of pieces. There will be a reception afterwards. We’ll be happy to talk more, and answer any questions you might have. Ask us about handbells, music in general, or what brought us from California and England, all the way to Holland!

2018 Rietberg Concert in Holland - handbell duo

The 2018 Rietberg Concert will take place at Third Reformed Church, 111 W 13th St, Holland, MI 49423 on Sunday, November 4th, 2018 at 3:00pm. The concert is a tribute to the 45 years of service of Roger and Evelyn Rietberg to the music program of Third Reformed Church.

The 2018 Rietberg Concert in Holland, Michigan

Handbell duo Larry and Carla will be the guest musicians for the 21st Annual Rietberg Concert. This concert is a tribute to the 45 years of service of Roger and Evelyn Rietberg to the music program of Third Reformed Church.

Larry and Carla are originally from California and England, and were brought together by their passion for handbells. They moved to Holland in August 2016, and are members of Third Reformed Church. This informal Sunday afternoon program will feature hymns and traditional melodies, all played using just eight bells.