Handbell duo Larry and Carla will be Ringing in the Holiday Season at Ditto Upscale Resale on Friday, November 16th, as part of the store’s annual Holiday Open House event. Come and welcome the holiday season with cookies, coffee and giveaways! Larry and Carla will be performing handbell duets from 11:00am to 2:00pm.
Larry and Carla will be adding the music of handbells to the Zeeland Community Band’s outdoor concert during the PumpkinFest event in Downtown Zeeland.
The concert will be held at Vander Luyster Square Park (where the gazebo is). If it rains, we’ll move the concert indoors – to the activity room in the Howard Miller Public Library.
This event is open to the public, and is free to attend, although donations to the band are welcome and appreciated.
Larry and Carla will be playing handbell duets during the morning service at Third Reformed Church of Holland, Michigan.
We’re settling back into normal life after our trip to Petoskey for the 2018 Bay View Week of Handbells. We’ve unpacked our cases, and done the laundry. The only task that remains is to file away the music.
The Bay View Week of Handbells has become an annual tradition for us. We attended for the first time in August 2010, when we were still in our long-distance relationship. Carla flew to Chicago from England, Larry flew in from California, and we met in person for the very first time before taking the short flight to Traverse City together. Our first Week of Handbells was an emotional and fun event. We met so many new friends there! Most importantly, we had the opportunity to find out how it felt to spend time together in the same place. It was a luxury we’d never had until then, having only previously communicated in an endless string of Facebook messages!
When our first trip to Bay View was over, we were apart again for a whole year. We met again at the 2011 Week of Handbells, and celebrated our engagement at the Monday evening reception.
The following year was a busy one for us, as we dealt with the challenges of the U.S. fiancée visa process. Finally, we were able to close the distance in August 2012. We timed everything to coincide with that year’s Week of Handbells. Larry flew to England, then we flew back together from London to Chicago. Next, we traveled to Traverse City for the week of rehearsals and the Thursday evening concert. After the event was over, we were able to take a flight to California and begin our life together.
Since then, we’ve been fortunate to be able to continue to attend the Week of Handbells every year. Our journey there became even easier after we moved from California to Holland, Michigan in the summer of 2016. These days, instead of having to book flights, we can simply get in the car and drive for a few hours, and we’re there!
Firstly (and because this ties in with the mission statement of the event – see footnote), the standard of ringing is very high. The whole idea is that musicians will prepare the music thoroughly in the months before the event. It means taking time to learn the notes, work out strategies and solutions for tricky passages, and practise dynamics. When the event arrives, we can use the time to work on expression and the finer points of performing to a high professional standard. That relies on every ringer taking personal responsibility before the event. It’s such a wonderful feeling to attend an event knowing that you can rely on your neighbors to know the music thoroughly before the first rehearsal even begins.
For us, one of the real highlights of the Week of Handbells is that it’s about so much more than just the music. The music is hugely important, of course, but so is the incredible feeling of friendship and fellowship that comes from returning to a place you love, and sharing that space with so many familiar people who have started to feel like family to us. The changes to the sign-up process for this year’s event meant that there were more first-time participants than usual. We admit to feeling heavy-hearted that some of our friends weren’t able to attend this year. There are some people who, for us, seem to belong at Bay View, and we felt their absence during the week. Having said that, we were also new to the event not so many years ago, and it’s important to welcome new participants and to hope that they, too, will soon feel part of the Bay View family. One of the great new developments this year was the introduction of a tuition scholarship for a young adult ringer.
Another change this year was the introduction of “Position Captains” – a group of Bay View alumni responsible for going through the music and suggesting solutions and strategies for difficult passages, communicating with ringers, and responding to questions, in an effort to make this year’s practice go more smoothly for everyone. Carla had the opportunity to coordinate the Position 7 team this year. Despite the initial stress of having to start working on the music eight months before the event, it seemed to be a real advantage to correspond with a team of ringers and coordinate bell-sharing and ideas for those “possibly-impossible” measures in the weeks and months before we all arrived in Petoskey. The responsibility for practice still lies with each ringer as an individual, of course. However, this year it felt good to be part of a supportive team, working together to reach a shared goal.
Another thing that makes the Week of Handbells so special is the opportunity to perform under the baton of a really inspiring director. The event was established in 1978 by Don Allured, who passed the baton to Carl Wiltse in 2002. Fred Gramann took over as director in 2018, and did not disappoint. With his attention to detail and skilled conducting, it’s not surprising that he is in demand as a handbell director for events all over the world.
The repertoire for the Bay View Week of Handbells is always challenging and rewarding. Favorites from this year’s concert program included Catherine McMichael’s Celtic Queen, Fred Gramann’s Prelude on Herzliebster Jesu and Michael Joy’s Proclamation (so much fun for the AB5 ringers!) Larry once again had the honor of being part of the Deep Pit team for this year’s event. He played the aluminum bells that are so exciting to watch during the Thursday evening concert.
The concert on Thursday evening was an exciting event, where we all reaped the rewards of all the hard work we’d put in during the rehearsals, and in the weeks and months leading up to the event. With just the right mixture of “celebration” (including Doug Benton’s composition Alluredia, the Donald E. Allured Composition Award piece) and “dance” (including Charles Peery’s audience-pleasing arrangement of Love Will Keep Us Together) the audience and musicians really enjoyed the evening.
The Week of Handbells takes place in a beautiful part of Michigan. Bay View is a National Historic Landmark community, founded in 1875 and owned by the United Methodist Church. There are more than thirty public buildings on the campus, two inns and more than 400 cottages. This year, for the first time, we stayed in one of the cottages, and it was so convenient to be able to walk to and from rehearsals each day. Our cottage was just a short walk from the lake. On our first evening there, we went to the beach to watch the sunset together. What could be more beautiful than this?
Of course, anyone who knows us well… will also know that we take every possible opportunity to look for Petoskey stones while we’re at Bay View. The Petoskey stone is the official Michigan State Stone. It’s a fossilised coral – Hexagonaria percarinata – that lived in the warm Michigan waters around 350 million years ago. We found some on the beach while we were watching the sunset, and a few more after the Farewell Breakfast on Friday morning.
We’re always sorry to have to leave Bay View when the Week of Handbells is over. Now that we live in Michigan, though, the goodbyes are less painful. When home is just a few hours’ drive away, a temporary farewell is much less traumatic. We hope to be back at next year’s event!
Note: The Bay View Week of Handbells Mission Statement (as stated on the Week of Handbells website) is:
“The Bay View Week of Handbells exists to give advanced ringers an opportunity to prepare a concert to be performed at a high professional level.”
© 2018 Larry and Carla Sue
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!
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.
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!
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.
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!
At the centre of the lavender labyrinth is a stone circle bordering a beautiful herb garden.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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!
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.
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!
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:
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!
It was an honor for us to be invited to be guest artists at the Handbell Musicians of America Area 5 Spring Festival on Mackinac Island. We were excited to go back to the island! We’d only visited a couple of times before – in 2010 and 2013 – and hadn’t stayed for more than a few hours.
One of the unusual things about Mackinac Island is you can’t drive your car there! Motorised vehicles have been banned since 1898. For this reason, our journey there began by parking our car in Mackinac City and taking the ferry across to the island.
Being West Michigan’s smallest handbell choir has its advantages. We didn’t need to transport tables, foam pads and multiple cases of bells over to the island. We had just one handcart loaded with our equipment, and we pushed it all the way from the ferry dock, up the hill to Grand Hotel.
We arrived at Grand Hotel on Thursday morning and the staff instantly made us welcome. The hotel hadn’t officially opened for the 2018 season yet. We were fortunate to be able to stay there and enjoy the very special and unique atmosphere. We were also able to observe some of the preparations as the hotel staff prepared for the first guests of the season to arrive. The hotel has 393 guest rooms, and each one is decorated in its own individual style. If you like flowers (particularly geraniums), you’d love Grand Hotel!
Thursday afternoon’s adventure involved some handbell education! We went to Mackinac Island Public School, where a group of us presented a program of music on handbells, flute and keyboard. The event was coordinated by Martha Matthews, with Gary Matthews playing keyboard. Members of the Area 5 Board were also there, to supervise the students with the sets of chimes.
The students were each given a color-coded handchime to play. They were able to play chords to accompany “Amazing Grace” and “Jingle Bells”, with the aid of a chart showing coloured dots. It was wonderful to see the enthusiasm of the students as they played. For most of them, it was their first opportunity to play these instruments. They did very well, learning how to use the correct techniques for playing the chimes and stopping the sound afterwards.
We demonstrated several of our handbell duets for the students. Martha and Gary joined us to perform Silver and Bronze (for handbells and flute) and Ding Dong, Merrily on High (for handbells and piano, with additional soon-to-be-published flute part).
Friday marked the start of the festival, and we enjoyed a wonderful evening meal at the hotel before performing the opening concert in the beautiful theatre there.
Performing a concert for an audience of “handbell people” can be an intimidating experience. There’s definitely some additional pressure involved when performing in front of people who know about handbell stuff! However, handbell people are, in general, a friendly and supportive group. We felt much more relaxed than we’d expected to during our concert. Afterwards, we were pleased to receive some really nice comments from audience members.
On Saturday morning, we had the opportunity to teach a class on 8-bell music. We were pleasantly surprised by how many people arrived for the class! We answered questions about our music, specific techniques involved in playing it, and how to buy our sheet music online. Participants enjoyed played some simple pieces such as Aura Lee, Kingsfold and The Water is Wide. Finally, they tried the more challenging I Saw Three Ships.
During the festival, participants had the chance to attend other interesting classes, such as Artistry and the Big Box of Crayons: Techniques for a Variety of Tone Color and Handbells: a Full-Body Sport, both led by Martha Matthews, Maori Sticks, led by Susan Oxley, Music Theory, led by Ann Wood, and Finale and Handbells, led by Judy Phillips. There was also FredChat – an opportunity to chat with guest conductor Fred Gramann. We enjoyed a fascinating tour of Grand Hotel, where we were able to find out more about the building and its history. We even saw “behind the scenes” in the impressive kitchen!
Throughout the weekend, rehearsals continued in the Grand Hotel Theatre, as the festival participants prepared five pieces, ready to perform at the closing concert. The massed ringing pieces were Acclamation in G Minor (Karen Thompson), Within the Darkest Night (Derek Hakes), Hosanna (Jason Krug), What Child is This (Brenda Austin) and Jubilation (Fred Gramann). Fred Gramann conducted the festival choirs during rehearsals and at the closing concert.
We added two of our eight-bell duets to the concert on Saturday afternoon – Holy Manna and I Vow to Thee, My Country.
The closing concert was well attended, with audience members coming from Grand Hotel and the island. Afterwards we spoke to several people who had never heard handbells before, and wanted to hear more!
We’d have liked to stay longer on the island, but we were playing duets in a worship service in Harbor Springs the following morning. We’d made plans to travel back on the 6:00pm ferry to Mackinac City. Before we left, though, we had time to walk for a while and admire the scenery. We followed a trail of steps, thinking it would lead to a beach. Maybe it would have done, but before we reached the bottom of the steps, the ground was covered in a thick (and sloping) layer of ice. It seemed that winter was as reluctant to leave the island as we were!
It was fun to see the handbell equipment at the Shepler’s ferry dock. Transporting bells, chimes and foam pads is an interesting challenge on an island that doesn’t allow cars. All the equipment had to come to and from the hotel on horse-drawn transport, and it was transferred onto luggage carts to be loaded onto the ferry. Our own equipment was much more manageable, and we were able to wheel our handcart onto the ferry ourselves.
We had an amazing time at the Area 5 Spring Festival on Mackinac Island. Grand Hotel is a dream location for any conference or vacation. It’s a fascinating place, full of history, with people who go out of their way to make guests feel cared about. Our thanks go to the Handbell Musicians of America Area 5 for inviting us to be guest artists at this event. We appreciated the opportunity to stay at Grand Hotel and share our music with other handbell musicians and students on the island. We hope to go back there again someday!
