Tag Archives: Michigan

Spring Concerts with the Kalamazoo Ringers

We’re excited to have joined the Kalamazoo Ringers for their spring concert season. Concerts with the Kalamazoo Ringers are always exciting!

The Kalamazoo Ringers (KR) is one of the oldest continuously-operating community choirs in the country. Janet Van Valey founded the group in 1981, and Martha Matthews recently took over as director. We first connected with Martha in 2015, when we travelled to Pennsylvania to perform with Philadelphia Bronze. We were delighted when she invited us to be part of the Kalamazoo Ringers for the spring 2019 season!

As we usually play duets, it’s an exciting adventure to be performing as part of a bigger group. In particular, Larry’s happy to have the opportunity to get back to playing those aluminum bass bells again!

Concerts with the Kalamazoo Ringers - bass handbells

The first concert of the spring season

We enjoyed the first concert of the spring season on Sunday. This took place at First Congregational Church of Battle Creek, Michigan. The Kalamazoo Ringers performed as part of the Sunday Afternoon Live concert series.

The theme of the concert was The Versatility of Handbells, and the varied program included Cathy Moklebust’s beautiful arrangement of Greensleeves, Arnold Sherman’s Misty, a lively In the Mood arranged by Hart Morris, and the cherry blossom-inspired Moon Over the Ruined Castle arranged by Kazuko Okamoto.

We appreciated the considerable talents of Gary Matthews, who played organ and trumpet, and Rose Wiersma, who played the clarinet. Rose is a dear friend of ours who directs the Zeeland Community Band. We’ve been taking a break from collaborating with the band while Larry’s been recovering from surgery, but we’re hoping to get back to performing with them soon!

The next concert is in Holland!

If you missed Sunday’s concert, there are still several more opportunities to see the Kalamazoo Ringers this season. The next concert is on Sunday, March 24th at 5:00pm in Holland!

Kalamazoo Ringers spring concert

Further information about the Kalamazoo Ringers and their upcoming concerts can be found on their website. We’re looking forward to making more beautiful music with the group in the next couple of months!

Kalamazoo Ringers - Larry and Carla

New 12-Bell Music – Give Me Jesus

Larry’s been writing a lot of new music in recent weeks, as he continues his recovery from surgery. His son J.C. recently came to visit (currently studying in Alabama). We enjoyed an opportunity to play through a few of the new 12-bell titles. The first to be available from Choraegus is the African-American spiritual Give Me Jesus.

New 12-bell music – Give Me Jesus

This piece proved not to be too difficult for the three of us to play, and would also work for six people with two bells each, of course. The video was recorded on only our third attempt at playing the piece – so it’s not perfect, but you’ll get a good idea of how it sounds. We’re playing the C5 to G6 version, but (as with all our 12-bell pieces) it’s also available for F5 to C7.

Would you like to play Give Me Jesus?

If you’d like to play this piece, the sheet music is available to purchase, download and print from Choraegus. If you’re new to buying Choraegus handbell music, we recommend our step-by-step guide. We designed this to keep the buying process as stress-free as possible!

Any questions?

If you have any questions about buying or playing our music, please get in touch with us and we’ll do our best to help. We also have a list of Frequently-Asked Questions!

We hope you’ll enjoy playing this piece. More 12-bell arrangements will be coming soon!

Give Me Jesus - 12-bell music

Kelvingrove – 2-3 Octave Handbell Music

Larry’s latest 2-3 octave handbell arrangement is the traditional Scottish tune Kelvingrove. This popular traditional melody was first published in The Harp of Kenfrewshire, a collection of songs published in Scotland around 1820. The author’s name is given as John Sim.

“Let us haste to Kelvin Grove, bonnie lassie, O,
Through its mazes let us rove, bonnie lassie, O:
Where the rose in all her pride,
Paints the hollow dingle side,
Where the midnight fairies glide, bonnie lassie, O.”

Kelvingrove as church music

In recent years, the Kelvingrove tune has become popular in churches, with the title Will You Come and Follow Me? (The Summons) and lyrics written in 1987 by John L. Bell and Graham A. Maule. Here’s a video by the Carillon Choir at Third Reformed Church of Holland, Michigan:

Would you like to play Kelvingrove?

This arrangement of Kelvingrove is for 2-3 octaves of handbells. If you’d like to play it, the sheet music is available to purchase from Choraegus.

If you haven’t purchased music from Choraegus before, we recommend reading our step-by-step guide. We designed this in an attempt to make the purchasing process as stress-free as possible!

Please note that Choraegus handbell music will come to you as a digital download; a PDF file. You’ll be responsible for printing your own sheet music, and you won’t receive anything in the mail. The advantage of having downloadable sheet music is not having to wait to receive it. You can make your purchase, print out the music, and be ready to start rehearsing with your handbell choir! For 2-3 octave handbell music, your purchase (pay once only) entitles you to print and maintain up to 15 copies for your group.

Any questions?

Please let us know if you have any questions, and we’ll be happy to help!

2-3 octave handbell music - Kelvingrove

Thanks for an Exciting Holiday Season!

We’re coming to the end of our exciting holiday season of Christmas handbell performances. This was our busiest season yet, and we’d like to thank everyone who helped to make the last few weeks so much fun!

Our Christmas started early this year, with a Holiday Open House event. We enjoyed playing handbell duets at Ditto Upscale Resale, here in Holland. It was a great way to welcome the season. It was also good to check that we still had the stamina to play for three hours at a time without collapsing. It’s a useful skill when we play our duets at the Salvation Army Red Kettle!

An exciting holiday season for Larry and Carla
Christmas handbell duets at the Ditto Upscale Resale Holiday Open House

We continued our season with performances at several church events. These included a Christmas By Candlelight event in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and our first visit to Cultivate Community Church in Hamilton.

We’ve very much enjoyed being part of the arts community here in Holland. It’s been fun to share our music at community events such as the Kerstmarkt. This is an annual European-style Christmas market in downtown Holland. When Carla lived in England, a highlight of Christmas was being able to visit traditional markets in London, Bath and Lincoln. Even though the market here in Holland is on a much smaller scale, the atmosphere is the same. The chilly weather also makes it extra festive! Our bells survived the cold, and we managed to play for several hours on a Saturday morning and Friday evening. Here’s a video of one of the pieces we played there:

If you’d like to play this piece, the sheet music is available from Choraegus!

Back to the Van Andel Institute

This year we played Christmas music for residents and their guests at several senior living communities and care home Christmas parties. It’s always fun to share our Christmas music with appreciative audiences of all ages. We were excited to make another visit to the Van Andel Institute, to welcome guests to their employees’ holiday party. The Van Andel Institute definitely gets the prize for the most-impressive Christmas tree!

Larry Sue, handbell musician
Larry at the 2018 Van Andel Institute Employees’ Holiday Party

We were happy to continue our collaboration with the Zeeland Community Band, joining with them for their popular annual Christmas concert.

Zeeland Community Band
The Zeeland Community Band, directed by Rose Wiersma – Christmas Concert
Carla Sue, handbell musician
Carla at the Zeeland Community Band Christmas Concert

Special thanks go to:

Ditto Upscale Resale, Holland, MI
The Kerstmarkt in Downtown Holland, MI
Friendship Christian Reformed Church, Byron Center, MI
Century Club of Holland, MI
Hope College Academy of Senior Professionals (HASP)
P.E.O. Sisterhood of Holland, MI
Spring Valley Church, Kalamazoo, MI
Van Andel Institute, Grand Rapids, MI
First Presbyterian Church of Holland, MI
Cultivate Community Church, Hamilton, MI
D&W Fresh Market, Holland, MI
The Salvation Army of Holland, MI
The Village of Heather Hills, Grand Rapids, MI
Zeeland Community Band
Freedom Village of Holland, MI
Resthaven Care Center, Holland, MI
Friends of the Gary Byker Library, Hudsonville, MI
Resthaven Maple Woods, Holland, MI
Grandville Ladies’ Literary Club, Grandville, MI
Kentwood Women’s Club, Kentwood, MI
Third Reformed Church of Holland, MI

Thanks to everyone who helped to make this such an exciting holiday season for us. If you’d like to book us for your event in the coming year, please let us know!

exciting holiday season
Christmas by Candlelight at Spring Valley Church, Kalamazoo

The Bay View Week of Handbells 2019

August 12 at 12:00 pm – August 16 at 10:00 am EDT

We’re looking forward to the 42nd Bay View Week of Handbells, where more than a hundred advanced handbell musicians will be rehearsing and performing some beautiful, challenging and exciting music under the baton of director Fred Gramann. This year’s event will be the tenth Week of Handbells we’ve attended together, and it’s particularly exciting for us because one of Larry’s original compositions – A Minor Crash – will be performed there! The concert will be held on Thursday, August 15th, 2019, at 7:30pm at the John M. Hall Auditorium, 1715 Encampment Avenue, Petoskey, Michigan. An offering will be taken to benefit the Bay View Association Music Scholarship Fund. There’s no need to book tickets in advance, but you should plan to arrive in plenty of time to get good seats, because it’s a popular concert!
The John M Hall Auditorium at Bay View

The John M Hall Auditorium at Bay View

Details

Start:
August 12 at 12:00 pm EDT
End:
August 16 at 10:00 am EDT
Event Categories:
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Website:
http://www.weekofhandbells.com/

Organizer

Bay View Week of Handbells
Website
View Organizer Website

John M. Hall Auditorium

1725 Encampment Ave
Petoskey, MI MI 49770 United States + Google Map

Handbell Duet Concert at Freedom Village (Private Event)

July 11 at 7:15 pm – 8:00 pm EDT

Handbell duo Larry and Carla present a program of handbell duets at Freedom Village of Holland, Michigan Handbell duo Larry and Carla will present a concert of handbell duets for residents at this senior living community. This is a private event.

Details

Date:
July 11
Time:
7:15 pm – 8:00 pm EDT
Event Category:
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Handbell Duets at Corporate Christmas Party (Private Event)

December 7 at 5:30 pm – 6:30 pm EST

Handbell duo Larry and Carla will be playing seasonal handbell music to welcome guests at this annual holiday party in Grand Rapids.

Details

Date:
December 7
Time:
5:30 pm – 6:30 pm EST
Event Category:
Event Tags:
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Van Andel Institute

333 Bostwick Ave NE
Grand Rapids, 49503 United States + Google Map

Need Handbells for a Christmas Event?

Are you looking for handbells for a Christmas event? West Michigan’s smallest handbell choir is here to help. We don’t have a lot of availability left for December, but we’re still open to last-minute bookings!

Handbells are perfect for the holidays!

Handbell music 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, community group celebration, winter wedding, or holiday gathering. Nothing says Christmas quite as well as the traditional sound of English handbells. Our duet performances can bring the sounds of the season to hotel lobbies, department stores, airports, shopping boutiques, community groups and private house parties alike.

The 2018 holiday season is fast approaching, and we’re looking forward to some festive performances around West Michigan. We’ll be playing our handbell duets at “Christmas by Candlelight” events, corporate holiday parties, Christmas luncheons, and worship services, as well as performing with the Zeeland Community Band in their Christmas concert on December 10th. We’ll be welcoming in the season at the Holiday Open House event at Ditto Upscale Resale on November 16th, and we’ll be celebrating the return of the annual Kerstmarkt (Christmas Market) in Downtown Holland on Friday, November 23rd and Friday, November 30th.

Book a handbell duo for your holiday event!

As a handbell duo, we take up far less room than a traditional bell choir would. That makes us ideal for venues where space is limited! Our holiday schedule is busy this year, but we still have a few dates available, so if you’ need handbells for your Christmas event, you’re welcome to get in touch with us. If we can fit your event into our schedule, we will. If we can’t, let’s plan early for next year!

Contact us with some details about your event, and we’ll check our availability and provide a quote for you. Handbells are the perfect way to celebrate the holiday season!

handbells for a Christmas event - Michigan handbell duo