What an exciting summer lies ahead for us in AGEHR!   Opportunities abound for travel, education, and performance. There are three exceptional events -one offered by Area XII and two by our National organization which you can take advantage of. 

 This past weekend I had the privilege of touring the beautiful campus of  UC Davis where Area XII's 2010: A New Handbell Odyssey will be held June 17-20th. The Area XII  Board held their annual Spring Meeting in Davis so we could see first hand the facilities this University has to offer.

Freeborn Hall will be the perfect setting for the Mass attack, All Ring Track and Recitals. 

Kearney Hall

The mass ringing floor is surrounded by seating for 500 and a large stage.Kearney Hall, pictured on the left, is a new modern dorm that will provide housing for those requesting double occupancy. You will dine for breakfast and dinner in Tercero Dining Commons which will provide a culinary experience you won't forget. My initial reaction to the dining hall was "Wow"! A new system of food preparation stations creates an approach dubbed "destination dining." You can choose a burger from the Tomato Street Grill, a Mongolian BBQ style dish from Pacific Fusion, or select a dish from the Bistro, or Soup and salad bar, and top it off with a decadent dessert from the dessert bar. Each will be served by the chef who just prepared your food. To view sample menus Click HereThe Science Lecture Hall seating will give everyone a perfect view of the two Spotlight Concerts. 

What a "mountain top experience" this conference will be for those who attend. It's a great opportunity for you to feed your passion and to learn at the hands of four masters of our art.

Once you've attended Davis in June you can shuffle off to Nashville in July for Pinnacle where you will experience outstanding concerts by those choirs and soloist who have reached the Pinnacle of their art. Both Sonos and Velocity, Area XII's finest, were selected to give Showcase Concerts.  You can audition to ring under the leadership of Hart Morris, William Griffin, Arnold Sherman, Dr. Wm. Payn, or Jason Wells. Classes of every type and description will be offered. Today, May 1, is the last day for the early bird registration for this event. 

Following Pinnacle one can fly to Japan for the International Symposium where choirs from all over the world come for mass ringing, classes, and for cultural exchange. There is still room for registrants at all three of these events and  more details can be found below.

Many decisions on whether to attend an event are based on the cost rather than the cost benefit. Consider what an event can offer you for continuing education, networking, and increasing your knowledge and experience. You will find that the incredible benefits you will receive are worth the investment.

Whether you attend Handbell Odyssey, Pinnacle, or the International Symposium, you are in for a very special and unique experience. I will look forward to seeing some of you at Davis and Nashville!

Happy Ringing!
Carol

 
One of the highlights of handbell conferences are the outstanding concerts.  In addition to the Showcase concerts, Handbell Odyssey will offer two recitals on Friday and Saturday at 4:30 p.m. following the Track sessions.  These recitals provide an opportunity for registrants to share their talents and gain valuable performing experience before their peers.  We welcome choirs, small ensembles and soloist to participate in these recitals.  Space is limited so it will be on a first come basis.  Selections performed must be 4 minutes or less.  If you or your choir are interested please contact Carol Smith at info@areaxii.org

2010 Handbell Odyssey offers unique day long Tracks with outstanding clinicians.  Friday's Tracks include Church Music with Deborah Rice, Performance with Dr. William Payn, and All-Ring with Michael Glasgow.  Saturday: Directors with Dr. William Payn, Basics with Michele Sharik, Tools of the Trade with Michael Glasgow, and All- Ring with Deborah Rice.  Sunday: the Mass Attack.  The schedule for these track sessions along with details of topics covered in each track are now available on the Area XII Web site by Clicking Here. Check back periodically, as the Web site will be updated with the latest information.

Greetings from your Chair Elect!

As I've been looking forward to serving you all as your chair later this year, I started making lists of what I could do to make a difference to you personally and for our organization.  Here's my first crazy idea, and funny enough, the Board agreed and passed as a new procedure.  But first, a little background...

I remember very clearly that, during the first 5 years or so of being an AGEHR member, I would get my ballot in the mail to vote for Area leadership.  I really had no idea who those folks were, and no idea for whom to vote.  I either didn't vote, or asked someone else for their opinion and blindly followed it.  After going to festivals and meeting tons of people, I finally had my own opinions and was able to vote my own conscience.  But that only works for people you already know.  What about candidates you have, for whatever reason, never met?

After thinking about it, it seemed kind of nuts to vote BEFORE a conference, when a conference is the perfect opportunity to get to know the folks who are asking to be your next leaders! Of course, this makes for administrative difficulties, especially if you also want to announce the election results at that same conference.

After spending much time tussling over the details, your Board has instituted a plan that we think will work for everyone.  As you read the details below, please understand the benefits we had in mind for you.

1. You get to speak with the candidates before you vote!
2. The opportunity to get to know your prospective leaders is an additional incentive to get folks to our area conference, which is good for EVERYONE!
3. Expanded opportunities to become more actively and intimately involved in our guild - YOUR guild!

We sincerely hope that you will all take full advantage of these new procedures.  Get to Davis.  Meet your candidates.  Have fun.  Learn stuff.  ENGAGE!

New voting procedures in a nutshell:

• You will receive a ballot by mail
• You may mail in your ballot OR
• You may bring your ballot to conference and vote there, after you've had a chance to speak to your candidates.
• Yes, there's help for those of you who will - for what ever reason- lose your ballot.   However, it may involve giving blood or your first born, so don't lose it.
• We have instituted procedures by which we can verify that no-one votes twice, and that nobody knows the identity of the voter except the outside consultant who will tabulate the ballots.  Your vote and your privacy will be protected.
• Election results will be announced on the final day of the conference.

If you really want to read the complete, crushingly dull details, email me and I'll send 'em to you. chairelect@areaxii.org

Rima

Please welcome the following new members to AGEHR Area XII. 

Angelica Eclar, San Diego

Oakhurst Lutheran Church, Oakhurst, CA - David Sabastian, Director

Presbyterian Church of San Martin, San Martin, CA - Melissa Williams, Director

Moorpark Presbyterian Church, Moorpark, CA - Karen Konjoyan, Director

 Sonos Handbell Ensemble

20/20 Vision-Ringing on the Edge

Celebrating the past, looking to the future!

 Dear Directors, Ringers and all Handbell Friends:

First off, I'd like to share April 17th, the day of the Central Coast Spring Ring - the 10th Annual!.  We were blessed with 69 ringers and we had a great day learning and sharing from and with Nancy Jessup. 

 

"Favorites from the Past" was the theme this year, as ringers voted on their favorite pieces of music from the last nine years and also their favorite clinician .

 

We were blessed to have some of the members of the Atascadero United Methodist Church Chancel Choir present to accompany the bells in "Breathe".  Such a great addition; "Cantad al Senor", we had the pleasure of the added Guitar, Percussion, & flutist to make this piece so exciting.  Felt like you wanted to dance in the isles.  "Celtic Farewell" invites a C instrument in this piece and we were so thrilled to have a cellist accompany this piece.

 

All the solos that choirs wishing to perform were excellent and varied.  Then asked on the Feedback sheets which was your favorite solo, most of the responses was "Beach Spring Stomp" that was performed by the Grande Ringers of Arroyo Grande, Leonard Lutz, Director.

 

In all it was a great day and comments made was that this was the best concert ever.  So another thank you to all the guest musicians that made this possible.  A great 10th Annual Spring Ring and we're all looking forward to next year.

 

Now to share some bittersweet information with all of you.  I have found it necessary to resign my position as the Central California Regional Coordinator as of June 30th.

 

I have had the pleasure of being on the Board, in this appointed position, for the past six years and it has been such a great experience.  It has been exciting, rewarding and educational to be involved with so many talented people in the planning and decision making of Area XII events and conferences.  I certainly encourage any of you, who would like to be involved to run for an office or to let it be known you'd like to be considered for an appointed position.

 

It's quite an eye opener to learn what takes place behind the scenes to make these events happen for all of you every year.  My regret is that I couldn't be more involved, but I feel I did the best I could, where I could and when I could.

 

I certainly hope there is someone out there who would be willing to replace me, so if you're contacted by the Board, I pray you'll say "yes".  The rewards will be so gratifying and you'll have a great time.

 

I'll treasure the friendships made with all the members of the Board and those I've met and interacted with at various events.

 

I feel it's time for someone else to step forward and be creative with new ideas and approaches and offer your talents, not only to the Board, but also to the Central California ringers.  It has been so gratifying to see the growth that has evolved these past years, even before I was a member of the Board.

 

Thank you for all your support these past six years.  The compliments received on the newsletters always encouraged me, and the support of those attending the Spring Rings, and other workshops, especially on the Central Coast always kept me encouraged and wanting and hoping to do more.  I will say, you don't have to be a Regional Coordinator to coordinate a Spring Ring or other bell event and I pray health will be in my favor, so I can be supportive and help as I can to promote more handbell events in this area.

  

If anyone out there would like to step up to the plate, please contact me by email, shipley712@sbcglobal.net and I'll be happy to tell you what the position involves and will be happy to recommend you to the Board.

 

Summer is approaching and many bell choirs will be on summer break and will resume rehearsals in the Fall.  Because I will be out of State from May 22nd to June 25th, the June article will be short. 

 

 Again, thank you one and all, God bless and continued......

 

Happy Ringing

Shirley

SoCal - Michele Sharik, Regional Coordinator

Hi everybody!  April was a very busy month in Southern California with lots of exciting handbell happenings.

The San Diego Harmony Ringers invited me to one of their rehearsals (while my school was on Spring Break) and it happened to be their first time playing their brand new 5 octave set of Schulmerich bells!  You can view pictures of the bells and members of the SDHR here

Then on April 13, the Grossmont Symphony Orchestra from El Cajon (http://www.grossmont.edu/gso/) included handbells and handchimes when they performed Berlioz's famous "Symphony Fastastique."  Roy Attridge ( a member of the San Diego Harmony Ringers) taught the other members of the percussion section how to ring the bells and chimes.  I've asked Roy to write up a short article about his experience, but meanwhile if you're on Facebook, you can see pictures here: http://www.facebook.com/#!/album.php?aid=2047409&id=1607591031

Speaking of Facebook, Southern CA has our own page!  Check us out and become a "fan". Click here

On April 23rd, Beth Mays completed her first semester at University of Redlands as a Handbell Major.  Yes, that's right; you can major in handbells at Redlands!  Beth is studying with teacher, Boude Moore from the LA Metro Region as well as taking classes in Music History and Theory amongst other things.  She is very excited to be finished with her finals and is now on a well-deserved vacation. I've asked her to write an article about her experiences this semester, too, so look for that in the next month's eNews!

Saturday April 24th saw me zooming up to Riverside for the "Ring Out California!" handbell festival hosted by Desert Bells International from Scottsdale, AZ ( in Area XI). More than 40 youth and over 20 adults enjoyed a full day of working with clinician, Kay Cook.  At the end of the day, they treated their appreciative audience to a concert, which included three numbers by the LA Metro Region's indefatigable chime soloist Betty Price.  I was honored to be able to ring with the Scottsdale Handbell Ensemble for their solo number, too!

Finally, we have some sad news in Southern CA.  Priscilla Aftreth, leader of the Aftreth Family Norwegian Handbell Ringers, passed away on April 6 in a San Diego hospital at the age of 95. SignOn San Diego has a very nice article online about Priscilla and the Aftreth Ringers which you can read here  San Diego Harmony Ringers member Patty Blake remembers, "I did not know Phyllis personally but my husband and I heard the Aftreth Family Ringers years ago at a Sunday School party.  We were acquainted with Priscilla's daughter, Miriam.  This was before I was involved with bells myself.  The Aftreths were wonderful, as I recall.  It was so beautiful to see and hear a family making music together." Rest in peace, Phyllis!

That's it for the month.  If you know of any handbell events or exciting handbell news, please drop me a line at socal@areaxii.org
and let me know!
My best,
Michele

 

Howdy!

The 8th Annual Sierra Spring Ring on April 24 brought a record number of choirs to the South Reno United Methodist Church.  Under the baton of Tessique Houston, the ringers put the polishing touches on four mass selections which they shared with an appreciative audience at the conclusion of the day.

Barb 

    

Clinician/director Tim Waugh is seeking assistance from all handbell enthusiasts to help bring a special group of ringers from Puerto Rico to the United States this summer. If you've been following the National Pinnacle event, you no doubt know that the group selected to play the Monday night Headliner concert is an exceptional group of young ringers from Puerto Rico. In this tough economy - and with costs constantly rising - the group could use some help raising the nearly $10,000 needed to fly them to Nashville. If you or someone you know is interested in helping to bring this amazing group to perform at Pinnacle this summer, please click here for information on how to donate to this worthy cause.

 

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