SoCal - Michèle Sharik, Regional Coordinator

 

Hi, everybody!

It's September and for most of us that means it's "Back to Bell Choir" time (Hurray!) -- that time of year when Ringers are "chomping at the bit" to get back behind the table and Directors are working hard to pick music for this fall and looking ahead toward Christmas and beyond.  
 
Speaking of "beyond" -- I've asked you to mark your calendars for the Bronze Vision and Southern California Spring Ring events (April 8 & 9, 2011, respectively).  I will have repertoire and scheduling information for you by October 1st, so stay tuned for all the exciting things to come!

I wanted to mention that there was some weirdness with my email (socal@areaxii.org) a month or so ago -- I guess it decided I didn't need to see all my emails or something -- but it seems to be all sorted out now.  However, if you sent something to me at that address and were expecting a reply that you never got, please try again.  I'd love to hear from you with questions or especially about upcoming handbell events, like this:


Don't forget that you can also keep up with SoCal goings-on at our Facebook page.

That's it for this 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,

Michèle :-)

 Greetings Everyone!

 

September has arrived and school bells are ringing. So that means, to many of us, our handbells will be ringing again too.  Have you been singing Christmas carols already?  Sometimes I get funny looks from friends when then hear me humming Christmas songs in the summer.  But as musicians we know that all that wonderful Holiday music begins with careful planning...in the summer!  I have been busy like many of you selecting music and filling folders in preparation for rehearsals to being.

 

With all that music to prepare have your choirs gotten rusty over the summer?  Well, we have just the ticket to help get your choirs back up to speed!  Plan to join the fun at our LA Metro Fall Workshop on Saturday, Oct 2.  This day is planned to refocus on handbells by working on the skills we need for making great music.  We will have fun classes, and read through lots of music.  We will also be getting a head start on the music for our Spring Ring!  Best yet, you don't need to take precious rehearsal time to prepare, just sign up and bring your choir.  Music will be available for the reading sessions and you can buy any copies you want to take home, including the Spring Ring repertoire.  See below for all the important info about the Fall Workshop and visit the Area XII website for the details and forms.  We even have the repertoire list for the day on the website so you can see what we will be working on. 

 

Yes, we have the Spring Ring all scheduled.  I asked you to save the date of March 19, 2011 a while back.  Now I have more news to share.  Michele Sharik and I have been working together to bring you a new and exciting Spring Ring.  Along with the help of Scott Melvin at Mater Dei High School we will have a fun multi-level day of classes and rehearsals.  Best of all we hope that all the school choirs out there will take note that Mater Dei High School is hosting this event and Youth choirs are encouraged to attend. We have selected challenging repertoire for the Division B ringers of ALL ages.  To keep things fair and fun the Massed music will include one challenge that everyone may want to start on early!  We have heard your feedback and have worked out a schedule that you can adjust to your desires.  We are finalizing those details now and I should have that schedule for you in October.  I will post it on the Area XII Website as soon as it is final.

 

In closing, I would like to extend a big Thank You to all the 2008-2010 Board Members who are rotating off the Board.  It has been a pleasure getting to know you and working with you.  You will be missed.  But I am also excited to welcome our new Board Members as we begin our new terms.  Laurie, Sue, Kathy, and Kathie, I look forward to working with you, and welcome to the team!  Our next Board Meeting is September 25^th. Please let us know if you have anything you want discussed at the meeting.   ... Don't for get to send me your announcements to share here, on the website, and on our Facebook page.

 

 Debbie

 

Heard on the handbell-L:  Glendale First UMC is looking for a couple of ringers for their Weslyans (more advanced) Bell Choir.  They rehearse on Mondays 7:30 - 9:00pm beginning on Sept 13th.  Contact: Scott Leggett

562-652-6620    firstmethodistringers@yahoo.com

 

September is now upon us and most of the bell choirs will soon be back in rehearsals, planning for Christmas rings, concerts followed by Easter and Spring Rings! Congratulations to the newly elected Area XII Board Members.  Chair-elect is Laurie Sanders, Secretary is Sue Coddington-Allen and Treasurer is Kathy Arnold.

 

Remember, the Board Members are there for YOU, so don't hesitate to share your thoughts, ideas or other issues where you might want their input.  You can contact them through your Regional Coordinator, or send emails directly. The Board will meet in September, so if you have something you want them to know about, or if you have a concern that you want to address, let me know and I will pass it on to the right person.

 

I am pleased to announce that Kathie Mackie from Merced will be replacing me as your Central California Regional Coordinator.

 

Kathleen (Kathie) Mackie holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in music from California State University, Stanislaus, where she studied composition, voice, piano, organ, flute and clarinet, and a Master of Music degree in Composition from the San Francisco Conservatory of San Francisco.

 

Kathie's first exposure to music actually came in the womb.  Her father was a Country & Western musician, who often held jam sessions at home, and her mother decided to add the classics, so she played recordings for Kathie until her birth and beyond, in the hope that she, too, would be a musician.  At the tender age of nine, Kathie began playing her first instrument, the violin, in her school orchestra.  In her freshman year of high school, she added clarinet, band and choir to her musical endeavors.

 

Much later she began her composing career shortly after her introduction to handbells in 1983, when her very first composition won the 1984 AGEHR Area XII Composition Contest.  She went on to win three more Area XII Compositions Contests (1986, 1990, 2008), the Greater Dallas Handbell Association Composition Contest and the Livermore/Amador Symphony Orchestral Composition Competition, where her orchestra piece "A Journey of the Heart" was premiered.  Kathie's works have been performed in a variety of venues including Area XII Handbell Conferences, CMEA Conference, CSU Women's Council and at Composers Inc. Conferences.  In addition, Kathie also has a strong interest in musical theater and has had performances of her musical melodrama, "Blazing Guns" at the Merced Open Air Theater and Citrus Faire Theater, and her contemporary Opera, "A Carol At Christmas Tide" in Merced, California.She has also had a number of works published, including several handbell works, and her Symphonic Band piece, "Motivation," which premiered in May 2003, performed by the Pleasanton Community Concert Band, along with members of the 91^st Division of the US Army Reserve Band.  She has received a number of commissions and was invited to serve as Honorary Chair for the Golden Gate Boys Choir's Old English Christmas Feast held at the Mark Hopkins Hotel in San Francisco.

 

Kathie has performed with many ensembles, and is currently a ringer in Opus Handbell Ensemble.  She has served as Director of Music in several churches over the years and has also taught instrumental music in both public and private schools.  She resides in Merced, California with her husband of 36 years and three cats.  She has three children and six grandchildren.  Kathie directs handbells for Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church (where she has also served as Choir Director and Organist) in Merced, and Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Turlock, California.  In addition to her passion for handbells and music, Kathie is also addicted to plants and gardening!

 

Oh my!  I wasn't intending to print all of the above information, but then thought it was something to be shared to give you insight as to the talents and quality that many of your Area XII Board members bring to the table.  I know that you will give Kathie the same support you've given to me these past years.  Thank you once again.

 

Welcome, welcome, welcome, Kathie.  I know you'll be a great asset to Area XII.

 

Happy Ringing to all......

 

Shirley

It's that time of year when the ringers in my choir and probably yours, too, gather for a bell polishing party. As a director, I am extremely grateful to have an equipment manager extraordinaire - the one and only Tom Petty. Many thanks for all you do, Tom!!

 

Remember to save September 25th so you can attend Michèle Sharik's inspiring solo concert in Lafayette at Our Savior's Lutheran Church at 7 p.m. Looking for something to rattle your bones? Be sure to attend the Bell Appeal concert at the "Haunted" church in San Francisco on October 29th at 7 p.m. (See the calendar for concert details.)

 

And all United Methodist Church handbell choirs are invited to a Methodist Mass Ring on November 6th at the Davis United Methodist Church. For more information, contact Bruce Petitt at goldengateumc@sbcglobal.net.

 

Attention all Facebook fans! Please join the AGEHR Area XII San Francisco Bay Area group on Facebook. Events and pictures can be posted and enjoyed by all at:

 

Las Vegas 12th Night Handbell Festival
January 15 & 16, 2011
South Point Hotel, Las Vegas
Clinician, Tim Waugh
Contact: Dixie Bailey, registrar

 

 

Northern Nevada Ringers Workshop

October 2nd

Sparks United Methodist Church, Sparks, Nevada

Clinician: Tessique Houston

 

Las Vegas Ringers' Workshop

October 1st and 2nd
First Presbyterian Church, Las Vegas, Nevada

Clinician: Larry Sue

 

See the calendar and the Area XII Web site for more details.

   

AGEHR Honorary Life member and founder/president of Malmark, Inc. Jacob H. Malta passed away on Monday, August 9, 2010 at his home in New Britain, Pennsylvania at the age of 91.

 

A native of Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania, Jake Malta founded Malmark, Inc., in Plumsteadville, Pennsylvania, in 1974. As president and chief engineer, he was responsible for designing the Malmark handbell in 1974, along with its further improvements and innovations throughout the years. He also designed the first American handchime in 1982.

 

While you may never have met him, the handbell world owes him a great debt and we mourn his passing and remember his great contributions to our art form.  

 

To view his online memorial, submit an online condolence or view a clip from his oral history, click here.

Most of us were not able to attend the International Symposium held this year in Osaka, Japan. In fact, most of us have probably never attended any International Symposium.

 

But the World Wide Web can once again transport us across the globe in the form of a Blog provided by AGEHR Executive Director Jenny Cauhorn.

 

If you're not aware, the International Handbell Symposium is held on a biennial basis and rotates through each of the participating countries. This year a new country was added, making the total seven:

Since this year's event was held in Japan, the 2012 International Symposium will be held in Great Britain, so start saving your leftover lunch money.

 

And for those who want a taste of the Osaka event, you can read the full blog at http://www.agehrosaka.blogspot.com/.

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