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Alaska * Alberta * British Columbia * Idaho * Montana * Oregon * Saskatchewan * Washington

The Northwest Campanologist

Vol 16. No.3 May/June

Handbell Concerts

Which One Will You Attend?

BIG SKY Handbell Festival Concert

Saturday April 26 — 7:00pm

Hillcrest HS Gym 2801 E Sunnyside Rd Idaho Falls

FREE Admission

Beautiful Music By More Than 200 Handbell Musicians from MT, ID, and more Directed by LeAnna Willmore, Former Director of The Bells at Temple Square.

Join us for a stellar afternoon or evening of sound as we journey through the cosmos in Bells of the Desert's spring concert "Sound and Space." This concert includes celestial melodies from Star Trek to Disney to Wicked to Star Wars, taking you on an auditory exploration of space. Let the music transport you beyond the stars as we celebrate the wonders of the cosmos in a way you've never experienced before. Prepare for an experience where sound meets the infinite sky! Please join Bells of the Desert at Central United Protestant Church in Richland as we present "Sound and Space".

Emerald City Ringers present

“Mamma Mia!”

Here we go again! On Saturday May 10, 2025, Emerald City Ringers will present “Mamma Mia!”, an upbeat, family-friendly handbell concert featuring music from ABBA. The concert is at 6:30 pm at Cross of Christ Lutheran Church in Bellevue, located in Bellevue’s Crossroads neighborhood at 411 156th Ave NE. Take a chance on us, feel the beat of the tambourine, join us on May 10!

Rainier Ringers May Concerts

The Rainier Ringers invite you to experience Hear The Rainbow, a handbell performance that transforms color into sound. Each selection in this dynamic concert is inspired by the emotions evoked by different shades —warm reds and oranges pulsate with energy, cool blues and purples wash over with calm, and golden yellows sparkle with joy. Through intricate melodies, harmonies, and expressive ringing techniques, the ensemble paints a stunning auditory rainbow, immersing the audience in a world where music and color intertwine.

Friday, May 9 at 7:00 pm.......................... Saturday, May 10 at 3:00 pm

Spirit of Life Lutheran Church..................... Lacey Presbyterian Church

8730 Phillips Road SE................................ 3045 Carpenter Road SE

Port Orchard, WA 98367............................. Lacey, WA 98503

Friday, May 16 at 7:00 pm........................ Sunday, May 18 at 3:00 pm

The Lutheran Church of St Paul................. First Lutheran Church

22419 108th Ave E..................................... 524 S I St

Graham, WA 98338................................... Tacoma, WA 98405

All concerts are free admission; donations appreciated

Website: https://rainierringers.org/

Other Notes of Interest

Bell Tree

Composition Contest

Area 10 is excited to announce its 2025 Bell Tree Composition Contest, focused on increasing compositions which will bring bell trees from the periphery into the mainstream of the handbell world.

Calling All Bell Tree Ringers; We Need Your Help!

In the January issue of this year, Area 10 announced the kick-off of its 2025 Bell Tree Composition Contest. We could use your help in several ways.

1- Spread the word to your arranger/composer friends. Entry deadline is May 31.

2- Scan the QR Code to make a donation to the contest fund.

3- Volunteer to help judge the entries. Send me an email to let us know you’re interested.

Joann Wallenburn

Communications Chair (and bell tree ringer)

Two Choirs Needed - Still Needed

For Area 10’s Bell Tree Composition Contest, we need 2 choirs to learn and record the top entries. Each choir must be a full 5-octave choir and capable of learning and recording Level 3 to 3+ music in a 6-week time span. The scores for 1 or 2 pieces will be provided in late June.

The recording (made with a cell phone or digital camera – no recording studio or special equipment needed!) needs to be completed by August 10th . A stipend of $200 will be given to each choir. I know that many choirs shut down for the summer. Let me know if your choir is interested in helping with the Area 10 Bell Tree Composition Contest and earning a little money for your program.

This contest is being funded entirely from individual donations. Please consider donating to the contest fund by scanning the QR Code in the photo.

Joann Wallenburn Area 10 Communications Chair

Summer Ringing Opportunities

Bells of the Sound, Rainier Ringers, and Emerald City Ringers

are working together to offer five Summer Ringing Sessions in the Seattle-Bellevue-Tacoma area, spanning the entire summer season. Open to ringers of all ages and skill levels, Summer Ringing Sessions are a great opportunity to ring different positions, work on new techniques, sharpen sight reading skills, and meet other members of our local handbell community. No registration needed. Grab a friend and join us! Whether you come to one session, to all, or any number in between, we look forward to ringing with you this summer! For dates and locations, visit our websites.

Area 10 Fall Ringing Round-Up

October 17-18, 2025

This event is designed to make it easy and fun for ringers of all ages to participate. Music will be provided at the event; the locations are chosen so they are at the center of the radius of a ~3hr or less drive from participant’s “home” and we are working to keep the cost of the event low.

The Friday evening workshop covers “Marking Your Music for Ringing Success” and also focuses on selected techniques to build your handbell ringing skill set, all related to the music you will be ringing on Saturday. The group will be taking the selections from sight reading to finished product under the skilled tutelage of the event conductor/clinician. Saturday closes with a recital, sharing the fruits of our labors.

Beginner/Advanced Beginner to Intermediate ringers are encouraged to participate so you can build your ringing skill set on the way to becoming better Handbell Musicians and start building connections in the handbell community. Participate as an individual or as part of a choir. An optional catered-in lunch is available.

Visit our Fall Ringing Round-Up webpage for more details

EVENT SITES

Bend-OR; serving both sides of the Cascades north to south and even SW Washington .........Conductor: Ellie Hodder

Olympia-WA; serving the westside of the Cascades reaching north to Bellingham and south to Portland OR ......................Conductor: Kendra Seymonds

Spokane-WA; serving the eastside of the Cascades and reaching east into Northwest Idaho ..Conductor: Phyllis Tincher

Great Falls-MT; serving the West-central half of the state of Montana Conductor: Diane Hould......................

Registration fee is:

Early Bird June 1-July 15: $40 (HMA member*) $45 (HMA non-member)

Standard July 15-Aug 31: $45 (HMA member) $50 (HMA non-member)

Late Registration Sept 1-Oct 15: $55 (HMA member) $60 (HMA non-member)

(*) HMA personal membership or member of a choir with an HMA membership.

Provided (optional) Lunch: $15

Registration opens on June 1 and will close August 31, 2025..

The registration will be on-line ONLY with payment by electronic transfer.

Space is limited, so register early. Here is the link to the registration form.

For further information contact Diane Barnes or visit our Fall Ringing Round-up webpage

AREA 10

HANDCHIME AND HANDBELL LOAN PROGRAM

Each year, Area 10 loans handchimes and handbells to schools, churches, and community musical groups to expand their music programs to include handchimes or handbells, or to create a music program with handchimes or handbells. Area 10 has a 3-octave set of handchimes for each state in Area 10: Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington. Area 10 also has a 3-octave set of handbells for programs in Oregon.

Handchimes are a wonderful first instrument because the student is rewarded with a proper musical sound each and every time it is rung. It may be the wrong note to ring – but it sounds good. No squeaks or squawks. Holding the instrument is easy with no complicated fingering. Chimes are sturdy and are immune to peanut butter and jelly or other kid-introduced substances. They are small and light and easy to transport between multiple venues and lighter to ring for our senior citizens or anyone with a disability.

While handbells take a bit more care than handchimes, they still offer much the same level of rapid success. They may be the perfect choice for slightly older students or adults, offering all the same benefits of proper musical sound, while also offering an expanded array of techniques to be explored.

The specifics of the loan program and the on-line application are available on the Area 10 Website. Organizations interested in applying for a loan of handchimes or handbells should complete the on-line application which will be sent to the appropriate Area 10 State Chair. For more information, please feel free to email your Area 10 state chair, listed at the bottom of this newsletter. Loan applications are now being accepted for the 2025-2026 school year.

The deadline to apply is June 30, 2025.

Bell Buggy Express INVENTORY

Do you remember Blanche Kangas? Did you ever order music from her music store in Spokane, Washington? Might you have wondered what happened to her inventory after her passing? Well.......

Upon her passing, Blanche left a large inventory of music that no one seemed to know to do with.

Unwilling to just send it all to the recycle, Dean Kravig offered to handle trying to get at least some of the music out to others who might like to build their choir's or individual inventory. There is an opportunity to do just that.

Plan a summer side trip to come visit Walla Walla and schedule an appointment to peruse through a substantial amount of inventory. I know that several Read and Ring events are being planned within a few months time. A 50% discount is being offered for each piece selected. 15 copies at $4.95 each with 50% off is a really nice break.

Want some music for a Raffle along with some gloves. We could accomodate.

Looking to do some crafting with music that really is just old - than come check it out.

It would really be nice to not have to toss/recycle thousand's of dollars worth of inventory, but hey, Walla Walla does have its own perks and treasures to check out so a little day trip or weekend excursion could be a pleasant break.

For more information you may contact me (Debra Pankaskie) at 509-540-9743. Do leave a voice mail or text message.

Keep up with what's going on...

Area 10 website: https://area10.handbellmusicians.org/

Area 10 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HandbellMusiciansOfAmericaArea10

Area 10 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hmaarea10/

Invite people to your events

If you are hosting an event, there are several places you may wish to consider advertising.

Send your announcement to communications.area10@handbellmusicans.org to share your event information with the Area 10 newsletter, Area 10 website, and Area 10 social media accounts. Newsletter deadlines are the 20th of the month prior to publication.

Have you heard about Brian Seemann and Nick Hanson's podcast, Two Tacos High? They are offering everyone space on their website to advertise events. There is a form for you to complete here: https://www.twotacoshigh.com/events