Notes from the Chair

Community. Connection. Resonance. These are a few words that describe the feeling of ringing with other handbell musicians. March is the month of Spring Rings and we just finished four fabulous massed ringing events in Arizona, Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico. There is nothing like the feeling of being in the middle of a massed ringing event. Multiple people working in sync to create beautiful music. These events are special, memorable, and meaningful for the ringers and audience that experiences the concert. It takes a village to execute one of these events, so I’d like to give a shoutout to our Spring Ring Chairs: Andrew Smith (Utah), Nancy Roberts-Small  (New Mexico), Shirley Culp (Colorado), and Suzanne Miller (Arizona) along with everyone involved in their committees. These Tier 3 Events are important for connecting ringers at the local level and bringing in fantastic clinicians to educate and collaborate with. If you haven’t had a chance to participate in one of these events, I highly recommend checking the Spring Ring pages in the Fall to stay up to date with next year’s event. If you missed out and want to participate this year, Wyoming is hosting their Spring Ring on May 15-16, 2026 with clinician, Brian Childers. 

The next few months are very exciting as we have our Youth Handbell Workshop in Gilbert, Arizona on April 18 and our Area 11 Festival on June 11-14 in Loveland, Colorado. We have also announced the dates and location for our 2027 Youth Ringers Camp in Utah. We have a fantastic youth presence in our Area and we are trying to do a better job of offering educational opportunities for our youth ringers. If you are nearby for either of these events, I highly recommend checking the concerts and events. 

Volunteerism is the driving force that allows our area to function and host these amazing events. All of these events function on volunteerism and devoting unpaid time to serve our area and handbell community. The registration fees from these events not only help pay for the current year, but they also help plan for the years ahead. If you haven’t participated and want to support these events, reach out to any of our Board Members to get more information about serving on the Spring Ring Committees or volunteering to host Fall Tune Up and Read and Ring. Our Area wouldn’t be able to serve without your support. We appreciate all of our dedicated volunteers who work to further our purpose of uniting people through the musical art of handbell and handchime ringing. 

I look forward to seeing you at one of our events in the coming months. Thank you for all that you do for our wonderful artform. 

Love and Bells,

Anne Kelley

Chair Elect

2026 Resolution

I’m excited to report that I’m making progress on my resolution to  Meet people in Area 11.  I’ve attended: 

• Feb 21: Colorado Read & Ring, Fort Collins
• Feb 28: Southern Colorado Handbell Festival, Colorado Springs
• Mar 14: Utah Spring Ring, Kaysville, UT
• Mar 21: Colorado Spring Ring, Englewood, CO

In retrospect, four handbell Saturdays out of five might be a bit much.  However, each event was well run and a unique musical experience. Thanks to all the groups who hosted me at their tables!  

Some topics that came up in my discussions were the benefits of attending any event – especially festivals and the National Seminar, and YOUTH.   Folks are wondering how to recruit youth, fire them up, and give them skills for future ringing experiences.  We’re making forays into the last two areas with two events:

• April 18, 2026: Pilot one-day Youth Workshop in Gilbert, AZ
• June 13-17, 2027:  Area 11 Youth Ringer’s Camp in Coalville, UT

Registration for both events is open now at our events page.I have high hopes that we’ll offer a Colorado one-day Youth Workshop in early 2027.  If you’d be interested in attending or hosting such a workshop anywhere in Area 11, please contact me.

Ring of Fame!

The Area 11 2002-2004 Board established the Ring of Fame to recognize exceptional service and commitment to handbell/handchime ringing in general.  The Ring of Fame is awarded every two years at our Festival.  Your anonymous 2026 committee has proposed, and the Area 11 Board concurred, to honor Linda Maloney posthumously.  The award will be presented on Saturday night, June 13 at the banquet.  Tickets for the banquet are available without event registration.

Nominated by two previous Area 11 officers, Linda served Area 11 as Chair-Elect, Chair, Past Chair, and Event Chair.  She and Claudette Rothwell (the 2022 recipient) started the Area 11 Young Ringers Camp.  In addition, Linda’s impact was international  –  she served on the Twin Cities Bronze Board of Directors, was a member of the Handbell Industry Council, and had a strong, helping relationship with Resonare, a Puerto Rican handbell ensemble.

Until next time, just keep on ringing!

Sharon Schmidt

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