Utah Spring Ring

★ What is it?

• • It’s Utah’s state handbell festival, held annually on the second Saturday in March.
  • A nationally-recognized clinician conducts the rehearsals and provides insights on musicianship and handbell techniques to take your ringing to the next level.
  • The culmination of the festival is a free concert at 5 pm, open to the public.
    

★ Where is it?

• • The Spring Ring is always held in a high school gymnasium in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area. Smaller venues cannot accommodate the 250+ ringers and we try to rotate the locations between north and south schools to accommodate as many participants as possible.

★ Who is it for?

• • The event is open to any handbell ringer who registers and can make the drive to the location!
  • Area 11 includes the states of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Wyoming, and Utah, but there is no need to limit participation according to where you may be located.
    

★ What’s the schedule?

• • There is a dinner Friday night before the event for the registered handbell choir directors. The purpose of the dinner is for the directors to meet the festival clinician in an intimate and relaxed setting, and is open to any local directors, significant others, or other ringers with a strong interest in supporting the Area 11 handbell events.
  • The festival itself starts Saturday morning with set-up at 8:00 am and rehearsal at 9:00 am, rehearsing through the day, and culminates into performing a free public concert.

★ What do I need to bring?

• • Your bells (orphan ringers can be squeezed in with another choir), gloves, mallets, tables with baby socks to cover the feet, pads, and music stands.
  • Wear whatever you are comfortable in for the rehearsals, but bring your concert attire for the Saturday evening concert.
  • Your Spring Ring music – no photocopies are allowed!
    

★ What is the music?

• • The repertoire is listed in the registration form. Please order it well in advance so you will have time to practice and become familiar before the festival.
    

★ Set-up notes

• • Please do not arrive before the doors to the gym are actually open.
  • Just have patience and know that we do our best to plan everything out in advance, but there are always adjustments that have to be made once everyone has arrived.
  • There will be plenty of time allotted for setup and eating breakfast. Please be courteous to others and to the use of the host school.

★ Any tips for the directors?

• • If you have a school choir, be sure to get your bus/transportation scheduled to the event.
  • Plan to bring some snacks – you can also order lunches on the registration form, or eat somewhere nearby for lunch.
  • There is a directors’ meeting during the afternoon, so we can talk about future events and get to know each other.
  • You will have plenty of downtime during the day.
  • Please remind your choirs to use their best rehearsal etiquette and pay attention to the clinician!

★ Anything else?

• • Hydrate well throughout the day, do some stretching, be courteous to others, be attentive to the clinician, and most importantly… HAVE FUN!