Susie Amos’s love for handbells began in her youth at Plymouth Congregational Church in Lawrence, Kansas. Years later, she returned to ringing with her church choir in Massachusetts and then with the community ensemble New England Ringers. She is especially proud of the success of Oktobellfest, an annual festival sponsored by New England Ringers that is now in its sixth year. She has worked in corporate services at Morgan Stanley in Hong Kong, in higher education, and is currently teaching English to new arrivals to the United States. She loves her iPad and is happy to never have to turn a page again.
An active church musician for most of his life, Mark Arnold currently serves as Director of Handbell Ministries at First Baptist Church of Keller, Texas, where he also plays bass in the worship band and horn in the orchestra. He is a graduate of the University of Kansas, holding bachelor’s degrees in music education and music theory, with additional study in computer science.
Mark’s professional experience includes directing handbell ensembles, teaching school orchestras, leading adult and children’s choirs, and performing in community ensembles. In addition, he is an active composer and arranger with several published works for handbell choir and serves as a board member for Area 9 of Handbell Musicians of America. Mark and his wife, Robin, have three grown children and reside in Fort Worth, Texas.
Dr. Lynn Gary Atkins, Jr. is an active conductor, educator, and advocate for the handbell art form whose career spans classrooms, concert halls, and community ensembles. A native of the Jersey Shore, he began his musical journey through the handbell training program at Westminster Choir College of Rider University, where he studied with Kathleen Ebling Shaw and performed with the Westminster Concert Bell Choir.
He earned a Bachelor of Music in music education from Westminster and later completed the dual Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees in choral conducting performance, pedagogy, and literature at James Madison University, where he was inducted into Pi Kappa Lambda and Mu Phi Epsilon.
Lynn currently serves on the National Board of Directors for Handbell Musicians of America and is the Artistic Director of L.A. Bronze Handbell Ensemble, leading dynamic performances that highlight the artistry and versatility of handbells. His leadership has also included directing the James River Ringers in Richmond, Virginia, and the Philadelphia Handbell Ensemble, where he fostered creativity and collaboration.
Beyond his handbell work, Dr. Atkins is Assistant Professor of Music, Director of Choral Activities, and Associate Chair of the Department of Music at California State University, Dominguez Hills. He also directs the South Coast Chorale, the LGBTQ+ chorus of Long Beach, and performs with the Long Beach Camerata Singers and Catalyst Chamber Ensemble.
Lynn’s work celebrates connection, creativity, and the belief that music has the power to inspire and transform.
Brenda Austin is in demand internationally as a conductor and clinician because of her dynamic and energetic approach to connecting musicians through handbells. In 2019, Brenda joined the team at Hope Publishing Company in Carol Stream, Illinois, as an editor. In 2023, she was named music director for Embellish Handbells. Embellish was one of the premier ensembles to perform at Handbell Musicians of America’s Pinnacle in 2025.
Before joining Embellish, she served as artistic director of the Detroit Handbell Ensemble beginning in 2016. Under her baton, the ensemble was honored to open the Handbell Musicians of America National Seminar in 2018 and to be the featured concert at Handbell Musicians of America’s Area 2 Festival in 2019 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. In addition, she has served First United Methodist Church in Eaton Rapids, Michigan, as director of music since 2003.
Brenda earned degrees in vocal performance from Western Michigan University and a Master of Music in choral conducting from the University of Missouri–Kansas City. She studied with Craig Arnold, Steve Zegree, and Eph Ehly.
Brenda is sought after as a handbell clinician throughout the year and has served as conductor and clinician at numerous festivals and workshops, including Handbell Musicians of America’s Distinctly Bronze West, National Seminar, and many Area festivals. She has also had more than 115 titles published for handbells and sacred choral music since 2015.
For more information about Brenda, please visit her website at www.BrendaEAustin.com
Laura Blauch discovered a passion for the art of bell tree ringing after taking classes at past National Seminars, which led her to study privately with Barbara Brocker. She has performed in worship services at local churches and, in 2023, played in the closing concert for Into the Forest, a bell tree–focused event.
In addition to bell trees, Laura has been conducting handbell choirs for more than 20 years. She studied with Dr. William Payn through the Handbell Musicians of America Masterclass Series and attained the highest level of the Handbell Musicians of America Conducting Certification Program. She has conducted festivals in North Carolina and Virginia, was a finalist in the 2019 Distinctly Bronze Associate Conductor Program, and conducted solo pieces with an ad hoc choir at the International Handbell Symposium in Nashville, Tennessee.
Laura currently serves as director of Queen City Ringers, an auditioned community ensemble in Charlotte, North Carolina, where she is always looking for opportunities to add bell trees to the program. She has more than 30 years of experience as a ringer, participating in multiple Distinctly Bronze and Virtuoso events, and has taught a variety of classes at Area festivals and in private workshops. She has served as historian, membership chair, and scholarship chair for Area 3, as well as certification program coordinator for Handbell Musicians of America.
Laura holds a Bachelor of Arts in sacred music with a concentration in voice from Lebanon Valley College. Now retired, she enjoys exploring hiking trails and riding her horse, Shadow, when not making music. Laura lives in Mooresville, North Carolina, with her husband, Dave (also a ringer), and their three cats, Tigger, Missy, and Remy.
Christopher Boilesen serves as Director of Handbells at First-Plymouth Congregational Church in Lincoln, Nebraska, the same church where he grew up and first picked up a handbell at the age of twelve. Just three years later, he joined the adult ensemble, the Plymouth Ringers. Over the years, he became an accomplished bass handbell ringer and went on to ring in the “Deep Pit” at the Bay View Week of Handbells for fifteen years, an event that holds a special place in his heart.
The handbell ministry at First-Plymouth includes four choirs, ranging from a kindergarten through second-grade chime group to the bronze-level Plymouth Ringers. In addition to sharing their talents in worship throughout the year, the Plymouth Ringers collaborate regularly with Abendmusik@First-Plymouth, a concert series the church has hosted for more than fifty years. Christopher recently began directing at nearby Westminster Presbyterian Church and also rings with the Lincoln community handbell ensemble, Bell-issimo.
During his time as director, Christopher has worked to increase collaboration by incorporating handbells beyond a single anthem each month. He arranges bell parts for hymns and choir anthems, as well as simple chime and bell arrangements for his kindergarten through sixth-grade ringers. He has also introduced handbells to First-Plymouth’s Anybody, Everybody service for individuals with developmental challenges and their allies, including forming a dedicated handbell choir for their Christmas program.
The opportunity for collaboration and the teamwork required to ring at a high level are what draw Christopher to handbells, and he recognizes the importance of continuing to introduce the art form to the next generation of ringers.
Ringing handbells is truly a family affair, as rehearsals or performances may include parents Jane and Gene, wife Deanne, daughters Kathryn and Kieran, and son Aaron.
William (Billy) Brandt is a music educator currently serving as Director of Choirs at Freedom High School, where he leads the vocal ensembles and handbell ensemble. In addition, Brandt serves as Director of Choirs for the United Church of Christ in New London, Wisconsin, where he leads the handbell program, including directing the Spirit Bells handbell ensemble. He is also the instructor of music literacy and instrumentalist coordinator for the Badger State Girl Choir.
As an educator, Brandt has twice been nominated for the GRAMMY Award in the Music Educator category. Ensembles under his direction have performed on high-profile stages around the world, including the Festival of Three in 2023, where Brandt made his international debut conducting concerts in Finland, Latvia, and Estonia. His ensembles have also premiered works by notable composers, produced recordings for television, and are regularly invited to perform at festivals. Brandt will make his Carnegie Hall debut in 2027. In 2023, he launched the Small School, Big Song Festival, which invites rural schools from across Wisconsin to come together in song with international performers.
As a composer, Brandt has works performed on both national and international concert stages. His music is published by MorningStar Music Publishers, From the Top Publishing, Paraboloid Press, and Meadowlark Melodies, and has appeared on curated lists such as J.W. Pepper’s Editor’s Choice. He has also been honored to receive commissions for a variety of ensembles and events.
An avid writer and presenter, Brandt has authored articles for organizations including the National Association of Secondary School Principals, the National Association for Music Education, and Handbell Musicians of America. He published his first book, Let’s Talk: Music, in 2021 and his second book, A Director’s Guide to Choral Warmups, in 2024, both with Barnes & Noble. An active clinician, Brandt has led sessions at conferences across the United States, with recent invitations including events in Ohio, Kansas, New York, Georgia, Washington, District of Columbia, and Wisconsin. Notable national conference invitations include the 2026 Handbell Musicians of America National Seminar and the 2024 National Association for Music Education Biennial Research Conference.
Brandt holds a Master of Music in music education from Boston University and a Bachelor of Music in music education from the University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh, with certification in pre-kindergarten through grade twelve choral and general music. He maintains membership in several professional organizations, including the American Choral Directors Association, the Wisconsin Choral Directors Association, the Wisconsin Music Educators Association, the National Association for Music Education, and Handbell Musicians of America.
Jack Burdwood is a New Jersey–based handbell musician, percussionist, and music educator with more than twenty years of experience in the percussive arts. She began ringing with the Wittenberg University Handbell Choir in 2012 and continued performing with the Philadelphia Handbell Ensemble and the Austin Handbell Ensemble after graduating with a degree in percussion performance.
A versatile musician, Jack performs throughout the East Coast with a wide variety of ensembles, including handbell ensembles, pit orchestras, wind ensembles, rock bands, and even a Revolutionary War fife and drum company. She is known for her high-energy clinics and maintains a private studio for percussion and handbell students, providing instruction that sparks enthusiasm and curiosity in the percussive arts. In addition to her performance and teaching work, she instructs the drumline for the William Tennent Marching Panther Band, where she develops foundational technique, ensemble precision, and musical confidence in young musicians.
When not engaged in musical activities, Jack enjoys reading fantasy novels, making overly ambitious desserts, and petting cats.
Madeline S. Carey has been ringing handbells for more than ten years, including three years with her college ensemble. She earned a Bachelor of Music Education from Cairn University in Langhorne, Pennsylvania, in 2024, with double bass as her primary instrument. A bronze-level handbell musician, she has enjoyed ringing for a wide variety of audiences over the past decade, including performances at hospitals, prisons, churches, and before an audience of 20,000 at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida.
She was a guest artist with the Vermont Symphony Orchestra for its Holiday Pops tours in 2017 and 2019 and performed before a cast of Hallmark actors at the inaugural Hallmark ChristmasCon convention in Edison, New Jersey. She also enjoyed participating in Handbell Musicians of America’s Distinctly Teen events throughout her high school years.
Maddy has directed elementary, middle school, high school, and college-level handbell choirs. In the spring of 2025, she led the Concert Band and Jazz Band at North Country Union High School in Newport, Vermont, and she currently serves as the elementary music teacher at Mid Vermont Christian School in Quechee, Vermont. She taught music aesthetics and score study classes at the 2025 Area 1 Festival Conference, where they were very well received. Maddy is passionate about handbells, music aesthetics, and the intersection of music and culture.
Taryn Davis has been performing music since the age of four with a variety of instruments and ensembles. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in music with a bassoon emphasis and a Master of Arts in special education with a moderate/severe focus. Taryn has taught kindergarten through grade twelve music and special education classes in both public and private schools and has directed several church and homeschool handbell choirs since 2012. Her areas of specialization include handbells and orchestral studies, as well as private music instruction in piano, violin, and bassoon.
Taryn began her handbell studies under the tutelage of Charles (Chip) Spier in Southern California, where she learned solo ringing and directing. She then spent two years under Jared Ogier’s baton with the Columbus Rings ensemble before joining the Houston Chamber Ringers, led by Stevie Berryman. Personal performance highlights include appearances at Carnegie Hall, Disney Concert Hall, the San Diego Zoo’s Jungle Bells, Columbus Blue Jays national anthem features, and the Magical Advanced Ensemble at Disney Coronado Springs with Kevin McChesney.
Through the Houston Chamber Ringers, Taryn has had the opportunity to lead Strikepoint, an educational outreach program within Tomball Independent School District that currently includes five handbell clubs, with more planned in the future. In 2025, she presented on neurodivergence in the music classroom at the Texas Music Educators Association Conference. Taryn firmly believes that anyone—adults and children alike, regardless of background or ability—can find success ringing handbells.
Mitchell Eithun is a church musician, composer, and mathematician with more than eighty published pieces of handbell music, including commissioned works for prominent community and church handbell ensembles. He is interested in developing innovative handbell rehearsal techniques and writing about the history of church music.
Mitchell currently serves as handbell editor for Beckenhorst Press, is a carillonneur at Duke University Chapel, and is the founding director of Bell Durham, a community handbell ensemble in Durham, North Carolina. He recently completed a Master of Divinity with a focus in theology and the arts from Duke Divinity School.
Mitchell holds a Bachelor of Arts in mathematics and computer science, with a minor in music, from Ripon College, as well as a Master of Science in computational mathematics from Michigan State University. Earlier in his career, he was a high school mathematics teacher. He is an associate member of the Guild of Carillonneurs in North America and a seminar instructor for Handbell Musicians of America.
In his spare time, Mitchell enjoys trying new foods and traveling to new places.
Sandra Eithun, Master of Music Education, is a graduate of Silver Lake College in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, with an emphasis in the Kodály teaching method, keyboard, and flute. She is director of Fox Valley Bronze and currently serves on the faculty of Valley Troubadours, both based in Appleton, Wisconsin. She served as director of music ministry, handbell director, children’s choir director, organist, and choral accompanist at First Congregational United Church of Christ in New London, Wisconsin, from 1992 to 2021. She directed the Silver Lake College Handbell Ensemble from 2009 to 2020 and led the handbell program at Holy Family Conservatory of Music in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, from 2021 to 2025. Sandra is an active member of Handbell Musicians of America and has served on its Area VII Board of Directors.
Sandra has been commissioned to write music for many events and for numerous individual handbell ensembles. Most recently, she received the esteemed Donald E. Allured Original Composition Award for the 2020 Week of Handbells in Bay View, Michigan. She has more than 650 published works for handbells, as well as several sacred keyboard collections and teaching resources designed to incorporate handbells into the music classroom. In 2013, she had the honor of collaborating with Doc Severinsen and the Fox Valley Symphony to include handbells in his holiday show, Jingle Bell Doc, at the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center in Appleton, Wisconsin.
Sandra’s compositions have been featured on the PBS Christmas special Holiday Handbells and performed in concerts by noted ensembles across the country, including The Raleigh Ringers and The Bells on Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah. She continues to work as a handbell clinician and conductor at festivals and workshops throughout the United States. Sandra is married to Scott, has four grown children and four grandchildren, and currently resides in Appleton, Wisconsin.
Born in Texas and later relocating to Colorado, Nikki Evans has played a variety of instruments, including piano, guitar, and even learning what the little buttons do on an accordion, but she found her passion when she discovered the art of handbell music. She jumped in with both feet, immersing herself in the handbell world in every way she could.
To date, she has performed in 19 states, two Canadian provinces, and Brazil, and was honored to perform at National Seminar in 2021. Nikki has coached handbell soloists and taught workshops for church and community handbell ensembles throughout the United States and British Columbia. She has also taught at National Seminar for several years.
Joe Galyon engages people from all walks of life in music ministry at Church of the Saviour United Methodist. With a passion for developing church musicians of any age, he oversees a comprehensive program of choral, handbell, and instrumental ensembles. As a handbell conductor, Joe serves as music director for Queen City Bronze, Cincinnati’s premier handbell ensemble.
Joe is a recognized leader of festivals, masterclasses, and training sessions for large-scale events, smaller festivals, and individual congregations. His handbell compositions are published by most of the major publishers of handbell music. His most recent composition, The Rhythm of Flight, is set for release next year.
Joe holds degrees in piano from Samford University, the University of Missouri–Kansas City, and the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati.
Matt Gender, Doctor of Musical Arts, is a concert organist and church musician currently serving as Director of Worship Arts at Zumbro Lutheran Church in Rochester, Minnesota. He holds degrees in organ performance from the University of Florida and the University of Kansas, where he studied with Laura Ellis, James Higdon, and Michael Bauer. Matt is an award-winning improviser specializing in silent films and has received prizes in the American Guild of Organists National Competition in Organ Improvisation (2016) and the University of Michigan Organ Improvisation Competition (2017).
Matt is an active recitalist and has performed throughout the United States, specializing in improvisation, particularly for silent films. He is a specialist in modernist organ repertoire and French organ literature of the post–nineteenth century. In addition to his work as an organist, Matt is a professional choral musician and conductor, as well as an accomplished electroacoustic composer, sound engineer, videographer, and photographer. He operates his own production studio based in Rochester.
When he is not playing the organ or making music, Matt is a pilot and avidly enjoys flying airplanes.
Erin Gerecke is excited to serve as a first-time faculty member for National Seminar. Erin has more than 40 years of experience in handbells beginning in her youth, including performing as a handbell musician, directing, and serving in leadership roles. She has performed solos, four-in-hand and off-the-table duets, and small-ensemble pieces. Erin has also played in many church, school, and community choirs. She is accomplished in four-in-hand ringing and treble techniques but is not-so-secretly a big fan of bass bells and chimes.
Erin is a member of Joyful Sound, a nonprofit community handbell choir in Indianapolis, Indiana, where she most recently served as board secretary. She is passionate about handbell education and broadening participation. Erin currently volunteers on the Handbell Musicians of America Area 5 Scholarship Committee and previously directed her college handbell choir and started an after-school chime program at a local school. She is an alumna of Distinctly Bronze and Bay View Week of Handbells, where she enjoys meeting other handbell musicians and conductors and learning from them.
When not playing handbells, Erin has pursued a wide-ranging career in science and science education. She currently works in life science writing and editing and enjoys supporting science, the arts, and natural areas across Indiana. In her spare time, she cares for her family, cats, and plants and enjoys travel, books, chocolate, and sunny days.
Michael J. Glasgow is likely creating, performing, or listening to music right now (unless he is talking to someone or lost in a game of 2048, which he will win one day). If he is not actively making music, he is probably teaching others about it or seeking to learn from them.
A dedicated freelance composer and conductor-clinician, Michael offers his clientele a full-service experience without the distractions of a church or school position. He strives to provide “what you need, when you need it” and believes strongly in modeling effective communication.
Heralded for his “abundant melodic gift” (New York Concert Review), Michael is an award-winning composer of organ, handbell, and choral works and will soon complete his 70th commission. He has been named a Distinguished Composer and Conductor by MidAmerica Productions in New York City and will make his third appearance on the podium at Carnegie Hall in June 2026, conducting his riveting “Gloria” for chorus and orchestra.
Michael made his Carnegie Hall debut in June 2017, conducting his “Requiem,” and led its European premiere in Vienna in June 2019. More than 180 engagements have taken him to three dozen states, as well as to England, Hong Kong, Singapore, Canada, and even a cruise ship in the Eastern Caribbean. In December 2024, his “Concerto for Castings” was premiered in Toronto, with Emily Li performing the virtuosic solo.
Michael serves as bass section leader of the North Carolina Master Chorale, chorus conductor of the Tar River Orchestra and Chorus in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, and a principal guest conductor of Singapore’s Ministry of Bellz. “The more people I meet through music,” he says, “the smaller the world becomes.”
While he maintains a low profile on social media, more information and samples of his work may be found at www.MichaelJGlasgow.com and on YouTube at @MichaelJGlasgow.
After earning a Bachelor of Arts in music, with a concentration in handbell performance, from Concordia University in Irvine, California, Nick Hanson has taught at The Potomac School in McLean, Virginia, for the past 25 years. At Potomac, he teaches private handbell lessons and handbell classes to students in fourth through twelfth grades across six handbell ensembles. He has also served as handbell director at Bush Hill Presbyterian Church in Alexandria, Virginia, for more than 15 years.
Nick is a sought-after faculty member, clinician, and conductor for workshops and events around the world. He has served in these roles nationally in more than 25 states, as well as Washington, District of Columbia, and internationally in England, Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan, and Singapore. He was co-conductor for the Handbell Musicians of America All-Star Choir in 2018, led Handbell Musicians of America’s Distinctly Teen ensemble in 2015 and 2023, and most recently conducted the esteemed Distinctly Bronze event in 2025.
In 2022, The Potomac School recognized Nick with the Bill Cook Excellence in Teaching Award, and he was featured in the Arlington Magazine article “Teachers We Love” in 2023. He is a published writer for the national handbell magazine Overtones, serves on Handbell Musicians of America’s Bells in Schools Committee, has composed and arranged more than 100 pieces of handbell music, and is co-host of the podcast Two Tacos High: A Handbell Podcast.
Kerry Johnston serves as Director of Music Ministry at First Cary United Methodist Church in Cary, North Carolina, where he directs a graded handbell program in addition to vocal and instrumental ensembles.
Kerry earned a Bachelor of Music in organ performance from Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas, and a Master of Sacred Music from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. He served churches in Texas and Arkansas before relocating to North Carolina.
Kerry’s relationship with handbells began with a borrowed two-octave set of Petit and Fritsen bells and has grown into more than 50 years as a handbell musician, director, composer, and clinician. He has served as Arkansas State Chair for Area 6 and, more recently, as North Carolina State Chair and as chair for Area 3 of Handbell Musicians of America.
Kerry is also an active composer, with original works and arrangements published by Beckenhorst Press, Lorenz Publishing, and Choristers Guild.
A musician with more than 30 years of performance experience, 20 years of nonprofit volunteer service, and a lifelong commitment to church music ministry, Kathryn Jurado has quickly gained prominence in the handbell community as a handbell musician and director. She currently serves as Director of Handbells at Landon School in Bethesda, Maryland, where she leads students in grades five through 12, following more than a decade of teaching in Hillsborough County Public Schools in Florida. Kathryn also serves as president-elect on the national board of Handbell Musicians of America and is the handbell and instrumental editor for Alfred Handbell, a division of Jubilate Music Group.
Originally from Puerto Rico, Kathryn Juado holds both a Bachelor of Music and a Master of Music from the University of South Florida in Tampa, Florida. As a freelance oboist and private teacher, she has performed with ensembles such as Opera Tampa, the Venice Symphony, The Tampa Bay Symphony, The Villages Philharmonic, and in performances of La La Land Live. She has also performed with Ray Charles, The Irish Tenors, and pop superstars Hanson.
In 2022, Kathryn had the privilege of serving as clinician for Reaching for Bronze (now known as Crescendo) in New Bern, North Carolina. Most recently, she served as handbell clinician for the Florida Chapter of the Fellowship of Worship Artists’ Worship Arts Week in Fruitland Park, Florida, in 2024 and 2025; Handbell Musicians of America Area 4’s Bells of the Caribbean in 2024; Handbell Musicians of America’s 2025 College Ring-In; the 2025 Utah Spring Ring; and as a faculty member at Handbell Musicians of America’s 2025 Pinnacle event in Wichita, Kansas. Kathryn looks forward to leading handbell festivals in Delaware, Florida, Montana, Nebraska, and North Carolina throughout 2026.
Anne Kelley is an enthusiastic handbell director, educator, and handbell musician who is passionate about the art of handbell ringing. She graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Music Education in Choral Music from Northern Arizona University. During her undergraduate career, Anne served as President of the Harold M. Harter Memorial Handbell Choir and was appointed Bellmaster in her senior year.
Anne currently resides in Apache Junction, Arizona, where she teaches K–six General Music, three–six Choir, and two fourth–sixth Grade Advanced and Beginning Handbell Choirs at Greenfield Elementary School in Gilbert, Arizona. She also serves as the Handbell Director at St. Matthew United Methodist Church in Mesa, Arizona, where she directs the Bells of Joy Handbell Choir. Anne is often invited as a guest conductor to work with secular and sacred handbell choirs throughout the East Valley. She is also an on-call substitute for handbell choirs of various denominations and has served as a clinician for both youth and adult handbell festivals.
In July 2021, Anne participated in the Handbell Musicians of America Conducting Master Class under the direction of Dr. William Payne. She has taught handbell workshops at various conferences, including AzMEA, AzACDA, Area 11 Festival, and Pinnacle. Anne was the recipient of the Carl Wiltse Scholarship for the 2025 Bay View Week of Handbells and currently serves as Chair for Area 11.
Leslie Lewis has been a handbell musician since 1979, when she was introduced to handbells at the Montreat Worship and Music Conference. She has rung in the bass section for Distinctly Bronze East since the event began in 1999 and participated in the Distinctly Bronze European Tour in 2007. She later added Distinctly Bronze West in 2019, 2021, and 2025. Leslie has rung low bass in many Area and national All-Star Choirs and rang low bass at Virtuoso 2017, 2019, and 2022, sharing the stage with the Raleigh Ringers for the final concert. In 2022, Leslie crossed Bay View Week of Handbells off her bucket list and plans to continue participating when the International Handbell Symposium does not conflict with the dates. Leslie had the honor of traveling to Singapore in 2023 and 2026 as a Foreign Guest Musician with the Ministry of Bells (MOB) and rang with MOB at the 21st International Handbell Symposium in Hamamatsu, Japan, in 2024.
Leslie enjoys substituting for choirs in the Gastonia–Charlotte and Wilmington–Myrtle Beach areas, assisting the Raleigh Ringers with demo recordings, and dabbling in solo ringing. Having added the lower sixth- and seventh-octave chimes to her growing set of handbell “toys,” she hopes to offer her services to provide lower chimes for groups that do not have them available.
After graduating from North Carolina State University with a degree in computer science, Leslie worked for IBM and First Union National Bank for a combined 15 years before turning a part-time role preparing income taxes into a career. She has clients from across the United States for whom she prepares all types of tax returns and, as an Enrolled Agent, represents clients during Internal Revenue Service tax audits and appeals.
Outside of bells, Leslie enjoys playing golf and walking on the beach as a precursor to life after retirement in Lockwood Folly Country Club near Holden Beach, North Carolina. As she settles into the Lockwood community, she will be starting a community handbell group with her neighbors to perform for special events and the 2026 Christmas tree lighting carol sing.
Marie M. Loeffler has been immersed in the performing arts her entire life—as a dancer, choreographer, studio owner, arts administrator, solo handbell artist, and handbell clinician.
Drawing on her professional dance training and the techniques taught by the Guild’s Master Teachers, Marie developed a ringing style that earned her the nickname “Belldancer.” As a soloist, she performs regularly in worship services, memorials, full concerts, and special events. Her workshops, covering a wide range of technique and performance topics, are known for their creativity, clarity, and inviting teaching style, making her a sought-after instructor for handbell festivals, individual choirs, and aspiring solo handbell musicians.
An active member of Handbell Musicians of America, Marie has served on the boards of both Area 1 and Area 4, contributed to Overtones, and teaches at Area Festivals and National Seminars. She also custom-designs workshops for individual choirs and coaches individual handbell musicians toward performance excellence, including two Bahamian soloists who achieved Top Honors in their National Arts Competition.
Beyond her musical work, Marie holds a degree in Behavioral Sciences and is a Certified Life Purpose and Career Coach, helping women reconnect with their creative dreams and bring them to life. As an accomplished public speaker, she often incorporates handbells into her presentations, adding a layer of intrigue while introducing new audiences to this unique art form. Marie is especially honored that she, along with her handbells, will be a featured speaker in February 2026 on the nationally recognized TEDx stage.
Connect with Marie at [email protected] or visit www.belldancer.net.
Bruna Marinho is an energetic handbell musician, pianist, and music therapist based in São Paulo, Brazil. She is the founder of Handbells Brasil, an organization dedicated to promoting the art of handbell ringing in Brazil through performance and education, and, with her team, recently produced the very first Brazilian handbell festival.
In 2019, Bruna served for six months in the music ministry of St. Andrew Presbyterian Church in Iowa City, Iowa, where she rang handbells, conducted the children’s handbell choir, and studied liturgical music. She holds a Bachelor of Music Education degree from the Catholic University of Santos and a post-baccalaureate certificate in Music Therapy from Santa Marcelina College. Through her music therapy training, she began working with older adults, developing therapeutic sessions using handbells and handchimes.
Bruna has recently completed a Master’s degree in Gerontology at the University of São Paulo, investigating the Yura Rhythm, a Japanese music-based method for older adults. Currently, Bruna works as a music therapist in senior living and retirement centers, as a piano teacher, and continues to actively promote the art of bells throughout Brazil.
Hillary Marotta first became a musician through piano and flute but fell in love with handbells at Bucknell University under the direction of Dr. William Payn while playing with the Rooke Chapel Ringers. Since then, she has reprised her role at her alma mater as both a handbell musician and a conductor and has played in church groups in Pennsylvania and Virginia. She has rung with the Hershey Handbell Ensemble and is a regular Distinctly Bronze attendee. She was a 2022 Virtuoso handbell musician with the Raleigh Ringers. She has studied conducting under the direction of William Payn both privately and through master classes.
Hillary is the director of the “Bells’ Angels” bell choir at Zion Lutheran Church in Hummelstown, Pennsylvania, and coordinates both Distinctly Teen at National Seminar and the College Ring-In for Handbell Musicians of America. She obtained a Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction, specializing in adult education, and has taught and trained adults in various settings. She is thrilled to be teaching at National Seminar.
Diana Montgomery has been actively involved with handbells for the last 25 years. She is the assistant organist and handbell director for children, youth, and adults at Chapelwood United Methodist Church in Houston, Texas. For the last seven years, she has been blessed to lead the Brookwood Handbell Ensemble, an ensemble of adults with special needs and talented handbell musicians at the Brookwood Community in Brookshire, Texas. This community has inspired her to share its vision “to change the way the world sees adults with disabilities” and to bring the world of adaptive notation to others.
Diana holds a degree in music education from Bowling Green State University and has balanced her professional life as a certified public accountant with lifelong service to church music ministry. She recently served two terms as Treasurer for Area 9 and rings with the Houston Bronze Ensemble.
William J. Murphy has several decades of experience as a handbell musician and director. He holds a Bachelor of Music degree with a concentration in Music Education from Westminster Choir College of Rider University, where he rang in the Westminster Concert Bell Choir, and he is currently serving as Past Chair for Area 4. Previously, William was one of the music directors for Magic of Bronze in Orlando, Florida, leading both the concert and intermediate choirs. He has also worked with the Suncoast Bronze Ringers in the Tampa Bay area and with several churches throughout Central Florida.
Suzanne Neafus discovered her love of handbells as a teenager at her home church on Long Island, New York. She is deeply grateful for this early foundation, which paired strong musical training with a commitment to continuous learning. That introduction sparked a lifelong passion for the instrument and instilled in her the belief that there is always more to explore, refine, and understand.
After settling in Connecticut, Suzanne reconnected with the handbell community, performing with several church ensembles as well as the community groups Hockanum Valley Ringers and New England Ringers. She also served for five years on the Area 1 Board as both the Connecticut and Rhode Island State Chair and continues to support Area 1 by helping plan educational events. Today, her musical life centers on her home church, where she is an active member, regularly performs as a soloist, and rings with the church’s bell choir.
Professionally, Suzanne has spent the past 12 years working within the training divisions of two State of Connecticut agencies. Her work with both the Department of Children and Families and the Department of Revenue Services includes developing and delivering soft-skills and computer-application training, managing the learning management system, and creating e-learning content. These experiences have deepened her interest in group dynamics and ensemble cohesion, and she strives to model a welcoming, encouraging presence in every setting.
Suzanne has been married to her wonderfully supportive husband for 17 years, and together they look forward to their next adventure, a move to western Kentucky by the fall of 2026.
Dr. Joel Plaag is the choir director at Cypress Creek Christian Church in Spring, Texas. He conducts the Cypress Creek Community Chorale, two handbell choirs, a children’s choir, and the Chancel Choir. After rediscovering a love of writing, he authored I’m a Choir Director, Singing in the Moment, and Caring for Your Choir, and is currently working on a fourth book, Singing Together, which explores the effects of choral singing in combating loneliness.
Throughout his career, Dr. Plaag has served as choral director at multiple colleges in Texas and Arkansas and as music director at First Christian Church of Grand Prairie, Texas; Holy Cross Lutheran Church of Houston, Texas; and First Methodist Church of Brenham, Texas. He also served as a soloist at Temple Emanu-El of Livingston, New Jersey, and Temple Emanu-El of Fort Worth, Texas. In addition, he founded the Batesville Choral Society and restarted the Brenham Chorale. Currently, he serves as cantor-pianist at Temple Israel in Schulenburg, Texas.
His academic background includes degrees from Texas Christian University, Westminster Choir College, and the University of Houston, where his primary research area was conducting pedagogy. Dr. Plaag lives in Spring, Texas, with his husband, Michael, and their three dogs—Teddy, Freckles, and Simon. On many weekends, he can be found working in the yard, fixing projects in the garage, or writing.
Corbin Rasmussen was first introduced to handbells 12 years ago, when he discovered a three-octave set in his office at Rigby High School in Rigby, Idaho. He now leads the largest handbell program in the state of Idaho and possibly the largest program at any public school in Area 10. Corbin serves on the Idaho ACDA board and on the Area 10 Executive Board as Chair-Elect.
At Rigby High School, Corbin teaches both choir and handbells and oversees a program of more than 175 students annually, directing five choral ensembles and two handbell ensembles. He is also the artistic director of the Eastern Idaho Chorale, an adult community choir of approximately 75 singers. In addition, he and his wife recently founded and direct the East Idaho Youth Chorus, a children’s choir for ages eight–14.
Corbin is a regular attendee at national and international handbell events, having attended all National Seminars since 2021 and serving as a Foreign Guest Handbell Musician with the Ministry of Bellz in Singapore in January 2025. His high school handbell ensemble, the Trojan Ringers, performed at the Idaho Music Educators Conference in February of this year. Corbin is a graduate of Brigham Young University–Idaho and resides in Idaho Falls, Idaho, with his wife, Jenna, and their four children.
Stephanie Rhoades is Director of Worship and Music at Preston Hollow Presbyterian Church in Dallas, Texas. In addition to overseeing the planning and implementation of all worship services, she directs the handbell choirs. Ms. Rhoades also serves as Conductor and Artistic Director of Concert Bells of Fort Worth, an auditioned community ensemble established in 1998. The ensemble was honored to perform the opening-night concert at Handbell Musicians of America’s National Seminar in Irving, Texas, in 2023.
A second-generation handbell director, Ms. Rhoades learned to ring handbells as a child and attended annual handbell conferences with her church choir, which was directed by her mother. She has been a guest director for many local and Area festivals and has taught classes on a variety of subjects. As a conductor, she is known for her clear and expressive style and for being “easy to follow.” As a teacher, she is patient and thorough, with the ability to explain and demonstrate material in a variety of ways.
Ms. Rhoades holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music from Yale University and a Master of Sacred Music degree with a concentration in choral conducting from Southern Methodist University. She lives in Dallas, Texas, with her wife and two rescue dogs.
Debbie Rice divides her time between the United States and Canada, where she currently serves as Artistic Director for the Handbell Society of Edmonton. She has been a university professor in a school of music and has faithfully served in music ministry across multiple denominations. Drawing on her extensive experience as a professional singer, choral conductor, and dedicated educator, she encourages high standards for the handbell and handchime instruments.
Debbie’s travels as a clinician, adjudicator, and mass conductor have included assignments in 25 countries across Australasia, Taiwan, Asia, North America, Europe, and Scandinavia.
With Handbell Musicians of America, she has held elected offices on the National Board, including Area III Chair, National Secretary, and National President. In 2014, she was awarded Honorary Life Membership. Debbie has also served as Executive Director of the International Handbell Committee. In 2024, she received the International Handbell Laureate Award in Japan for her outstanding service to the development and performance of ringing.
Handbells and handchimes remain a lifelong passion as Debbie continues to bring these instruments into new international communities, most recently in Croatia, Slovenia, and Hungary. Her next journey in 2027 will include Poland and the Czech Republic.
Brian Seemann is the Production Manager for the Children’s Chorus of Washington and the Music Director of Virginia Bronze. He has previously served as Music Director of the Philadelphia Handbell Ensemble and the New England Ringers and has performed with Sonos Handbell Ensemble, Back Bay Ringers, and the Philadelphia Handbell Ensemble. Brian is also a published composer and has served as faculty, clinician, and conductor throughout the United States, as well as at several International Handbell Symposia.
His ensembles have been invited to perform at the Handbell Musicians of America National Seminar three times—in 2016, 2019, and 2024. In addition to being a performing handbell musician, he also serves on the board of Sonos Handbell Ensemble. Along with Nick Hanson, Brian is the co-host of “Two Tacos High,” a handbell podcast.
Jennifer Stack is the current Area 1 Past Chair and also serves on the Community Choir Committee of the Handbell Musicians of America Board. She began ringing handbells in 2013 at the invitation of a work colleague and “fell in deep” when she joined Merrimack Valley Ringers in 2018.
Jennifer currently directs an adult handbell choir and a children’s chime and vocal choir for the Holy Rood Collaborative. She has recently started Verdigris—a community choir for church choir handbell musicians who want to ring secular music and develop additional skills—and hopes to expand that offering into a small-group ensemble as well.
Her passion is handbell education and spreading the word that handbells are an amazing instrument for music education. Her overarching philosophy is that if you are not having fun, you are not doing it right.
Jackie Stephenson is a native Texan and a graduate of Texas A&M University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Educational Curriculum and Instruction. She has taught piano, flute, twirling, and math in public schools. Her passion for teaching is best expressed in conjunction with her passion for handbells.
Jackie has been the handbell coordinator at First Baptist Church of Bryan, Texas, for 41 years. In 1984, the music minister at First Baptist Church started a handbell group, and Jackie joined as a handbell musician. After one semester, the music minister appointed her as the new director of this fledgling group. The class she is presenting this year grew out of being thrown into the deep end and learning how to swim.
She now directs three of the five bell choirs in the church’s handbell program, which exist solely to praise, worship, and glorify Jesus Christ. The bell choirs ring for worship services, special programs, and an annual handbell showcase. They also perform for community events, in hospitals and retirement centers, and have gone on mission trips to Romania and Estonia.
Helping other directors develop their handbell programs is of special interest to Jackie. She has led various workshops and festivals throughout the state of Texas and has developed a set of top 10 tools for directors. This desire to help inexperienced directors led Jackie to apply to Handbell Musicians of America to share what works—and what does not—since she started with zero experience.
Married to Dr. Ted Stephenson for 50 years, Jackie is blessed with three daughters, two sons-in-law, and four grandchildren, who call them Doc and Belle. She enjoys traveling, reading, supporting her grandchildren in all their various activities, and has developed a few neuroses related to Texas A&M University sports teams.
Kimberlee Strepka has been teaching music for 35 years and pioneering Laban movement–based handbell artistry since 2006. Her text, Handbell Artistry from the Inside Out: Laban Movement Theory for the Handbell Musician (GIA, 2012), has been described by college professors as a long-missing resource for handbells in academia. She enjoys teaching a wide range of handbell topics through the lens of movement at local, regional, and national handbell events.
Kim holds music education degrees from The Hartt School of Music, the University of Massachusetts, and Boston University, where ensemble handbell ringing was the subject of her doctoral dissertation. She has also studied conducting at the Choral Institute in St. Moritz, Switzerland, and Laban Movement Theory at the Laban/Bartenieff Institute of Movement Studies in Manhattan.
She founded the teen handbell ensemble the Bronze Ambassadors, which toured throughout the East Coast and performed at Ground Zero in New York City, the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, District of Columbia, and Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida. The ensemble also performed at Handbell Musicians of America’s National Seminar in 2009 and 2024 and served as guest artists with the Vermont Symphony Orchestra for its 2017 and 2019 Holiday Pops concert tours.
Kim formerly served as Vermont State Chair and Area 1 Education Liaison and performed with the New England Ringers during their Decade season. She is a published handbell arranger and a collaborator with Dan Goeller Music, bringing Dan Goeller’s choral and orchestral music to the handbell community.
Christopher Titko believes in sharing his faith through the transformative power of music. Educationally, he studied handbells with Donald Allured at Westminster Choir College and also attended Indiana University and the University of Oklahoma. Christopher has served musically in various denominations and spent five years as Church Music Editor for J. W. Pepper.
Currently, he serves as Director of Music at Monumental United Methodist Church in Portsmouth, Virginia, and as Artistic Director of the James River Ringers in Richmond, Virginia.
Joy Toll-Chandler has been playing and directing handbells since 2000. She holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the Crane School of Music and a Master of Church Music degree, with a handbell emphasis, from Concordia University. She has two pieces published by AGEHR and has a goal of doing much more composing. She was also accredited as a faculty instructor for Level one Handbell Certification in Theory and Conducting.
Joy is currently the director of the handbell choir at the Congregational Church in Cumberland, Maine. Having retired from full-time pastoral ministry, she and her husband, Paul, are happily settled in Maine and enjoy time with family, traveling, visiting lighthouses, and doing puzzles.
A native of California, Dr. Celia Chan Valerio has served as music director of BellForza, Loma Linda University Church’s advanced bell choir, for the past 15 years. During this time, she has guided BellForza to musical excellence through an emphasis on musicality, teamwork, and fun. The ensemble especially enjoys supporting new compositions—the “hotter” off the press, the better—as well as performing “the classics.”
Loma Linda University Church established its handbell program in 1973, and Celia was a part of it during the 1980s and early 1990s. Under the direction of Cheryl Smith, the advanced handbell choir—Loma Linda University Church Handbell Choir—toured throughout the United States and participated in the AGEHR Western National Handbell Festival in July 1989 under the direction of Donald Allured, with approximately 80 handbell choirs in attendance. When asked how he wanted certain sections played, Allured would reply, “Just play it like Loma Linda,” and repeatedly invited the ensemble to demonstrate. This response became part of the legacy of the outstanding handbell program at Loma Linda University Church. In 2023, the church celebrated 50 years of handbells with a commissioned work by Matthew Compton, Neither Angels, Nor Demons, Nor Powers, which was premiered by two five-octave and one three-octave handbell choirs made up of former members.
When not conducting handbells, Celia is a harpist and harp instructor and a former principal harpist of the Sarasota Orchestra. She has enjoyed a diverse career as a soloist, orchestral musician, and recording artist, with studio and live performances alongside artists such as Barry Manilow and Hayley Mills. She has won top prizes in numerous national harp competitions, including the Anne Adams Awards, the American Harp Society Competition, and the American String Teachers’ Association Competition, where she won both the national competition and the grand prize for the state of Indiana. Celia holds a Bachelor of Music degree from La Sierra University and Master of Music and Doctor of Music degrees from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, where she also studied conducting, composition, and music history. Most recently, she completed certification as a Certified Therapeutic Harp Practitioner and shares her music with patients and staff at Community Hospital of San Bernardino.
Celia strives to bring her deep love of music to the way she leads BellForza. Being involved in handbells is an absolute joy for her, and she is honored to be conducting an advanced track at the 2026 Handbell Musicians of America National Seminar.
With an insatiable thirst for knowledge and a passion for sharing what she has learned, Karen Van Wert is equally at home in the classroom or at the podium. She often says, “There is nothing more rewarding than witnessing a handbell musician grasp a concept and execute it in their music. Building skills and instilling confidence in a handbell musician is the goal of every rehearsal, for then we can make music.”
Karen has had diverse experiences performing and directing choirs, as well as in solo, four-in-hand duet, and quartet ringing. Bell tree ringing has become a focal point of her educational passion, as she works to lower the barrier to entry into the bell tree genre. Virtual and in-person classes, gatherings of bell tree enthusiasts to grow the art form (Into the Forest), and ringing in praise bands to explore new possibilities are just some of the steps along this remarkable journey.
Director, educator, composer, publisher, handbell musician, clinician, and handbell cheerleader Kathleen Wissinger is all about bells and bell people. Known for her creative teaching style, clear directing, and engaging compositions, she has directed and taught at events across the United States and in Canada and Japan. She is Artistic Director of Mosaic Handbell Ensemble and Gloria Dei, an adult church group.
Her compositions span Level Zero! through Level 5 and range from solos and small ensembles to full seven-octave concert works, including commissions, hymns, compatible scores, pedagogical works, stunning originals, and fresh arrangements. These are currently released through ringTrue Handbell Music, which she founded in 2015. Her uniquely focused resources address a wide range of needs, including Square One (a complete Level one curriculum based on 18 years of classroom handbell teaching), Get Them Ringing! (for introducing ringing to passersby at fairs and similar events), Split-Level pieces (designed to accommodate handbell musicians of differing abilities within a single piece), and, most recently, scores with large-print options for treble and bass clef (Morning Stars RE8043).
Kath currently serves on the National Board of Handbell Musicians of America, coordinates the CHIME Loan Program for Area 3, and previously served on the Area 3 Board for eight years. She frequently mentors handbell musicians, directors, composers, and new events and was an integral member of the planning team for Into the Forest, a bell tree–focused event now sponsored by Handbell Musicians of America. Her professional development sessions for her local school system have received rave reviews, including “The best I’ve ever taken!”
A former National Park Service ranger with a degree in geology, Kath lives in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia with her husband, Skip—also a former park ranger. She teaches piano lessons and makes world-famous bread-and-butter pickles. She can be reached at [email protected].
Phoebe T. T. Yeung is a handbell conductor, composer, performer, and educator based in Hong Kong. She holds a Master of Church Music degree with a handbell specialization from Concordia University Wisconsin and a Bachelor of Education (Honours) degree in Music from The Education University of Hong Kong. With more than a decade of experience, her school and community ensembles have received numerous awards at local and international handbell competitions, and she is frequently engaged as a clinician and adjudicator throughout Hong Kong.
Phoebe is deeply committed to developing the next generation of handbell musicians and directors. She conducts the EdUHK Handbell Ensemble and has served as both a guest instructor and committee member for multiple EdUHK handbell programs, with a focus on nurturing emerging handbell musicians and educators. In 2025, she founded CantoBell Hub and Handbell Musicians of Hong Kong, platforms dedicated to providing diverse handbell resources and fostering cultural exchange. She previously directed Bellprints Handbell Supply, through which she organized professional training programs and the Bellprints International Handbell Festival.
A lifelong handbell enthusiast, Phoebe began her studies with Ms. Zerlina Wong and later refined her performance and composition skills under the guidance of Dr. John Behnke. She actively participates in global handbell events such as the International Handbell Symposium and National Seminar to further develop her artistry. Her works as a handbell composer and arranger have been published in both Hong Kong and the United States, contributing new repertoire to the international handbell community.