Teen Handbell Musicians to "Put a Ring" on Fredericksburg

It’s not easy being a teen handbell musician. Few of your peers understand, of have even heard of the instrument. There are limited opportunities to ring advanced music and improve your skills. And few understand the commitment, or the pressure, involved in playing an instrument that requires every member of the ringing ensemble to be present for every concert and every rehearsal. On April 22-24, however, twenty eight of the top teen handbell musicians in America will finally have a chance to gather in Fredericksburg, Virginia with their musical peers for a weekend event of intense musicality, teamwork and handbell musicianship.
These young ringers have been selected as the first National Honors Handbell Ensemble and are making their debut that weekend in a public concert on April 24 at 4 PM. Comprised of an auditioned group of America’s top young handbell musicians, the group includes 16 ringers from the Fredericksburg area, along with other teens from around the country. The group was selected by audition, and have been working independently with their directors to prepare a repertoire that would challenge even the most seasonsed handbell musicians.
Hosted by the Stafford Regional Handbell Society, and directed by Kevin McChesney – one of the most well-known and respected names in handbell musicianship – the National Honors Handbell Ensemble is the brainchild of Handbell Society Musical Director, Phillip Lanier and Programming Director, Neesa Hart. “We looked around at opportunities for Youth Handbell Ringers,” Lanier explains, “and felt there was a wide disparity between traditional events for teens and the expectations they face when they enter College and plan to ring with any of the nation’s collegiate groups.” The Stafford Handbell Society is nationally known for the skills of its teen ringers. With a graded ringing program that allows kids as young as 2nd grade to learn the instrument, the Society’s top group – “Ring It!” - has won several competitions and national acclaim as one of the best teen ringing ensembles in the country. “Several years ago,” Lanier explains, “we began to develop the idea of an extremely demanding event that would help elevate the skills of the very best teen musicians in the US. We were interested in identifying and developing young artists who are already considered among the best in the US.”
That dream began to take final shape this past summer when Ring It! performed to rave reviews at Pinnacle – the premier performance event for Handbell Musicians of America. It was there that Ring It!’s director, Neesa Hart, met McChesney, a widely published arranger/composer/ and the director of the Pikes Peak Ringers, a professional community handbell ensemble in Colorado Springs that is among the nation’s top handbell organizations with six studio CDs, multiple national and international tours, and a critically acclaimed performance with cellist YoYo Ma to their credit. According to Lanier, “after discussing our vision for the National Honors Handbell Ensemble, Kevin fully embraced the idea and became our partner in creating this one-of-a-kind event. We all share the goal of inspiring young ringers to the next level of musicianship.”
Invitations went out to over 3000 handbell directors nationally seeking auditions from talented teen ringers. As audition tapes began to pour in, the selection committee was faced with the daunting task of choosing ringers with the skills, commitment, and ringing expertise to thrive as members of the first National Honors Handbell Ensemble.
Ultimately, the committee selected a group of 28 musicians from a nationwide pool of applicants. When asked if he is surprised that 16 local students who ring in the Stafford Handbell Society’s advanced teen group made the committee’s cut, Lanier says, “Not at all. We routinely push these kids to achieve at the very highest level of musicianship.” Though he now directs the Society’s adult ringing groups, he created the advanced youth ringing program and fully understands the level of commitment and work performing in the elite group demands. The selection committee was comprised of five highly-skilled handbell musicians from around the country. They evaluated each ringer’s application and video-taped audition material without knowing where the teen musicians lived, what ensemble they represented, or even their names. “We wanted to make the audition process as unbiased and equitable as possible,” Lanier explained. “We were thrilled that so many of our students were selected, and it’s especially nice that the inaugural event will take place in their home town.”
The Stafford Handbell Society intends for this year’s event to be only the beginning for the National Honors Handbell Ensemble. “We will host this event every year,” Lanier promises. “It’s our commitment to helping develop teen handbell ringers into great handbell musicians.”