Friend to Friend. Conductor and Artistic Director, Stephanie Rhoades, Dallas. Ringers. Concert Bells (all, left to right):

Transcription

1 Friend to Friend Dedicated to musical excellence through artistic handbell performance V OLUME 16, ISSUE 2 Conductor and Artistic Director, Stephanie Rhoades, Dallas S PRING/SUMMER 2016 Ringers Pam Adams*, Grand Prairie Ashley Blaha, Dallas/Houston Nicole Culp, Fort Worth Kari Daelke*, Mesquite Elizabeth Garvin, Lewisville Shari Gibson, Fort Worth Cathy Herring, Richardson Cindy Karm, Fort Worth Alys Lindholm, Carrollton Carol Lynn Mizell, Denton Valerie Martin*, Grapevine Kathleen Parsons, Richardson Brenda Swindle, Garland Lynn Tedford, N. Richland Hills Karen Thompson*, N. Richland Hills *Executive Committee Member Concert Bells of Fort Worth Editor: Brenda Swindle Contents: Ring, Bells, Across the Earth 2 Spring Concert Series 3 CBFW Friends 4 Be a Friend of CBFW 5 What s a Music Maker? 6 CBFW: Then & Now 6 Re-Do, Re-Fresh, Re-New 7 In this issue: Check us out on the Web and Facebook Get all the details about our 2016 Spring Concert Series Exciting new changes to the Friends program Concert Bells (all, left to right): Front Row: Kathleen Parsons, Karen Thompson, Stephanie Rhoades, Carol Lynn Mizell 2nd Row: Nicole Culp, Quinda Hatfield (retired), Elizabeth Garvin, Valerie Martin 3rd Row: Pam Adams, Ashley Blaha, Alys Lindholm, Lynn Tedford, Shari Gibson Back Row: Brenda Swindle, Cathy Herring, Kari Daelke, Cindy Karm

2 Ring, Bells, Across the Earth! Stephanie Rhoades, Conductor & Artistic Director Sometimes themes for our concerts just come to me, and I have no trouble finding repertoire to fit. Most times, however, I have a piece or two in mind that I really want to perform, and I work to build a theme around the music. Planning our spring concert this year was a bit of both processes. I wanted to perform two pieces this spring: 1) Andante from Mozart s Piano Concerto No. 21 set by Michael Glasgow a piece we recorded for Choristers Guild this past summer; and 2) Fantasy on Liverpool by Fred Gramann written for the 2012 International Handbell Symposium in Liverpool. The tune Liverpool was written in 1859 by John Roberts as an alternate tune for the hymn Nearer My God to Thee. Fred composed an original tune that corresponds to the letters in the name Liverpool and paired it with the hymn tune. He also composed new lyrics to the original tune by Roberts which convey that bells are an effective tool for achieving unity and harmony. Ring, bells, across the earth O er land and sea. Help hearts to know their worth in unity. From concert hall or tower, Church, schoolroom, ring with power. Peal forth your message now. Bring harmony! Fred Gramann As I ruminated on these words, I had a moment of inspiration: we would perform music that one would hear while at a concert, school, or a church (including tower bells). Excited by this concept, I went to work sorting through my pile of potential pieces and listening to pieces online. Shortly, I had a complete program that I believe is diverse, fun, challenging, and moving. In addition to the two pieces I mentioned above, we will perform a beautiful free tango by Astor Piazzolla, arranged by Douglas Anderson, two hymn arrangements by our own ringers Karen Thompson ( Love So Wondrous ) and Carol Lynn Mizell ( O For Two Thousand Bells to Ring ), and the premiere of a piece I commissioned in honor of Concert Bells, Rondo. It is an original work in neoclassical style written by Larry Sue. I hope you will come experience it at Custer Road UMC in Plano on May 3 and/or Arlington Heights UMC in Fort Worth on April 29. Both concerts are at 7:30 p.m. Page 2 Volume 16, Issue 2

3 Friend to Friend Page 3

4 Friends of Concert Bells of Fort Worth Ring of Honor Annonymous Scot Latta Alys Lindholm George & Nesha Morey Director s Circle Mary & David Bell James & Deborah Epperson Jean Harden Sherry Meeks Stephanie Rhoades & Lynette Hendricks Dennis Simpson Rick & Karen Thompson Ann Treleven President s Circle Denny & Kathi Feduke Elizabeth & Dan Garvin Sally Gibson Jean Ann Karm Patricia M. Morey Lynn Tedford Lifetime Member Beth Judd Premiere Circle Kari Daelke Jan & John Fisher Bill & Pat Gordon Zella Gordon Lori Haaland Bill & Cathy Herring Rich & Janeen Karm Bob & Carol Lynn Mizell Richard Sperry Judith C. Walch Maurine Wilson Anonymous Kay Champagne Theodore & Janet Daelke Daniel & Maria Kern-Ekins Kelli Ettelbrick Grand Circle Jan & John Fisher Nancy Gillis Glenda Kass Stefani & Jon Lee Scott Jacob Loehr Joan Muser Kathleen & Terry Parsons Carol & David Rowley Gayle Strange James & Barbara Thompson Anonymous Charles & Phyllis Beck Jo Blount Corbin Bullock Andy & Laura Chester Frank Effland Shawn Fauver Shari Gibson Donna Hagerty Contributor s Circle Paula Juengerman Cindy Karm Karen Kuck Kathy Lowrie Karen Matson Kathryn Mitchell Stewart & Emily Pickell Craig & Julia Poindexter Michelle Price Judith Reemtsma & Kristina Simpson Liz Roberts Janet Sweeny Brenda Swindle Paula Thomson Dan Thomas Judy Townley Charlene Watson Phyllis Wilson Joan Youngblood If you are a Friend and your name has been omitted or your listing is inaccurate, please let us know so we can correct our records. Page 4 Volume 16, Issue 2

5 Friend to Friend Page 5

6 What s a Music Maker? What s a Music Maker? A. A person who makes a directed gift to Concert Bells B. A nickname I gave my radio C. Any one of the ringers in Concert Bells CBFW appreciates gifts to our operating fund so that we can continue paying our recurring expenses such as insurance, Cindy Karm equipment maintenance, and royalty fees. Sometimes, however, a Friend will choose to bless CBFW with a particular gift, such as a large bell we can feature in our concerts or a new piece of music. These special Friends who sponsor the entire purchase price of a special item, often dedicated in memory or honor of a loved one, are known as Music Makers. If this opportunity sounds right for you, please reach out to our president Karen Thompson or our treasurer Pam Adams to learn more about our wish list and pricing. Current Music Makers are: Alys Lindholm Her gift: B2 handbell Dale & Valerie Martin Their gift: Lower 6 th octave chimes Rick Thompson Family (Rick, Karen, Alice & Helen) Their gift: D8 handbell Dedicated in memory of Cora Latta Herb & Roberta Seem; their gift: sheet music In honor of Quinda Hatfield Michael & Ginger Bodino; their gift: sheet music In honor of Lori Haaland & Paula Miller Mary Lou Smith; her gift: sheet music In memory of Elnora Fetterolf CBFW: Then & Now This spring we say farewell to one of our founding members, Quinda Hatfield. We are so sad to see Quinda retire from our ranks, as she is an incredible musician and friend who will be profoundly missed. Reflecting on Quinda s departure, I realize that we have come a long way from then, in 1998, to where we are now, in When we first started CBFW, Quinda hosted our rehearsals at St. Philip Karen Thompson, President Presbyterian Church in Hurst. From there we went to First Presbyterian in Arlington before finally arriving at Emmanuel Presbyterian in Bedford, where we have been since the fall of Back then, we paid monthly dues of $25 each to cover our costs. Now, we have no dues and can fund our almost $20,000 annual budget from our Friends program, concert fees, recording fees (for Choristers Guild), recording sales, and other fundraising income. Back then, we started with 12 founding ringers, which was one shy of the magic number 13 needed for a full bell choir. For a couple of years, we relied on subs to fill out our group, and there was that one not-so-great concert when we had six (SIX!) subs. Now, we perform with 15 to 16 ringers and hold annual auditions. We now only have two founding members: Carol Lynn Mizell and me. Then, no one knew Concert Bells of Fort Worth. Now, we have achieved national recognition through our recordings for Choristers Guild and our appearance at the National Seminar, Pinnacle, in Wow! We have come a long way, baby! Page 6 Volume 16, Issue 2

7 Re-Do, Re-Fresh, Re-New! Pam Adams, Treasurer In this newsletter, you ve seen our president Karen discuss how CBFW has changed since our formation in Think of how much has happened since then! The creation of the iphone, 3D movie experiences, and e-books abound in the market today. CBFW recognizes that many of these changes have improved all of our lives, and perhaps it s time we implemented a few similar ones. Our Friends program is the life force of CBFW your generous donations and support help us buy music, buy/maintain/store/insure our instruments and equipment, and so much more! We want to be sure, then, that we communicate with our Friends and seek new Friends in ways that better fit their lifestyles in One thing you ll notice is that this newsletter includes a fresh new look for our Donation Form! The big changes: There s now an option to receive our newsletter electronically, as well as to receive advance notice of our events and concerts via text/phone. We modified the form for a cleaner, more user-friendly look that also educates our donors better on how the ensemble uses their gifts. Thanks to your generosity, we now recognize a new Friends level the Ring of Honor for all donations above $600. We ve outlined the various different ways to donate, so you can choose the one that works best for you (Music Makers donating a specific bell, piece of equipment, or piece of music to the ensemble, North Texas Giving Day an annual charitable donation event across North Texas, or single or recurring gifts at your choice of contribution level). Remember, your donations to CBFW are always tax-deductible, as we re a 501(c)(3) organization. If you have questions about our Friends program, or suggestions for how we can improve the Friends program, please contact me anytime at treasurer@concertbells.com after all, we wouldn t be here without you! Thank you, Friends! Pam Friend to Friend Page 7

8 Like Concert Bells of Fort Worth on Facebook! We will be posting our latest concert dates, photos and other info so you can easily keep up with the latest happenings with the group. We also welcome your comments and suggestions. Sign up for our mailing list online! We have partnered with Vertical Response to provide an online sign up for our mailing list. Just fill out the form found on our website and you will begin receiving upcoming concert and news information regarding Concert Bells of Fort Worth. Rest assured, we will not sell or distribute the list to any other party. Marketing by Vertical Response and the Concert Bells of Fort Worth Visit our website: Concert Bells of Fort Worth c/o Karen Thompson 7901 Kandy Lane North Richland Hills, Texas 76182