| Spring has arrived and the Boston Handbell Festival is fast approaching! The history of BHF goes back to the handbell ensemble of Perkins School for the Blind, which had long held a handbell concert at Old South Church on the third Tuesday of May. When the handbell director, Adele Trytko, retired from the school in 2006, there was no festival. However, attendees returned to Old South Church expecting a handbell concert! Griff Gall, Artistic Director of the Back Bay Ringers, approached the Old South Ringers about continuing the tradition with a new Handbell Festival, which has been held annually ever since. To celebrate the connection with the Perkins School for the Blind, we are very happy to welcome their current handbell ensemble as a very special guest choir at this year’s Festival. We can’t wait to hear them perform!
The 2018 Boston Handbell Festival will featured the Back Bay Ringers, Merrimack Valley Ringers, New England Ringers, Old South Ringers, and guest choir, Bedminster Bells of Bedminster, NJ, for an evening of massed and solo ringing in Old South’s beautiful sanctuary. Many audience members at the BHF are seeing handbells for the first time. The highlight of the evening is hearing all five choirs play simultaneously under the director of esteemed handbell composer Eileen Laurence in what is referred to as “massed ringing.” We hope you will RSVP to the concert to let us know you are coming. You can also make a donation through our ticketing link, even if you can’t make it to the concert.
Tickets to our June concerts supporting the Boston Living Center are still on sale via our ticketing website. We hope to see you soon!
Donna
Donna Matson
Executive Director |
