AUBURN – Handbell ringers from all over the state of Maine will gather together on Saturday, April 27 at Auburn Middle School for the 2024 Maine Spring Ring. The day will conclude with a concert that is free of charge and open to the public.
All Maine handbell ringers are welcome and encouraged to participate in this exciting, day-long event.
Participants must purchase in advance the repertoire according to their chosen level of play (Tins are beginner ringers; Coppers are more advanced ringers). Details about the event, including the music required and the registration portal, can be found online at area1.handbellmusicians.org. Ringer registration deadline is March 15.
The Maine Spring Ring schedule includes a variety of educational workshops lead by guest clinicians, as well as instructional rehearsals of the massed-rung pieces led by two guest conductors: Joy Toll-Chandler, a handbell composer, ringer, and nationally-accredited handbell director/instructor who hails from Wells, Maine; and Michael Joy, a nationally-acclaimed handbell director and composer with strong Maine ties, who currently conducts and/or rings with no less than 15 handbell groups in Pennsylvania.
For the general public, a concert will be offered at 4 p.m. on April 27 in the Auburn Middle School gymnasium, located at 38 Falcon Drive, Auburn. The audience will be treated to seven massed-rung pieces, along with solo performances by several individual ensembles. A free-will offering will be collected and proceeds will be split 50-50 for two purposes: 1) to cover costs associated with the event, and 2) to support the City of Lewiston Fund, established to help the families and community recover from the Oct. 25, 2023 Mass Shooting Tragedy. The City of Lewiston Fund is administered by the LA Metro Chamber Foundation.
Maine Spring Ring is sponsored by Handbell Musicians of America, Inc. (HMA) for the benefit of its members and member ringers. HMA is dedicated to uniting people through the musical art of handbell and handchime ringing. For more information about HMA, visit www.handbellmusicians.org.
