Festival Handbell Choir
The Handbell Choir will meet to rehearse early each day, during ensemble rehearsal time.
Club Room in the Rondthaler Building (RB) Map
8:30am – 9:15am
* This is a small ensemble in addition to the large ensembles (Chorus or Concert Band)
Handbell Choir is relatively new for the Festival. In the past, it was often a workshop or performance by an outside group.
Now, it is integral to the Festival, and will be enhanced, this year, by workshop learning opportunities.
Deborah Rice, Director, is a prolific arranger and sought-after clinician.
Debbie draws on her vast experience as a professional singer, choral conductor and passion for teaching to encourage high standards for the handbell and handchime instrument to be musical and worshipful. Her degrees are in music education, opera, and musical theater. She has also studied early music and conducting. Debbie maintains a demanding travel schedule as clinician, adjudicator and conductor with international assignments including Australia, Canada, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Great Britain, Hong Kong, Israel, Korea, Japan, Netherlands, Singapore, Switzerland and Taiwan.
Ms. Rice will lead two workshops during the week:
For Handbell Directors and Players
Let’s Start at the Very Beginning, with Deborah Rice (Tuesday afternoon): Handbells continue to evolve as an instrument of worship. This session will “start at the very beginning”, with set up, basic assignments and up to date tips and tools for techniques and healthy ringing
Becoming Team Players through Critical Listening, with Deborah Rice (Thursday afternoon): Critical listening represents an area of essential skills that directors and ringers navigate together in order to become a stronger team. Attendees will participate as ringers exploring how to: create the best group sound, execute dynamics, highlight melodies and shape musical phrases.
( Photos from 2013 – the 24th Moravian Music Festival in Bethlehem, PA )
