The handbell choir, a beloved part of the Asbury and Wilmore community, will have its annual festival on Nov. 2. The concert is free and open to the public. The doors will open around 2:30 p.m., and the concert will begin at 3 p.m. It will take place at Jameson Auditorium.
The purpose of the festival is to allow local handbell choirs the opportunity to play together with other choirs. This is the 12th annual Handbell Festival Day, with the first one being held 25 years ago. Since then, the festival has happened every couple of years.
This year, the ensemble will be joined by multiple groups including a community choir named the “Lexington Ringers,” a few members of another choir in Lexington named “Alluring” and three choirs from Wilmore Free Methodist Church (WFMC). The choirs from WFMC are named “Chimes of Joy,” (a children’s hand chime choir) and two adult handbell choirs named “Blessings” and “We Believe.” Five out of six of the musical groups involved have a director who is an alumni of the Asbury Handbell Program.
Directed by Mark Schell, a professor of the music department, the handbell choir is a staple of many Asbury concerts, chapels and Wilmore holiday events throughout the year. The group is made up of both college students and people from Wilmore alike.
Songs often presented range from everything like hit songs to broadway shows to more traditional choir pieces. The concert will consist of each choir ringing one to three solo pieces, as well as two pieces performed by a mass choir made up of three handbell choirs.
With a good mix of new and old members alike, the choir has 15 members this school year.
Their passion for performing and the instruments being played shines through, as the ensemble works like a well oiled machine. Seeing a lot of these classics in a different light gives new meaning and depth to already beloved songs.
