Going Places

Ringers Refuel at State Festival

Rooming together, ringing together, and recharging their energies united music makers from Gainesville to Miami and all points in between through their common passion, as more than 200 participants descended on Tampa March 5 for the two-day Florida State Handbell Festival. A caravan of 11 ringers, with Director Seth Wertz at the helm, departed Siesta Key early Friday morning to represent St. Boniface Episcopal among the 35 ensembles convening at Lake Magdalene United Methodist Church.

Tanking up on the latest trends, techniques, tools, and toys, attendees chose from a dozen hands-on workshops covering topics like weaving, malleting, rhythm games, coordination skills, and multiple-bell methods. At the interspersed rehearsals, the choirs were put through their paces with challenging repertoire under the direction of turbocharged guest conductor Michael Glasgow.

The journey culminated in a massed ring of 800 bells lifted in song at the Saturday afternoon performance. Accompanied by trumpet, flute, piano, and choir, St. Boniface rang six new selections (including Jesus Loves Me, Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing, and I’ve Got the Joy) alongside hundreds of their fellow conference goers, aged 16 to 80. “That’s the beauty of this instrument,“ contends Florida State Chair Valerie Stephenson, “its ability to reach anyone at any age with varying degrees of musical competency. It requires the highest degree of cooperation, as no one person carries the entire musical line.”

Fueled afresh, the conventioneers packed up their tables, loaded the equipment, bid Godspeed to newfound friends, to return to service in their home churches, reveling in ringing.           Janet Ross