This Sunday, December 15th at 2pm at Chapel Lawn at 4000 Portage Avenue, the sounds of bells will be heard, playing a variety of Christmas music from such places, as Ukraine, England, France, and Austria to name just a few places.
This concert will feature the Ring Out Handbell Quartet. They are putting on a charity concert for the Christmas Cheer Board. Admission for this concert is by donation or by a tin for the bin. All proceeds of both food and cash donations will be going to the Christmas Cheer Board.
The Ring Out Handbell Quartet was formed in 2014. Consisting of members Patsy Andrews-Vert, Jewel Casselman, Susan Stevenson and Morna-June Morrow, the quartet has performed at The Ukrainian Festival of Carols, The Manitoba Guild of English Handbell Spring Concerts, The Westminster Organ Series and at the Lieutenant Governor’s Levee at The Manitoba Legislative Building. In the process they have displayed their prodigious skills as bell ringers throughout the city and been ambassadors to the wonderful word of bell ringing; educating and entertaining audiences alike for the past 10 years.
The Ring Out Quartet did a charity concert for the Christmas Cheer Board Last year, and they hope this year’s concert will bring in even more food and cash donations. Morna-June Morrow is a member of the Ring Out Quartet. As she explains, “Last year they [Christmas Cheer Board] had to turn their phones off a week before Christmas because they ran out of food…the last man all they were able to give him was a can of peas. This year they are budgeting for 20500 hampers. I was at the cheer board this week and they said they have already spent $200,000 more than they did last year to get the food that is needed, because food is so expensive now.”
The concert is a win-win for everyone, people can drop off some food, and in return hear the cheerful, sparkling sounds of bells. The Quartet will be playing carols such as The Little Drummer Boy, Jingle Bells, Away in a Manger, and the Huron Carol to name just a few.
All the carols will use various handbell ringing techniques, such as playing four bells at the same time, thumb damps, getting the bells to sing by rubbing the outside of the bell, and various echo and tremolo effects.
Audience members will be invited to ask questions of the quartet, and there will even be an audience participation part of the concert, where members will have the opportunity to ring a 400 year old bronze bell called the crotal, and various jingle bells.
The Ring Out Handbell Quartet’s charity concert this Sunday, December 15th, at 2pm at Chapel Lawn at 4000 Portage Avenue is sure to be a wonderful event for the whole family. Children will entertained by the various kinds of bells, and parents can sit back and enjoy the music performed by these four bellringers, knowing that they have helped the Christmas Cheer Board in its goal of feeding those who are less fortunate.
