He has chaperoned many “Harmony Explosion” camps for high school students in the region, and taught a course called “The Physics of Harmony” to both students and adults. He has also sung in several quartets and has competed at regional competitions both in quartets and with the chorus. He has sung with the Hartford Men in Harmony (formerly the Insurance City Chorus) since 2005 and has served as an assistant director. Currently, Sue directs a handbell choir and a chime choir at Faith Community Bible Church in Loudon, NH, and rings with the Merrimack Valley Ringers.īILL DEGAN is a Barbershop tenor and organist/choir director from Bristol, Connecticut. After retiring from a career in teaching math, Sue served as the New England sales representative for Schulmerich bells for seven years, and still does handbell repairs. In recent years, she has helped organize Skill Building Workshops, Winter Workshop, and Festival/Conference. Sue has served on the Area 1 Board as NH State Chair, Chair, and treasurer. SUE CHAMBERLIN was introduced to handbells at a Christmas dinner in 1980 and has been ringing, directing, and teaching handbells since then. She is always tired, but (when around handbells) always smiling! Offer her coffee, and ask her about her cat “Jonesy.” Though not able to ring regularly in a handbell ensemble, Rachel keeps up with the bell community by subbing in rehearsals and concerts for groups throughout New England, performing as a bell tree soloist, and devising creative ways to keep her bell skills sharp even when there are no bells physically in front of her.
RACHEL CERULLO has been busy for the past two years, working full time and being a single super-mom to two kids. Having retired in 2004 after 35 years of teaching middle school, she now has more time for gardening, travel, missions, and of course, handbell events. As a member of Handbell Musicians of America, she has attended 18 Festival Conferences in Area 1, several National and International events, led many handbell workshops in Area 1, and was the Chair of the Chime Loaner Program from 2009-2019. After sixteen years of ringing with The Merrimack Valley Ringers, she has retired from that portion of her ringing career. She is also assistant director of the Celebration Ringers and Singers, a bell/vocal group made up of middle school and high school youth. HOLLY CERULLO has been ringing handbells as a member of the West Chelmsford United Methodist Church Festival Ringers since 1980. in Music Education, from UConn and a M.S. Lawrence has been a clinician and guest conductor throughout New England, at many Area 1 events. In January 2012, Lawrence became the director of the Hockanum Valley Ringers, a five octave community handbell ensemble located in Vernon, CT. His music ministry included two youth ensembles, an adult choir, as well as, an adult and teen quartet. Lawrence has been directing handbells since 2004 and was the former handbell director at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, in Gales Ferry, CT. His bands have won superior ratings at adjudicated festivals, and his symphonic band is invited to perform annually at the Naval Submarine Base in Groton, CT for special occasions and events. LARRY BERDENSEY has been teaching for 35 years and is currently the Band Director at West Side Middle School, in Groton, CT. In her spare time she loves to garden and work in the wood shop turning bowls.
She thinks the more her ringers understand what a composer is trying to do, the more fun they will have ringing. She has a degree in piano from New England Conservatory of Music and a Master of Sacred Music from Westminster Choir College.Ī former music theory teacher, she loves sneaking theory lessons into her bell rehearsals. Before that she was the Minister of Music at a Lutheran church in New Jersey and on the faculty of a High School for Visual and Performing Arts in Red Bank, NJ. She has been the director of Hancock Carillon for the last 15 years. MARILYN BECKER serves as the Associate Director of Music at Hancock United Church of Christ in Lexington, a church with a long tradition of handbells. Lisa is currently serving as Past-Chair of Area 1 of the Handbell Musicians of America.
She spends her free time learning Italian and riding bicycles. Lisa and her husband Chuck use handbells as an excuse to travel and ring all over the world. Lisa has regularly taught workshops at Area 1 Spring Rings and Festivals in topics such as Exercises for Ringers, Bass Bell technique, Weaving, Solo Ringing, and Handbell Notation. The first Community Handbell Ensemble Lisa rang with was Bay Bells in San Jose, CA, and has been a member of the Merrimack Valley Ringers since 2010 when she moved back to New England. LISA ARNOLD started ringing in 1976 with the Wesley Bell Ringers of Salt Lake City, UT, and toured for 4 summers, performing in 49 states and 9 Canadian Provinces.