Our Mission Statement:
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The Smithtonians Handbell Ensemble exists for the purpose of entertaining, delighting and educating the public in the art of English handbell ringing."
-- as denoted in our bylaws |
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The SmithtoniansThe Smithtonian Handbell Ensemble is a community handbell choir based in Littleton, Colorado. It was founded in 1983 and gives performances in the Denver area during two concert seasons, the holiday season and the spring. Typically, a concert program will be approximately an hour long.
Membership in the Smithtonians is by audition, and previous handbell experience is required. Today’s members of the choir have a combined ringing experience of over 250 years. The choir has deep ties to both private and public venues, including a longstanding tradition of playing at the Littleton History Museum and Bemis Library during the holiday season. We have dedicated ourselves to bringing music to a variety of retirement communities in the Denver Metro Area. We bring our Holiday and Spring concerts to many of these communities year after year. Over the years, the ensemble has presented music in many venues, including Boettcher Concert Hall in Denver’s Center for the Performing Arts, and Denver’s Botanic Gardens. They have performed with The Lone Tree Symphony, The Skyline Chorus, The Denver Brass. They have also been featured at Colorado's state handbell convention. |
Meet the Ensemble: Ringers
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Mike H.
30 years playing handbells Favorite Bell Piece: "Five Inscriptions" by Cathy Moklebust Starting Handbell Choir: Bethany Lutheran Church Carillons Fun handbell memory: We travelled to a handbell festival in Keystone, CO and ended up getting caught in a blizzard on the ride there. Judy T. 21 years playing handbells Favorite Bell Piece: "Scarborough Fair" by Jason Krug Starting Handbell Choir: a Church in Saudi Arabia Fun handbell memory: When she attended the 13th International Handbell Symposium in Orlando, FL, and getting the autographs of eight conductors and three composers. She then got to play a concert with over 800 handbell ringers from all around the world. Joshua E. 11 years playing handbells Favorite Bell Piece: "The Hallelujah Chorus" from Handel's Messiah Starting Handbell Choir: Fresno Pacific Handbell Ensemble Favorite handbell memory: Needing to rehearse handbell quartet and not being able to meet until midnight, so we met then and rehearsed until we fell asleep on the ground at 2 am. Maribeth M. 30 years playing handbells Favorite Bell Piece: "Christmas Eve Sarajevo" Starting Handbell Choir: St. Peter Lutheran Church Favorite handbell memory: Ringing at a festival in Keystone with a ballroom full of ringers. Molly H. 45 years playing handbells Favorite Bell Piece: "Gift of Love," arranged by Brenda E Austin Starting Handbell Choir: Mini Ringers, Highland, IL Favorite handbell memory: Playing as a trio with two of my siblings. Dottie T. 30 years playing handbells Favorite Bell Piece: "It Is Well With My Soul" by Cathy Moklebust Starting Handbell Choir: First Presbyterian Church Favorite handbell memory: Bell festival in Cody, Wyoming. Playing Christmas carols on Christmas Eve in an old limestone church where the sound echoed throughout the church. Nancy W. 30+ years playing handbells Favorite Bell Piece: "Fum Fum Fum" by Valerie Stephenson in the dark with black lights Starting Handbell Choir: First United Methodist Church in Durango, CO Favorite handbell memory: Six of the 13 choir members at the first rehearsal of the Casper, WY AGEHR Festival as 1 of 3 choirs to do William Tell Overture. |
Pat B.
16 years playing handbells Favorite Bell Piece: "Wizards in Winter" by Paul O'Neill & Robert Kinkel (arr. Greer & Wauth) Starting Handbell Choir: Bethany Lutheran Church Fun handbell memory: Christmas socks contest! Annette K. 8 years playing handbells Favorite Bell Piece: "In the Mood" by Joe Garland, arranged for handbells by Hart Morris Starting Handbell Choir: Northern Arizona University H. M. Harter Memorial Handbell Choir Fun handbell memory: I loved playing during the luminarias event at Desert Botanical Gardens (in Phoenix, AZ). What a magical way to get in the spirit for the holiday season! Isabelle K. 25 years playing handbells Favorite Bell Piece: "Pirates of the Caribbean" Starting Handbell Choir: First Presbyterian Church, Boulder, CO Favorite handbell memory: Hard work and many laughs in all seven handbell ensembles I've been fortunate enough to be a part of. Kieran M. 14 years playing handbells Favorite Bell Piece: "Herzliebster Jesu" Starting Handbell Choir: First Plymouth Favorite handbell memory: Practicing next to my sister and the inevitable shenanigans we get up to :) Cynthia H. 29 years playing handbells Favorite Bell Piece: "Serenity" by Douglas Floyd Smith Starting Handbell Choir: St. Luke's UMC Favorite handbell memory: Keystone Handbell Festival and my husband accompanied and led a shopping excursion to the outlets while we were at the festival. Theresa F. 20 years playing handbells Favorite Bell Piece: "Sleighride" by Leroy Anderson, arranged by Martha Lynn Thompson Starting Handbell Choir: All Souls Catholic Church Favorite handbell memory: Opening to AGEHR handbell festivals. Christmas time is the best season for bell. Trina W. 25+ years playing handbells Favorite Bell Piece: "Carol of the Bells" of course! Favorite handbell memory: Playing all the Beatles music with Smithtonians! |
Carol Fields, DirectorCarol grew up in the small town of Mobridge, South Dakota, where she began piano lessons at the age of 8. After graduation she attended Yankton College in Yankton, South Dakota and received a Bachelor of Music degree with an emphasis in music education. After teaching elementary music for a few years in Lakewood, Colorado, she became interested in the field of computer science, which at that time was in its infancy.
With luck she landed a position which provided 'on-the-job' training, and began a new career which she continued until retirement in 2003. During this time, wanting to continue to share her love of music, she directed a church handbell ensemble in Colorado Springs for 18 years while also providing piano accompaniment for and singing in many local groups. After living in Colorado Springs for more than 40 years, she moved to Denver in 2014 to be near her children and grandchildren. Since 2018, Carol has been principal accompanist for the newly-formed Sage Singers, an elder group of LGBTQ+ singers in Denver. For the last few years she has been standing on the 'other side' of the handbell table as a handbell ringer – much different from the side of a handbell director!! And now she is very excited about returning to the role of director this fall with her newly learned ringing skills as the director of the very accomplished handbell choir, the Smithtonians! |
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Behind the Scenes:
The Board:The Smithtonian Handbell Ensemble is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with administrative oversight provided by a governing board. The board is compiled of a hardworking set of volunteers:
President: Laura Weber-Meyers Vice-President: Pat Beauchamp Secretary/Treasurer: Mike Hausman Librarian/Event Manager: Maggie Wild Hospitality Leader/Liaison: Maribeth McKenna |
Founder & Past Director(s):Don Smith, FounderThe Smithtonian Handbell Ensemble was
named for its founding director, Don Smith. The group was organized in 1983 and most of the original ringers were teachers from the Littleton area where Don was director of bands at Arapahoe High School. During his 23 years as director of the ensemble, Don built the group into one of the finest in the state, attracting some of the most capable ringers from the Denver metropolitan area (some commuting from as far away as Colorado Springs and Broomfield). Don retired at the end of the 2006 concert season, handing over the baton to Lisa Lewis, who led the group until the spring of 2019. David Burrows directed the group from 2019-2024. |
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