Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrea Handley.
Andrea, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I trained as an organist, getting a Master’s degree in Organ Performance in 1976. I have played in churches and performed recitals in organ for 40 years now, and I love playing the organ. But in the early 1980s, when I started a new position as an organist at a church, directing a handbell choir was part of the job. So I became a handbell director before I knew anything about handbells or had ever heard one. I began attending conferences and workshops and quickly became addicted to an instrument that is unique in the musical field of instruments.
I have continued directing handbell ensembles in churches since then, developing a program in one church that evolved to six handbell ensembles in the 1990s. Then in 2010, I became the Musical Director of Chicago Bronze, a community handbell ensemble of 18 experienced and advanced handbell ringers from all over Chicagoland.
Members have been ringing handbells for anywhere from 5 to 35 years. They live in the south loop area of Chicago to Aurora to Round Lake to Kenosha to Evanston. This group has taken my love of handbells to new heights, as these experienced ringers can accomplish things with handbells that would surprise and delight most anyone who is accustomed to the typical church handbell choir.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
As can be imagined, because the handbell community as a whole is rather small compared to other pools of musicians, finding experienced ringers who can ‘keep up’ with the group can be challenging. As people come and go for various reasons, we have a sizable turnover. Some years we have a ‘bench’, which is a real luxury, but sometimes we barely have enough to cover our full 7-octave complement of handbells.
And as life happens, we have had the occasional situation of a ringer having to miss a concert for an unexpected emergency. Only a handful of people in the entire Chicagoland area could step into this ensemble and play a concert with little or no notice. When we have a ‘bench’, we have built in subs who are sitting out each piece and can step into that role fairly easily. When we don’t have a bench, we have to search far and wide to find an available sub. We’ve been known to fly a former ringer in from another state to play with us at the last minute.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Chicago Bronze – what should we know?
Handbells are a unique musical instrument, and Chicago Bronze is a unique handbell ensemble. It’s most rewarding to share this uniqueness with audiences that are unfamiliar with handbells, or at least handbell playing at this level. Seeing the amazement on faces that are hearing and seeing advanced playing for the first time is a lot of fun.
Chicago Bronze members are experienced handbell musicians; most have been playing for 10-30 years. While a handbell can be rung without much training or musical background, playing at an advanced level takes years to learn. Most people who may have heard a typical handbell choir in a church setting have only seen a fraction of what can be done with handbells. And as handbell musicians become more adept, the published music becomes more complex and challenging, and the results can be pretty incredible to watch and hear.
Each member in a handbell ensemble is responsible for 4-8 handbells only, and each handbell plays a specific pitch. So imagine 16 people sitting at 16 pianos, each one only responsible for 4-8 specific pitches within a given piece of music. You can imagine that the more complex the music becomes, the more challenging it would be to come in exactly on time, especially in faster passages, not to mention playing with musical expression. Not only is it challenging in a unique way to play well, but the interdependence on each other is far greater than with any other musical instrument or ensemble.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
There are many in the handbell arena who have inspired me throughout the years. Martha Lynn Thompson and Arnold Sherman are probably top of the list. Martha Lynn directed a large handbell program in Arkansas for many years and was an inspiration to me when I was developing my large handbell program in a church in the 1980’s-90’s.
Arnold directed a community ensemble in east Texas for many years and is also a publisher of handbell music. He published my first handbell arrangement in the 1990s and was very helpful in my development as a composer and director.
Contact Info:
- Website: chicagobronze.com
- Phone: 847.863.3823
- Email: info@chicagobronze.com
Getting in touch: VoyageChicago is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
