Lighting Up The Night

When Barbara Brocker and her husband, Frank, moved to Sunriver in the mid-1990s, their former church, Christ Lutheran Church in Tacoma, presented her with an octave set of bells to spread the inspiration of bell ringing to her new community.

“When I came to Sunriver and played some hymn descants in our church services, people started coming up to me to tell me they wanted to play handbells,” said Brocker. “That gift started The Bells of Sunriver.”

The Bells are an ecumenical group of handbell ringers formed from Sunriver Christian Fellowship’s (SCF) music ministry. Founded by Brocker in 1996, the bell choir’s mission is based in the belief that music is a gift from God to be shared with others.

Upon hearing the beautiful, soothing pitch-perfect tones of the bell choir, the traditional image of angels playing harps could easily be replaced with a picture of angels ringing handbells. The angelic sound of handbells rung with graceful movements and precise timing quickly drew new members to The Bells.

“As we grew and needed more bells, individuals from SCF, other churches and the Sunriver community contributed to purchasing more bells,” said Brocker.

Now the 16-member bell choir has 136 bells and 38 handchimes.

Whereas some of the members play one or two handbells at a time, Brocker often performs with many bells arranged in vertical rows hanging on a stand, an arrangement known as a bell tree. A world-renowned bell tree ringer, Brocker plays solo or duets with an accompanying pianist, tapping the collection of bells with soft mallets, often two in each hand. She is quick, however, to credit the collective choir for the inspirational sound they create together.

“The choir acts as one instrument, with each musician responsible for particular notes,” explained Brocker.

Shelley Giaier, director of The Sunriver Bells, has been ringing and directing bell choirs for more than 30 years in Michigan, Iowa, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Oregon. She and her husband moved to Sunriver in 2014, at which time she applied for the director position and was hired.

“I am thrilled and excited to be part of a group that shares my passion for handbells,” said Giaier.

In addition to playing at SCF worship services, the choir is active in the greater Central Oregon community. Together they perform at retirement homes, senior centers, libraries, schools, private functions, community events, and even as an occasional “flash mob” in the Village at Sunriver.

“Taking this beautiful art form beyond Sunriver Christian Fellowship and into the community is a joy that is shared by all of the ringers, but SCF will always be home,” noted Giaier.

Various members of The Bells have traveled outside the region, playing at handbell conferences, churches and workshops. In addition to playing traditional church hymns, the bell choir and ensemble have performed Broadway tunes, popular songs and even Irish music.

An ensemble, coordinated by choir member Jan Tuckerman, performed a holiday show with the Central Oregon Mastersingers at the Tower Theatre in 2012.

“It’s quite a logistical operation when the entire group plays at church and even more so when we play a concert at a different location,” said Tuckerman. When the full choir performs, she explained, 10 tables plus covers, music stands, racks, mallets, bell trees, percussion instruments, chimes and bells are involved in the setup. “Yet we are still able to be portable,” she added.

Listening to the tonal qualities of handbells during a performance is magical enough, but watching a choir or ensemble is like watching synchronized swimming as the bell ringers move along the bell table, lifting, playing and replacing each bell back into position.

Each movement is choreographed, gracefully connecting the notes and movement of the ringers. Listening to the bells is a thing of beauty, but watching their movements adds to the depth of a performance.

Whether in church or at remote performances, the bells are usually arranged chromatically on a foam-covered table which protects the bells’ coating and keeps them from rolling around. Seeing ringers weave their way up and down the table, ringing and placing bells which weigh from 7 ounces up to 18 pounds, is a truly remarkable sight.

“I was recruited to help with the large bells,” said Harry Hamilton, one of two men in The Bells choir. He started playing with the group eight years ago after seeing several bell choirs play.

“I’m a very curious person and after a performance at SCF, I asked Barbara Brocker how the bells worked and that was my fatal mistake,” Hamilton said in jest. He enjoys playing, he said, but noted that he found the deep base notes a challenge at first.

“Physics rears its wonderful head and due to the heavy bell and substantial clapper there is a time delay when moving the bell, so you have to anticipate the beat and stay up with the group,” said Hamilton. He added that a 10 pound bell also needs to be rung with either hand, but some ringers use two hands to create more force and produce a louder sound.

Another member, Katie Hall, had heard The Bells in the Great Hall at the Sunriver Resort during a visit to the area some 10 years before moving to Suniver in 2015.

“The first phone call I made was to the Bells,” said Hall, reflecting on her move.

Drawing on her piano-playing experience, Hall tapped into her music background and began practicing with the Bells. At home, she used wine glasses to hone her technique.

“The group was incredibly tolerant and happy to teach me,” said Hall, who even had her ophthalmologist make eye glasses specifically for bell ringing.

“Being able to read music is a huge plus,” noted choir member Jane Vakoc. “But not a necessity to start with.” Vakoc was a bell ringer in Tigard’s Calvin Presbyterian Church and when she moved to Sunriver in 2002 she was delighted to find The Bells. “I love making music and this is my favorite thing to do in Sunriver.”

The Bells of Sunriver invite interested new ringers to observe their Monday practices from 2-4 p.m. at the Sunriver Holy Trinity Church or participate in a Learn to Ring workshop.

“All are welcome. Church membership is not a requirement,” said Brocker..

For more information contact The Bells at 541-593-1635.

You can hear The Bells at upcoming events, where together they will bring their festive sound to the Rockin’ Holiday event in The Village at Sunriver on November 26 and will also play at the Sunriver Library on Saturday, December 10 at 2 p.m. for the Know Jingles – Carols with The Bells event.