Handbells & Orchestra

June 2012

Music Rehearsals

Mondays:

  • Small ensembles – 6pm – 7:15pm
  • Jubilate Bronze – 7:15pm – 8:45pm


Tuesdays:

  • New Life Handbells – 6:15pm – 7pm
  • Orchestra – 7pm - 8pm


Saturdays (2 Saturdays before the 2nd Sunday of the month)

  • Orchestra – 9am
  • Handbells – 10am (if needed)

CUMC is always on the lookout for persons wanting to become involved in handbells (“Heavy Metal”) and the orchestra.  Generally, all groups participate in the services on the second Sunday of the month, in addition to Christmas Eve, Good Friday, Easter services, and seasonal cantatas. 

Jubilate Bronze Handbells have their small ensemble workouts on Mondays at 6:00 pm, followed by their ever popular full handbell rehearsal for experienced ringers beginning at 7:15pm in the Church Sanctuary.  These rehearsals run from August through the first half of June.  During the summer, they rehearse every other week in preparing the music for the Annual Spring Handbell Festival in Ocean City or southern Virginia. 

The Jubilate Bronze Handbells have 5 octaves of Schulmerich Handbells, 3 octaves of Malmark handchimes, the 4th and 5th octave of Schulmerich Melody Chimes, and will be obtaining the lower 6th and 7th Malmark chimes in the future.  We are fortunate right now to have enough large vehicles amongst the group to haul all this equipment for us when we travel to Assisted/ Independent Living residences in Annapolis, Crofton, Gambrills, Severna Park, etc.  We also become subs for other handbell groups for rehearsals and church services around the area, when needed.

The New Life Handbells is a novice group for those that have never touch a handbell or can’t read music or persons that wish to participate in the music program but have  minimum musical experience.  Handbell soloists, duets and trios have developed from this group.  The New Life Handbells rehearse on Tuesday evenings, September through the 2nd week in June, at 6:15pm.


Now is the time to start thinking about dragging those musical instruments out of the closet and tuning them up for the orchestra.  The CUMC Orchestra rehearses on Tuesday evenings at 7:00pm in the Sanctuary following the New Life Handbells rehearsal and the 2 Saturdays prior to the second Sunday of the month at 9am. 

So, if you would like to learn all about those buckets and thimbles that get waved around in the air, or you would like to break in your instrument after its long closet stay, or you have been playing an instrument in school for at least one semester, come on out to the rehearsals on Monday and Tuesday evenings and have some fun.   Apprenticeship and Journeymen applications are always being accepted.