Southern Colorado Handbell Alliance 40th Anniversary Festival and Concert

The Southern Colorado Handbell Alliance is excited to announce the 40th Anniversary Southern Colorado Handbell Festival on February 18, 2023, in the gymnasium at Colorado Springs Christian Schools (4845 Mallow Road, Colorado Springs).

The community is invited to join the celebration as the festival culminates in a FREE public concert at 5:30 p.m. in the gymnasium. The 2023 Festival will be under the baton of Kevin McChesney, world-renowned composer and arranger of a variety of types of music, including handbell music. Kevin makes his home in Colorado Springs and is one of the few handbell composers in the world to make his living composing and arranging handbell music.

Over 200 handbell ringers, representing 24 handbell ensembles from across the state, will begin rehearsing at 8:00 a.m. Saturday morning to prepare for their exciting closing concert. In recognition of 40 years of encouraging the art of English handbell ringing in Colorado, the ringers will premiere three specially commissioned musical works from local composers, including “Armed Forces Medley” by Kevin McChesney, “Wexford Carol” by Dillon Ekle, and “As One” by Matthew Compton. Each of these composers began their handbell ringing and composition careers in Colorado Springs.