Handbell Concordia University Wisconsin's Alleluia Ringers handbell choir will soon embark on its 30th annual tour.
The group, which has traveled oversees and all over the country in past years, is keeping their talents close-to-home this year with all performance stops in nearby or neighboring states, including Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Illinois.
The group is comprised of just over a dozen students, chosen by audition each fall. Past groups’ accolades include several performances with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and two performances at national events of Handbell Musicians of America.
For this year’s tour, the group will perform 70- to 90-minute concerts, which will feature music including J.S. Bach’s “Air in D,” classic spirituals and jazz pieces, movie soundtracks, and an original composition written by two of the choir’s own ringers.
Alleluia Ringers is led by Interim Director Jana Larson, who is also the handbell director at Fox Point Lutheran Church in Fox Point, Wisconsin. She earned her Master of Church Music degree with a handbell emphasis from CUW, and has studied under notable directors Jill Mahr, instructor in music at St. Olaf College, and Concordia’s own longtime director, whom she succeeds, Dr. John Behnke.
Stops on the annual Alleluia Ringers tour will include:
- May 15 at 7 p.m. – Emanuel Lutheran Church, 800 Green St., New Haven, Indiana
- May 16 at 7:30 p.m. – Immanuel Lutheran Church, 1285 Main St., Hamilton, Ohio
- May 17 at 7 p.m. – Our Savior Lutheran Church, 8305 Nottingham Parkway, Louisville, Kentucky
- May 18 at 7:30 p.m. – Emmanuel Lutheran Church, 1003 Hickory Hill Lane, Hermitage, Tennessee
- May 20 at 7:30 p.m. – Trinity Lutheran Church, 6850 W. 159th St., Tinley Park, Illinois
- May 21 at 6:00 p.m. – Immanuel Lutheran Church, 1045 Belvidere Drive, Belvidere, Illinois
— This story is written by Kali Thiel, director of university communications for Concordia University Wisconsin and Ann Arbor. She may be reached at kali.thiel@cuw.edu or 262-243-2149.
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