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Iowa Lakes Handbell Ensemble To Perform

April 17, 2025 Steve Schwaller

(Spirit Lake)– The Iowa Lakes Handbell Ensemble will ring in spring with a concert on Sunday April 27th at the First Presbyterian Church in Spirit Lake.  Carol Ayres, the director of the handbell group, talks about why they chose this location…

“We host this at the Spirit Lake Presbyterian Church because that church is perfectly shaped to put my handbell choir in the chancel. And then we have the the Presbyterian handbells on the floor and we have the other groups the youth behind that and my community bells way up high and so its so cool to have four handbell choirs playing at one time. You won’t find that anywhere else.” 

Ayres discusses what you can expect from this year’s concert…

“We’ve all practiced separately and since I’m the director of most of the groups I rehearse with them so that I know how I’m going to do it so then when we put them all together on Sunday afternoon ahead of the concert we only get to try it once or twice and then we go for it but it always ends up being so exciting.”

This year’s concert will feature the youth and adult handbell ensembles from First Presbyterian, also the ensemble from Lakes Area Community and the ensemble from Iowa Lakes Community College. You will hear selections by each ensemble, several pieces for two groups along with a special collaborative piece that brings all four groups together in a grand finale performance. The Iowa Lakes Handbell Ensemble concert is on Sunday April 27th at 4pm. Admission is free but donations will be graciously accepted. Donations support the ongoing maintenance and the purchase of handbells and hand chimes. 

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