Embellish members having fun in small groups during our fall photo shoot. /JRP Studio
Most Americans will be spending time over the Thanksgiving weekend with family and friends, celebrating connections, and expressing gratitude for the many blessings in their lives. For one Grand Rapids group, the fun of this family-filled weekend also includes a day-long bus trip to Chicago on Black Friday, doing what they love to do most: playing handbells.
If you're not familiar with this local musical organization, it's time to get acquainted! Embellish was founded as a non-profit organization in the fall of 1995 to be a professional level group that provides a high quality musical experience for diverse audiences through performance and teaching the art of handbell ringing.
To celebrate their 20th anniversary last season, Embellish focused even more on the educational part of their mission, and developed a "Ringing Out" series aimed at providing local handbell groups with unique educational opportunities.
In addition to their regular concert schedule, Embellish also continues to host events like their biennial Winter Warm-up (a day of educational workshops for handbell ringers), conducting workshops for directors, and has participated in various Handbell Musicians of America (HMA) Area events, including opening concerts on Mackinac Island, in Orono, Maine, and Davenport, Iowa. They also toured to France in the summer of 2006.
If you've never seen an Embellish concert, you may be surprised at the versatility of the players, the variety of music, and sheer physical nature of their performance. Their presence is professional, yet they often include unexpected choreography, funny commentary, and visual props. The members have been known to fondly refer to their group as "Not Your Grandmother's Handbell Choir" and many are self-proclaimed "bell nerds."
The members also often speak to how Embellish is an extended family. Many of the ringers -- who are required to audition every year -- have been with the group for more than a decade. In addition to the collective goal of maintaining an excellent performance standard, the members have bonded over life experiences such as marriage, the birth of several children, and the loss of loved ones. For a handful of ringers, Embellish includes actual family members; two ringers are married to each other, and another two are sisters.
When asked how the group maintains such a tight-knit feel, Embellish Board President, Linda Coppard, said, "One of the great things about our group is the diversity of interests and abilities our members bring to the table. If you look at just careers alone, we have a veterinarian, a nurse, a massage therapist, engineers, stay-at-home moms, and more. We all have a common musical goal in mind, and plan time for bonding as well as rehearsal each week. It's amazing what we can accomplish together because we care about everyone in the group. We truly are an extended family."
If you're in downtown Chicago on Friday, November 27, you can catch Embellish at the Fourth Presbyterian Church for the Noontime Concert Series, beginning at 12:10 p.m. (CST). They performed for this series last December, and were immediately invited back for this year's concert, which will include a selection of holiday music.
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