The Chapel Ringers

The Chapel Ringers

Judy conducting the Calvin and Chapel Ringers in "The Star Spangled Banner"

The Chapel Ringers

The Calvin and Chapel Handbell Ringers from First Presbyterian Church at Red Bank, New Jersey, are the two touring bell choirs of the church. In the summer of 1990, they played concerts in Switzerland and Austria as part of a two-week long concert tour in conjunction with the Tower Hill Touring Choir. A highlight of the tour was a concert before the United Nations General Assembly in Vienna as well as a presentation in Zermatt in celebration of the 125th anniversary of the Matterhorn ascent where they were introduced by the President of Switzerland. They participated in 1988 in a festival sponsored by the International Symposium of Handbell Ringers at the University of Exeter in Devon, England, with nearly 700 other ringers from Japan, Canada, Korea, Australia, Great Britain, Scotland and the Netherlands. In the summer of 1995, they again joined forces with the Tower Hill Touring Choir for a 10-day trip in California and the Pacific Northwest. In the summer of 1996, they attended the International Symposium in Albuquerque, NM, and in 1997, the American Guild of English Handbell Ringers national festival in Sacramento, CA, and toured the San Francisco area. The summer of 1998 took them to Great Britain including concerts at St. Alban's, Oxford; St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle; St. Paul's Cathedral, London; Salisbury Cathedral and Llandaff Cathedral in Cardiff, Wales. In 1999, they attended the Western National Festival in Yakima, Washington and presented concerts in the Pacific Northwest. The summer of 2000's tour took them to the Southeastern United States, where they played at Epcot Center in Walt Disney World. This past summer, they toured Switzerland, playing concerts in Basel, Neuchatel, Geneva, Zermatt, and Lausanne. The summer of 2002 will find the groups touring Colorado and Wyoming, with an appearance at the chapel of the United States Air Force Academy.

The Calvin and Chapel Ringers of this church have established a national reputation and perform in concert throughout the year. They have presented Christmas concerts at the White House in 1986, 1989, 1991, 1992, and 1993. Other tours have taken them to the Northeast, the Southeast, Florida, Canada and California, where they rang at the Crystal Cathedral. On New Year's Eve of 1991 they presented a concert at the South Street Seaport and appeared on the CNN broadcast from the Seaport.

The twenty ringers, all high school students, perform on two sets of English handbells, a total of 125 tuned, bronze bells. On this past summer's tour, they played on one and one half set of bells. Their programs include original compositions for handbells as well as arrangements of classical, popular music, and hymns and are enjoyable for all age groups.

Judith Werner, Associate Director of Music, is the director of the Ringers. The group is one of six handbell choirs in the church's music program, which also includes seven choral groups. Charles Harris is the Director of Music Ministries at the church.

Program includes selections from the following: