Who's Who in Handbells
An informational list

(TS) TEMPO SETTERS is the title given to a series of videos made to preserve AGEHR and
handbell history in the U.S.  These videos feature interviews and narratives of past presidents,
Honorary Life members, and others who have had an impact on handbells.

"*" indicates peson is deceased.

Use the Alpha button below to take you to the person you wish to find.

Community Groups are listed in ALL CAPS.

Colleges and Universities are listed in bold face type..




Lamb, Linda R. -- Lexington Park, MD --  kenlamb1944@msn.com -- Linda Lamb has been involved with handbells since 1992, as director, composer, and sometime ringer. She is the handbell director at Lexington Park Baptist Church, Lexington Park, Maryland, where she directs one adult choir and one youth quartet. She is also a founding member of the Pax River Ringers, a community group in Southern Maryland, and the founder and list owner of the Frustrated Friends of Finale (FFFinale), an internet mailing list for handbell composers and arrangers who use the Finale music program. As a composer and arranger, she has numerous handbell titles in print. She graduated from Carson-Newman College in Jefferson City, Tennessee, with a B. A. in sociology, and from Concordia University in Wisconsin with a Master of Church Music (emphasis in handbells). She and her husband Ken are the proud parents of two grown children and two grandchildren.

Lamb, Michael  -  Springfield, Illinois  -  RR1 Box 313A, Petersburg, Illinois 62675 - (217) 632-3153 -  mlamb@bellsinmotion.org.-  Founder and Director of Bells In Motion Handbell Ensemble, an advanced, auditioned community handbell choir in Springfield, Illinois.  Also music director at First Congregational Church in Springfield.  Michael is an accomplished handbell soloist and clinician and has formed 'American Bronze', an international touring handbell choir.

LAKE ALMANOR BELLS  -  Chester, CA  -  Director, Irene Burkey

Laurence, Eileen  --   Katonah NY 10536  --  AGEHR Composer, Conductor

LAWRENCE HANDBELL ENSEMBLE  -   Lawrence, KS  -  Director, Laurel Krider  -  laurelck@aol.com  -

Lawson, James R. -- 12141 Lewis Street Garden Grove CA 92840 -  1960-64 Publications Editor of OVERTONES.  James is presently carillonneur at the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, CA; and formerly carillonneur of the Riverside Church in New York City.

LEAVENWORTH MARLIN HB RINGERS  -  -

Lebanon Valley College  --  Annville, PA   --  http://www.lvc.edu/

Leckie, Joel -   200 Spruce St, Clinton, SC 29325 - (864) 938-9846  jmleckie@earthlink.net   Joel Leckie is currently a Special Education and Music Education teacher at Whitten Center in Clinton, South Carolina, Director of Worship Arts at Springdale UMC and serves as adjunct faculty at Erskine Seminary in Due West, South Carolina and Presbyterian College in Clinton, South Carolina. He has served as National Special Groups Liaison for AGEHR for four years (1994-1998), Chairman for Area IV of the AGEHR (1997-19990 and as Area Representative for Areas IV/VI to the AGEHR National Board (1999-2001).  He is an active clinician in Area IV and is an AGEHR author. He also coordinates a very successful Senior Adult Handbell Festival in Georgia each October. The Music Department at Presbyterian College offers handbell performances (The PC
Ringers) on campus and at other events. Solo ringing is offered as a private lesson. Future plans include a second handbell choir and a church music major with a concentration in handbells. Contact  www.presby.edu or at jmleckie@presby.edu

Lees-McRae College  -- Banner  Elk, NC   --  http://www.lmc.edu/

Lehmann, Richard Wm -- 1540 S. Osborne, Janesville, WI 53546 -- 608-756-5812 -- rwlehmann@sbcglobal.net -- He's been too busy as a pastor to conduct handbells for quite a while, but was a conductor at Wisconsin Lutheran College, for a number of years and developed their program. He was able to acquire, among their Malmark 5-octave set, several bells that had been rung at the rededication of the Statue of Liberty. His Master's thesis for UW-Milwaukee was a 312-page presentation of the history of handbells in America which is entitled: "A Backring -- A History of Handbells in America."

Leonard, Karen E.  --  President 1999-2002, Music Director, wcumckel@aol.com  --  Conductor, Clinician

Lewis, Blanche Marie -- Winter Park, FL -- 407-671-3747 -- blanchemarie@cfl.rr.com -- Clinician, Director, Arranger, Solo Ringer – Blanche Marie Lewis has been involved in ringing and directing handbells for nearly 20 years. She is the music director of The Magic of Bronze community handbell ensemble (since 2003), handbell director at Ascension Lutheran Church (since 2007), and ‘Chime Team’ Leader at Holy Cross Lutheran Academy (since 2008). Blanche Marie has served as handbell director in various Central Florida churches over the years. She also has served as a handbell clinician at AGEHR Area IV, Choristers Guild, UM Fellowship workshops, and other area workshops. She enjoys the challenge of doing the impossible when it comes to making music with handbells! For more information, please go to her website, www.makingjoyfulmusic.com

Emily Li, Director - Hong Kong  -- Director, Gloves Handbell Choir --  emilyky@hkbu.edu.hk -- http://www.gloveshandbell.org.hk/ --  Emily, who began ringing handbell in 1987, is the founder of Gloves Handbell, the first community choir in Hong Kong. She has led the choir successfully in many performances locally as well as in the International Handbell symposia in Birmingham and Korea. Emily finished the graduate Handbell Program at Concordia University, Mequon WI in handbell performance, composition and conducting in 2002. She also direct the Hong Kong Baptist University Handbell Choir since 1997. As a handbell educator, director and soloist, Emily frequently holds handbell workshops and seminars in Hong Kong to promote the art of handbell ringing.She frequently participates in various handbell events by AGEHR and Handbell Exploration. She is the representative of Schulmerich Handbells in Hong Kong.

Litfin, Helmuth  R. --   1536 Burrell Court, San Jose, CA  95126,  helmuth@magicbells.com.   Helmuth says he "is just another Handbell ringer" whose day-job is as a semiconductor engineer, but came up with an idea for a synthetic/electronic English Handbell for practice purposes (Herb Geisler is part of this, too).  Married to Evonne with a son Andrew, he also enjoys handbells, music and technical stuff.  Helmuth rings with The Bells' Angels of Saint Andrew's in Saratoga, CA.  For more information on The Magic Bells Project and The Bells' Angels, check out http://www.magicbells.com

Litterst, Richard (Dick)   (TS)  -  1215 Oakland Avenue Rockford IL 61107-     (815) 963-1216 bombarde32@aol.com.  1967-71 President.  Honorary Life 1974. Dick did graduate work at the School of Sacred Music at Union Theological Seminary in New York City.  While there, he was introduced to Doris Watson who was then directing the handbells at Brick Presbyterian Church in New York.  Through her, he learned of the New England Guild of English Handbell Ringers (NEGEHR) and its annual festival held at Castle Hill, near Ipswich, Ma.  He began attending their festivals in 1952.  His interest in handbells took him to England and a brief period of association with the Whitechapel bell foundry in London.  Dick was one of the signatories on the AGEHR certificate of Incorporation in 1965, and has served as Vice President and President of the Guild  (1967-71).  Following his service in the National offices, he served as the Chairman of Area VIII.  Dick developed a unique arrangement of assignments using multiple sets of bells.  He is also an advocate of the English style of ringing, Off the table, where the ringer rests the bells on the table and strikes on the upswing.  He is a renowned Conductor and Clinician of handbell techniques.

LITTLE HEISKEL RINGERS  - Columbus OH  --  Director, Lucille Bileci  -  Ann Barnes  -  Barnesa@epix.net  -

Livingston Jr.,  Hugh  1648 Ramsey Street Alcoa TN 37701

Long, Page C  403 S Jefferson St Saginaw MI 48607

* Lorenz Porter, Ellen Jane --  Dayton, Ohio  Ellen Jane, who was a major contributor to the handbell world, died Tuesday, December 31, 1996, after a brief illness. Ellen Jane is remembered for her work as a composer, author, teacher, editor, and music consultant. Honors include Doctor of Music Degrees from the University of Dayton and Lebanon Valley College, and Ohio Composer of the Year Award. After her retirement she earned a master's degree from Wittenberg University and, at the age of 71, she was awarded a doctorate degree in Sacred Music from Union Graduate School. Ellen Jane was awarded the Honorary Life Membership in AGEHR.  She is greatly missed by all of her friends at the AGEHR, especially Joan Shull who writes the following:

"Ellen Jane was a genteel lady raised in the mores of the early 20th century. But through her brilliance she was a lady of the 21st century, ahead of her time in achievements, but bound by tradition to her own era. Her curiosity was insatiable to the end, and her delightful sense of humor probably masked her ingeniousness from many casual acquaintances.    She was an adored friend from our first meeting: always positive and enthusiastic, always teaching as well as learning, and always refreshingly amusing!
Besides such merry pranks as pitting herself against her own pseudonym in composition contests and winning with both pieces, Ellen Jane did a masterful job of deception at the AGEHR Silver Anniversary Convention. Several of our leading handbell composers were asked to create compositions to be sight-read and identified by the ringers, and as I recall, only Ellen Jane eluded us all. No one could figure out who was the Beethoven in our midst!    It was she who sent me off in pursuit of bell history, witches balls, and Himalayan cow bells. Each time we corresponded-sporadically, as we were both busy procrastinators--i was amazed by her keen mind and sharp wit. Less than a year ago she wrote that The Hymn Society of America and Canada had named her a Fellow of the Society. "I've decided that as one gets really old, organizations rush to do one honor before one dies! I'll soon be 89, and I feel old at last."

Ellen Jane truly made a joyful noise throughout her presence here on earth, and she has left a gentle radiance that will be felt for a long timetocome. We miss you!

Low Ding Zone logoLOW DING ZONE -- Bay Area, California -- ldz@baybells.org -- Quite possibly the World’s First Bass Handbell Ensemble, Low Ding Zone was started as an experiment for the 2006 Area XII Conference in Belmont, CA, and became part of the Bay Bells organization in December 2006. LDZ limits its range to notes at or below middle C, thereby opening up new possibilities by restricting its musical operating space. LDZ constantly explores and stretches the musical, technical, and theatrical envelope of bass ringing to demonstrate that “impossible” often means no more than “demanding, but doable”.

Lowenberg, Kenneth  8175 Inverness Ridge Rd Potomac MD 20854

Lutrell,   Sueda  -- Sueda_L@mindspring.com    – Sueda is a resident of Marietta, Georgia, and serves as Organist/Music Associate at First Baptist Church in that city.  Her duties include coordinating a graded handbell program for 4th graders through adults.  She is a handbell soloist and arranger, has served as Georgia State Chair for AGEHR Area IV, and is a founding member of the community handbell quartet Atlanta Bronze Ensemble (Three Belles and a Beau).  Sueda chairs the Solo/Ensemble Task Force for Handbell Exploration, International, is a member of the Handbell Task Force for the Georgia Baptist Convention, and regularly serves as a clinician,
conductor, and performer for state, area, and national handbell events.

Lyons, Danny  --  www.dannylyons.net -- dannylyons@cox.net  --   Danny is a handbell soloist who performs regularly in the Gulf Coast region for concerts, church services, weddings, and social functions.  He has studied handbells with Don Allured and Christine Anderson, and has recorded two CDs of solo handbell music.

Lynchburg College  --    Lynchburg, VA  --  http://www.lynchburg.edu/

Lyon,   Sharron  --  Senior Music Design Editor, LifeWay Music Ministries, 127 Ninth Avenue, North, MSN 160, Nashville, TN 37234-0160  slyon@lifeway.com  --  Editor of  HANDBELLS quarterly magazine, which contains 32 pages of music for all octave formats. Organist.

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