Members

Kristin Banek
Kristin has been ringing handbells for the past 19 years (not too bad for a 26 year old!) for numerous churches and community ensembles in the Tidewater, Williamsburg, and Richmond areas. She is also an accomplished solo ringer, performing for Colonial Williamsburg's Christmas Eve Candelight Celebrations during her years as a student at The College of William and Mary. Kristin recently received her Doctor of Pharmacy degree.

Kathy Hallock
Kathy has been ringing handbells for 15 years for churches in Springfield, VA and Harrisonburg, VA. Currently, she plays in the handbell choir and directs the Chapel Chimers, a children's handchime choir at Messiah UMC. In addition to handbells, she also plays the French Horn. Kathy just graduated from Marymount University with her Master's in Education and is a Special Education teacher in Fairfax County. In her spare time, she likes to play softball, read, and bike.

Susan Hayes

Genevieve Hanson

Nick Hanson
Nick currently teaches handbell classes and lessons for 5th - 12th graders at The Potomac School in McLean, VA. He holds a BA from Concordia University, Irvine, CA, with a major in music emphasizing in handbells, and is currently working towards his Masters in Church Music at Concordia University, Wisconsin, again emphasizing in handbells. He has rung in church, community, and professional ensembles; directed for churches, schools, and on the collegiate level; and is a published author in the bi-monthly handbell magazine 'Overtones'. Nick has been an instructor at many handbell events and festivals, including: AGEHR Director's Seminars, the International Handbell Symposium, AGEHR Area III events, Music ‘N Arts Exploration, and Concordia University Irvine’s Summer Ring, The Greater Washington Suzuki Piano Institute, and workshops in Taiwan and Hong Kong.

Steven Holton
Steve is originally from Norcross, Georgia. He joined his church handbell choir when he was in middle school and around the same time started playing percussion in the middle school band. He received a BS in Electrical Engineering from Georgia Tech (Go Jackets!) where he played percussion in the marching band, percussion ensemble, and other performing groups. He moved to the Alexandria area in 2004 when he took a job as a Patent Examiner at the USPTO. He’s currently serving as a deacon at Westminster Presbyterian in Alexandria and plays in the handbell choirs there. When he’s not playing handbells he enjoys traveling to far-away places, ultimate frisbee, and soccer.

David Lemmons
David has been ringing handbells for 5 years, starting at Ft. Myer in Arlington and now with VA Bronze! He comes from a family of professional musicians, and, in addition to handbells, plays the piano. When he's not ringing, he is a student at George Mason, majoring in Political Science. When he's not going in five different directions at once, he enjoys reading, watching far too much TV, and going to the movies.

David Murphy

Gillian Penn

Betsy Preston
Betsy has been playing handbells for most of the past 25 years, starting as a child in Tennessee, and later as an adult in South Carolina and now Virginia. Although her childhood musical pursuits included youth choirs and viola studies, she now concentrates primarily on playing handbells, piano...and the stereo! When not playing music, Betsy enjoys kayaking, bicycling, reading, cooking and traveling. She works for the US Department of Justice.

Adam Shuler
Adam is a transplant from the dry, desert climate of Arizona. Though he has played a lot of instruments through the years, handbells is the only one that has stuck with him. He has enjoyed ringing for 15 years, mostly in churches and colleges. Adam is a graduate of Northern Arizona University and now works as a journalist for a trade magazine. In his spare time, he enjoys creative writing, films, and hiking.

Judy SondheimerJudy is a retired physician and has played with several handbell ensembles in the Washington, DC area and elsewhere.

Fran Underwood
Fran began ringing in 1988 when her sister invited her to attend an AGEHR Area III adult festival. She is the Associate Director of Music Ministries at Messiah United Methodist Church in Springfield, Virginia where she oversees the children’s music program, consisting of 5 ensembles: 3 vocal and 2 ringing; as well as directing youth and beginning adult handbell ensembles. Fran is a member of the Area III Board, as well as, several other professional music associations. She holds a BS in Elementary Education and a MoM in Church Music from Shenandoah University.

Fran lives in Burke, Virginia, with her husband and two children, both of whom ring and sing. Her hobbies include solo & ensemble ringing, playing SIMs and reading.

Frances Vaughan
Frances (Fran) has been ringing and directing handbells for 16 years. She was the Youth Handbell Director at Lewinsville Presbyterian Church in McLean from 1995-2006. Currently, she is the Handbell Director at Browne Academy in Alexandria. Fran has rung in local church handbell choirs and has attended Distinctly Bronze for four years. She is a Past Chair of Area III of the American Guild of English Handbell Ringers and has served on several committees of the national organization. In addition to her involvement with handbells, Fran teaches 35 students in her home piano studio in Alexandria.

Laura Wrubel
Laura started ringing handbells in high school has belonged to ensembles in Fairfax, Williamsburg, and DC. When she's not ringing, Laura is a systems librarian at a university library.