Ringers
Genevieve Hanson: I love handbells! Been ringing since high school! ^_^
Nick Hanson: Nick received a BA degree from Concordia University, Irvine, CA, as a major in music with concentration in handbells. He is in his twelfth year at the Potomac School in McLean, Virginia, teaching instrumental music to 5th – 12th grade students in four handbell ensembles, and teaching private handbell lessons. He is also in his tenth year as the handbell director at Bush Hill Presbyterian Church in Alexandria.
Steven Holton
Kylie Johnson: Kylie grew up playing the piano, and picked up trombone, percussion, handbells, organ, and vocal studies as she matured. She holds a Bachelor's Degree from Concordia University - Portland in both piano performance and finance, and a Master's Degree in music from Portland State University. She serves several churches in NOVA, working with their music programs. In her spare time she loves to bake, do puzzles, and cuddle with her cat, Critter, while watching true-life crime documentaries.
Trevor Lee: Trevor started ringing in 1980 at his childhood church in West Fargo, North Dakota, and started solo ringing in 1986. Since 2001, he was a member of the Olivet Lutheran Church (Fargo, ND) bell choir and rang with the community group BELLissimo (Fargo, ND). In addition to ringing, Trevor has been a member of the Area 7 board (Registrar) since 2005. In 2018, Trevor and his wife, Sandi, moved to Virginia from Moorhead, MN, When he is not ringing, Trevor spends his time as Director of Client Services at a software company in Centreville, VA. Trevor and Sandi enjoy reading, gardening, cooking, and spending time at the lake.
Mike Mandigo: (Secretary) Mike has been ringing for nearly 25 years. He has directed groups for children and youth at Ox Hill Baptist Church. He is a retired technology instructional coach for Fairfax County Public Schools. In his spare time he builds wood decorative boxes.
Laurel Ohlson: Laurel has been the Associate Principal Horn in the National Symphony Orchestra since 1980, and was the first woman to become a member of the NSO brass section since the orchestra's founding in 1931. With an insatiable appetite for music, she played piano, flute and cello in her youth, loves to sing, and has been ringing with the handbell choirs at Fairfax United Methodist Church and the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Fairfax. Laurel lives with her husband Truman Harris, a composer, arranger and retired NSO bassoonist, and is proud of her daughter Alice, an associate senior lecturer in particle physics at Lund University in Sweden.
Ashley Morgan Wilhelm: (Treasurer) Ashley began ringing handbells in the 4th grade in a choir composed mostly of grey-haired church ladies. She later had the fortune to ring with Bucknell University's Rooke Chapel Ringers and Boston's Back Bay Ringers. Ashley is a family doctor in DC and she just started taking flamenco dance classes.
Alan Payne: (President) Alan is a northern Virginia native with a general affection for music of all types. He starting ringing handbells with Fairfax United Methodist Church (FUMC) in 2011 when helping as the Director’s assistant for the Youth Handbell Choir. Soon thereafter he joined the Adult Handbell choir at FUMC and has been ringing with them ever since. Alan is happy to change ringing positions depending on the needs of the choir and ofter will play percussion when added to a piece.
Gillian Penn: (Board Ringer Member) Gillian is a native Washingtonian and has been ringing handbells for over 25 years. While she has a BA in Anthropology from Mary Washington College, she spends her days running her husband's lawn care business in Fairfax, VA. She and her husband James have two daughters, three cats and four diesel trucks.
Rhonda Piccolo: Rhonda started in her first bell choir after being inspired by a group of high school ringers at her church. By 19, she was directing the youth and adult bell choirs at her church. Through a variety of phases of life and careers, ringing handbells has been a constant, bringing her number of years ringing to a grand total of 43. Having a husband in the Air Force gave her the opportunity to ring in six states, ringing and/or directing twelve different handbell choirs. She is a new ringer to VA Bronze, and is excited to be part of this community of exceptional ringers.
Alice Real: Alice has been ringing handbells for 22 years and is in her 10th season with Virginia Bronze. A Northern Virginia native, Alice teaches PK-6 general music and chorus at Crestwood Elementary in Springfield, Virginia where she also founded and directs a before-school handchime ensemble. In addition, Alice serves as handbell director at St. Mark's Lutheran Church in Springfield. In her spare time she enjoys hiking, yoga, photography, playing piano and recorder, and cooking vegetables from her local crop share.
Courtney Rookard: Courtney has been ringing bells for more than 15 years. Her former community ensembles include the Marlin Handbell Ringers from Leavenworth, Washington, and most recently the Circle City Ringers in Indianapolis, Indiana. Originally from Washington state, she and her spouse Landyn spent 6 years in Indiana before pursuing careers in the DC area. They enjoy running, sports, and cuddling their three cats in their spare time.
Judy Sondheimer: Judy, age 74, is the oldest ringer in Virginia Bronze. She was Chief of Pediatric Gastroenterology at the Children’s Hospital of Denver and was Chief of Pediatric Gastroenterology at Georgetown University until her retirement in 2014. She is a docent at the US National Arboretum and at the US Botanic Garden and a volunteer retailer at the Christ Child Opportunity Shop in Washington DC. She and her husband Henry (a major groupie of VAB) have 2 grown children and 4 grandchildren.
Fran Underwood: (General Manager) Fran has been ringing bells for over 25 years. She holds a master’s degree of Music/Church Music from Shenandoah University, teaches handbells at Wakefield School in The Plains, VA and is Associate Director of Worship Arts at Clarendon United Methodist Church in Arlington, VA.
Laura Wrubel: (Vice President) Laura has been playing handbells since high school and has spent many years ringing with Virginia Bronze. When she's not busy with handbells, she's a librarian and software developer at a university library.
Nick Hanson: Nick received a BA degree from Concordia University, Irvine, CA, as a major in music with concentration in handbells. He is in his twelfth year at the Potomac School in McLean, Virginia, teaching instrumental music to 5th – 12th grade students in four handbell ensembles, and teaching private handbell lessons. He is also in his tenth year as the handbell director at Bush Hill Presbyterian Church in Alexandria.
Steven Holton
Kylie Johnson: Kylie grew up playing the piano, and picked up trombone, percussion, handbells, organ, and vocal studies as she matured. She holds a Bachelor's Degree from Concordia University - Portland in both piano performance and finance, and a Master's Degree in music from Portland State University. She serves several churches in NOVA, working with their music programs. In her spare time she loves to bake, do puzzles, and cuddle with her cat, Critter, while watching true-life crime documentaries.
Trevor Lee: Trevor started ringing in 1980 at his childhood church in West Fargo, North Dakota, and started solo ringing in 1986. Since 2001, he was a member of the Olivet Lutheran Church (Fargo, ND) bell choir and rang with the community group BELLissimo (Fargo, ND). In addition to ringing, Trevor has been a member of the Area 7 board (Registrar) since 2005. In 2018, Trevor and his wife, Sandi, moved to Virginia from Moorhead, MN, When he is not ringing, Trevor spends his time as Director of Client Services at a software company in Centreville, VA. Trevor and Sandi enjoy reading, gardening, cooking, and spending time at the lake.
Mike Mandigo: (Secretary) Mike has been ringing for nearly 25 years. He has directed groups for children and youth at Ox Hill Baptist Church. He is a retired technology instructional coach for Fairfax County Public Schools. In his spare time he builds wood decorative boxes.
Laurel Ohlson: Laurel has been the Associate Principal Horn in the National Symphony Orchestra since 1980, and was the first woman to become a member of the NSO brass section since the orchestra's founding in 1931. With an insatiable appetite for music, she played piano, flute and cello in her youth, loves to sing, and has been ringing with the handbell choirs at Fairfax United Methodist Church and the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Fairfax. Laurel lives with her husband Truman Harris, a composer, arranger and retired NSO bassoonist, and is proud of her daughter Alice, an associate senior lecturer in particle physics at Lund University in Sweden.
Ashley Morgan Wilhelm: (Treasurer) Ashley began ringing handbells in the 4th grade in a choir composed mostly of grey-haired church ladies. She later had the fortune to ring with Bucknell University's Rooke Chapel Ringers and Boston's Back Bay Ringers. Ashley is a family doctor in DC and she just started taking flamenco dance classes.
Alan Payne: (President) Alan is a northern Virginia native with a general affection for music of all types. He starting ringing handbells with Fairfax United Methodist Church (FUMC) in 2011 when helping as the Director’s assistant for the Youth Handbell Choir. Soon thereafter he joined the Adult Handbell choir at FUMC and has been ringing with them ever since. Alan is happy to change ringing positions depending on the needs of the choir and ofter will play percussion when added to a piece.
Gillian Penn: (Board Ringer Member) Gillian is a native Washingtonian and has been ringing handbells for over 25 years. While she has a BA in Anthropology from Mary Washington College, she spends her days running her husband's lawn care business in Fairfax, VA. She and her husband James have two daughters, three cats and four diesel trucks.
Rhonda Piccolo: Rhonda started in her first bell choir after being inspired by a group of high school ringers at her church. By 19, she was directing the youth and adult bell choirs at her church. Through a variety of phases of life and careers, ringing handbells has been a constant, bringing her number of years ringing to a grand total of 43. Having a husband in the Air Force gave her the opportunity to ring in six states, ringing and/or directing twelve different handbell choirs. She is a new ringer to VA Bronze, and is excited to be part of this community of exceptional ringers.
Alice Real: Alice has been ringing handbells for 22 years and is in her 10th season with Virginia Bronze. A Northern Virginia native, Alice teaches PK-6 general music and chorus at Crestwood Elementary in Springfield, Virginia where she also founded and directs a before-school handchime ensemble. In addition, Alice serves as handbell director at St. Mark's Lutheran Church in Springfield. In her spare time she enjoys hiking, yoga, photography, playing piano and recorder, and cooking vegetables from her local crop share.
Courtney Rookard: Courtney has been ringing bells for more than 15 years. Her former community ensembles include the Marlin Handbell Ringers from Leavenworth, Washington, and most recently the Circle City Ringers in Indianapolis, Indiana. Originally from Washington state, she and her spouse Landyn spent 6 years in Indiana before pursuing careers in the DC area. They enjoy running, sports, and cuddling their three cats in their spare time.
Judy Sondheimer: Judy, age 74, is the oldest ringer in Virginia Bronze. She was Chief of Pediatric Gastroenterology at the Children’s Hospital of Denver and was Chief of Pediatric Gastroenterology at Georgetown University until her retirement in 2014. She is a docent at the US National Arboretum and at the US Botanic Garden and a volunteer retailer at the Christ Child Opportunity Shop in Washington DC. She and her husband Henry (a major groupie of VAB) have 2 grown children and 4 grandchildren.
Fran Underwood: (General Manager) Fran has been ringing bells for over 25 years. She holds a master’s degree of Music/Church Music from Shenandoah University, teaches handbells at Wakefield School in The Plains, VA and is Associate Director of Worship Arts at Clarendon United Methodist Church in Arlington, VA.
Laura Wrubel: (Vice President) Laura has been playing handbells since high school and has spent many years ringing with Virginia Bronze. When she's not busy with handbells, she's a librarian and software developer at a university library.