Welcome!

Upcoming Concerts: "From Sea to Skye"

Bells of the Cascades is pleased to offer FOUR concert dates for Spring, 2023! We have the theme but have not yet finalized the venues. So be sure you are signed up to our mailing list and stay tuned for all the details! In the meantime, we’ll be hard at work on the new repertoire, preparing for these dates:

  • Saturday, May 20, 2023 at 7:00 pm
  • Sunday, May 21, 2023 at 4:00 pm
  • Saturday, June 3, 2023 at 7:00 pm
  • Sunday, June 4, 2023 at 4:00 pm

See all upcoming events here. NOTE: All locations are listed in Oregon (for now), our home state, but we will present concerts in both OR and WA.


Help us swing a bass bell

Donate to help us expand our bass

Our last concert season wouldn’t have been the same without our low bass bells.

Now let me hasten to add that we appreciate all notes, played by all ringers — I’m not trying to start a fight between sections!

One of our strengths as an ensemble is our six and a half octaves of bells, going down to the G2. (With chimes going down to C2.)

Complicating matters, composers insist on writing music in different keys, so while “G” is the lowest note we have, it’s not always the lowest note in a chord. What would Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto, Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, or Dvořák’s American Quartet be without a low F? Not much, that’s what.

Donate to help us expand our bass bells

This past concert season we had a number of pieces requiring that F2, like My Neighbor Totoro and Don’t Stop Me Now. If you haven’t already seen it, watch our concert on Facebook! (You can watch the video without a Facebook account.)

Continue reading…


Get involved in Bells of the Cascades!

Bells of the Cascades

Passionate about innovative, advanced handbell ringing in the Portland area? We want your help!
 

Audition!

Calling all Bronze-level ringers! What do you do on Tuesday evenings? We are always looking for experienced and versatile ringers who would consider joining Bells of the Cascades.

Interested? Fill out our audition application form. If you have any questions, you can write to membership@bellsofthecascades.org.
 

Join the board of directors

We’re always looking for new folks to help guide our 501(c)(3) nonprofit, whether you’re a director of a church or community ensemble, a ringer yourself, or simply a supporter of the musical arts.

While fundraising and budgeting is a big part of the board’s role, we’re also looking for people with experience in event organizing, communications, grantwriting, and strategic planning. No prior board experience necessary. Members of our board are not paid in money but in camaraderie, love for one another, and satisfaction in advancing the art of handbell music.

Interested? Send an email to president@bellsofthecascades.org and we’ll be in touch!
 

Volunteer as a substitute ringer

As we know you understand, a handbell ensemble is one instrument played by several people, and when one person has to miss a rehearsal the instrument simply isn’t complete!

We’re looking for ringers who have some experience playing intermediate or advanced-level handbell music and are willing to be on call (with advance notice) to step in when we need a substitute ringer for Tuesday evening rehearsals. This is also a great way to get to know the ensemble if you’d like to explore the possibility of auditioning in the future.

If you’d like to volunteer, please email director@bellsofthecascades.org and we’ll put you on the list!

 

Voyages: In Search of Peace

Bells of the Cascades was invited to perform at the 2021 national convention of the Handbell Musicians of America in Phoenix, Arizona, along with Cathedral Bells of Orange, California.

The video of our performance at this event is not currently available due to copyright reasons, but the responses from those who attended were extremely gratifying! We were thrilled at how moved the audience was by the music we made with Cathedral Bells. Here are some examples of what people wrote to us.

The following night we presented the same concert in California. Here is the video of that performance.