Hundreds of musicians ring in Pablo

The soothing, sometimes exhilarating sound of 236 handbell musicians practicing for their annual concert called out to Lake County and its residents Saturday as the massive group prepared for the evening’s final concert.

Members of 25 different handbell choirs from all over Montana and Idaho gathered at Salish and Kootenai College in Pablo for the 35th annual 2016 Big Sky Hand Bell Festival, a tradition that mixes the hard work of creating music with the intense satisfaction of a job well-harmonized.

The Copeland Memorial Hand Bell Choir of First Presbyterian in Polson represented Lake County and was given the task to put the event together. Copeland Choir’s Joyce Kackmann served as the chairwoman and said that event preparation took nearly a year to complete.

Musicians began their celebration with practice on Friday night, then continued to its day-long preparation for the festival’s evening concert when more than 400 audience members enjoyed the 90-minute concert presented to the public for free. The concert was led by handbell clinician David M. Harris, director of the Raleigh Ringers, who was hired to oversee the event.

The festival is endorsed by the Handbell Musicians Association and moves its location each year. The festival has been in Lake County three times during the past 36 years, Kackmann said. 

Through the years, Kackmann said the festival has been in Great Falls, Dillon, Missoula, Libby, Bozeman, Kalispell, Hamilton and Idaho Falls. Next year’s concert is planned for Bozeman.

Participating choirs were:

Bellissimo! and Heavenly Metal of Billings First Bells and Glory Ringers of Bozeman, Mile High Ringers of Butte, Glorioso Ringers of Conrad, 

Cantabelle’ Ringers of Great Falls,

First Presbyterian Handbell Choir of Hamilton, Bells of the Covenant and Grace Notes of Helena, GosBells of Kalispell, Dingalings of Lewistown,  Celestial Carillon, First Presbyterian Church Handbell Choir, Grace Notes, JuBELLation and Jubilation Handbell Ringers of Missoula, Copeland Memorial Handbell Ringers of Polson, Seeley Swan Mountain Bells of Seeley Lake, St. Luke’s Handbell Choir of Shelby, Neva Wood Memorial Handbell Choir of Thompson Falls and Alpine Ringers of Whitefish Montana.

The Ring Praise Music Ministry of Nampa and Wesley Handbell Choir of Idaho Falls were from Idaho.