Bringing the Art of English Handbell Ringing to Southern California

2024 Members

This page contains a list of our current members for the year, and a little bit of information about each.  As you can see, members come from all backgrounds, and have different careers and capabilities, but we believe part of our strength comes from our diversity.  We truly feel like a family, and we enjoy each other as much as we enjoy ringing!  We are a handbell ensemble who is known for having fun while performing with musicality and artistic expression.

"To play a wrong note is insignificant; to play without passion is inexcusable."
Ludwig von Beethoven

Kathryn Kinslow
Kathryn learned to ring bells in 6th grade but did not begin ringing with a full choir until her sophomore year in college at UCSB where she majored in Linguistics. She took a long break from bellringing while working toward her M.A. in Speech Pathology at San Diego State University.  She now works full-time in the public schools, providing speech therapy for mainstream and deaf/hard-of-hearing students. She likes to ring all up and down the table, and occasionally plays some of the bass bells.  She also rings with the Church of the Good Samaritan (Episcopal) handbell choir; sings in the La Jolla Symphony Chorus, Sorelle San Diego, and the Idyllwild Master Chorale; and directs the bell choir at La Jolla Presbyterian Church.

Debbie Mason
Debbie started ringing bells at the First United Methodist Church of Escondido in 1972. She rings with Celebration Bells at FUMC, where she spends most of her time ringing on the upper table. She has been ringing with SDHR since inception. She plays the upper octaves in SDHR, particularly A5 and B5. Debbie is office manager for Retail Ops at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. She enjoys making beaded jewelry, constructing dollhouse miniatures and taking frequent trips to Disneyland. Her cats and parrot keep her life joyful and amusing.

Jennifer Korngiebel
Jenn was inspired at the age of 12 by a touring bell choir visiting her church. She enjoyed 6 years of making music with family and friends before going off to college. For several years, occasional substituting and an annual handbell conference kept her from getting too rusty, but were never enough to satisfy.  She now rings both in the Church of the Good Samaritan (Episcopal) handbell choir, as well as SDHR.  She spends her weekdays as a product development engineer for a hi-tech company, and devotes her free time to the care and encouragement of people, plants, and animals.

Trish Costelow
Trisha began ringing at a very young age. She joined SDHR in 1999. Over the years, she has played positions all over the table, from the largest bass to the smallest trebles, but is more often found in the mid to high octaves these days.  Trisha is a teacher of preschoolers with special needs.

 

 

Cheri Kendall
Cheri began ringing in 1976 at a small church in Hawaii and has rung in various church settings while following her husband around during his naval career. She enjoys duet, trio and quartet ringing as well as massed ringing.  In 2012 she auditioned for and was accepted to play for Distinctly Bronze West, a national HMA annual venue and has been a regular there for the last ten years.  Her joy of handbells has led her to attend handbell sponsored cruises to Alaska, the Caribbean and Panama.  She feels blessed to ring with SDHR and to help bring out the musicality of the notes on the page.  Ongoing house remodeling and yard maintenance are the 'daily grind' but she has time to enjoy her grandchildren who call her Anya, family, games and wine!

 

Alex 'Sunshine' Burns
Alex, an Arkansas native is excited to be ringing with SDHR. Sunshine is currently an artist of the Timbre Ensemble and a perennial sub for several groups in the Southern California area.  He has been ringing since 2011 in many groups including LA Bronze, the Atlantic Ringers (Florida) and Cast of Bronze (Dallas). Sunshine is a medicinal chemist by day and during his graduate studies completed the first total synthesis of the neurotrophic sesquiterpenoid illisimonin A.

 

Ginger Hague
Ginger began ringing in 1981 when she was a sophomore in high school at Grace Community Church in Boulder City, NV. Currently she rings for St. Bartholemew Episcopal Church, San Diego Harmony Ringers, and First United Methodist Church in Escondido. She's twice attended DBWest held in Portland, OR. She's also been a ringer with Symphonic Bells when it rang at First United Methodist Church, Pacific Beach Presbyterian Church, and Clairemont Lutheran Church. Ginger loves to ring handbells and enjoys substituting for ringers if they're absent. In her free time Ginger likes spending time with friends, listening to music, and housesitting.

Susan Powell
Susan began ringing at La Mesa First United Methodist Church in 1973. She played there for about 10 years for services, concerts and weddings.  After college she returned to play with a group of peers & kids and also rang in quartets for the challenge.  In 2005, needing more challenges she joined SDHR and has enjoyed sharing the joy of ringing.  She retired after 30 years of teaching at Fox/Cuyamaca outdoor school.  Susan enjoys ringing for several church bell choirs including Good Samaritan, Foothills UMC and any others who need a ringer on occasion.

Andrew Scher
Andrew began ringing at age 9 and hasn’t stopped since! He rang with Purdue Bells while completing his undergraduate degree in Civil Engineering, with both Velocity Handbell Ensemble and Bell Appeal while completing his master's degree at UC Berkeley, and with L.A. Bronze and Cathedral Bells while living in Orange County. Andrew learned to change ring while studying abroad in London, and continues growing this skill with the Encinitas Handbell Change Ringers. He currently works as a transportation engineer/planner for Fehr & Peers. Andrew is also involved in choral music and previously sang as a member of Choral Arts Initiative in Orange County.

 

Karen Soohoo
Karen is hooked on handbell music and played at North County churches since 2013, primarily with the First United Methodist Church of Escondido. She also loves ensemble singing and performs masterworks in USD’s Greater San Diego Music Coterie Choir and Orchestra, as well as with smaller North County groups. During the week, find her researching and educating visitors about fine art at the San Diego Museum of Art. She has a healthcare background and aspires to explore every national park in the US.

 

Ben Watson
Ben has been ringing for over 15 years across all the bell choirs at St Marks United Methodist Church in Clairemont. He is currently a member of the Glory Ringers advanced choir and the Carillon adult choir, has rung solos, duets, quartets, and accompanied the bells on his clarinet. In his free time he enjoys working on computer projects ranging from reviving and repurposing old computers, website coding/design, general computer consulting, and playing video games.

 

Liz Watson
Liz has been playing bells since 2003. She can be seen playing all across the table in bass and treble positions with extra bells and some fun choreography during shared bell sections.  She has been part of numerous quartets and duets in her bell ringing career and has enjoyed the challenge and rigor of the San Diego Harmony Ringers.  Liz is an Education Specialist in the San Diego Unified School District teaching students with Mild/Moderate disabilities. In her free time she likes to cross-stitch, play Dungeons and Dragons, and create Digital Escape Rooms for her students.

Lisa McCulloch
Lisa discovered the joy of ringing in 2004 when she joined the handbell choir at Community Lutheran Church, Escondido.  She is excited to be ringing with the San Diego Harmony Ringers, which she joined in September 2021, and she also plays in the Faith Presbyterian Church handbell choir.  By day Lisa is a licensed Clinical Social Worker and is the Lead Forensic Interviewer at Rady Children's Hospital's Chadwick Center.  She also provides trainings and expert consultation and testimony as an independent contractor.  In her free time she enjoys games, reading, theater and spending time with friends.

Kara Der

Kara has been playing handbells since 5th grade but truly got into the swing of things while she studied at Concordia University Irvine. She grew in her handbell journey by ringing in their handbell choirs and learning the art of soloist ringing. In 2022 Joe reached out to her to audition for Harmony Ringers, and it was impossible to say no! She loves being musically challenged once more and is happy to be in a handbell community once more. Outside of ringing handbells, Kara is a graphic designer and social media manager for a local San Diego company.

Ellen Marciel

Ellen was born and raised in Boston, and started playing handbells at church shortly after moving to Las Vegas in 1991. She studied with Lois Castle at Community Lutheran Church in Las Vegas, and participated in 3 Twelfth Night concerts in Las Vegas. At one of the Twelfth Night concerts, she had the privilege of playing with Tintabulations Handbell Ensemble, who needed a sub. Ellen moved to southern California in 2021 and is mostly retired, although she is currently the manager for the Poway Symphony Orchestra.

Cliff Reilly

Clifford began playing handbells at the age of eight with Bethany United Methodist Church in San Francisco. In addition to founding multiple handbell ensembles in the Bay Area, he joined Bay Bells Handbell Ensemble under the direction of William Kyle in 2006. He attended Bucknell University where he was a member of the Rooke Chapel Ringers and Rooke Chapel Choir under the direction of Dr. William Payn, the University Pep Band and Beyond Unison: University A Cappella; ultimately graduating with a B.A. in music in 2011. By day he works as an Office Assistant for the County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency. He currently resides in Imperial Beach with his wife and two dogs, Sappho and Chiquita. 

The following musicians have previously been members of San Diego Harmony Ringers since the group's inception in 1999:

SDHR Alumni:

Mary-Margaret Allen, Roy Attridge, Meridith Blake, Patty Blake, Danny Dunn, Mary Den Herder, Catherine Eckmann, Maggie Fowlie, Dave Gibson, Eden Griffith, Stan Guinn, Jo Anne Hammond, Ella Herrnsteen, Greg Humphrey, Brendon Hunter, Paul Keck, Kevin Kwan, Tim Maguire, Micki Mennet-Martin, Darin Marvin, Joan Mentze, Tim McKnight, Mary Mussatti, Kelly Neff, Marla O'Connell, Lila Olix, Stirling Perry, Norma Peterson, Jon Ross, Rebekah Scott, Michele Sharik, Josh Skeels, Kathy Spencer, Linda Stanwood, Wesley Swords, Carol Tuggey, Ruth Turner, Ken Vogan and Timothy Wutke.

 

Auditions

Auditions are ended for 2024.

See the About Us/Auditions menu link above for details.

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Website design: Michael Kendall