Thank you for visiting the
home page of The Alleluia Ringers. Since its inception in the fall of 1986, The Alleluia Ringers, under the direction of Dr. John Behnke, have steadily developed into one of the finest handbell choirs in the Midwest.
Over their 16 year history, this 6 octave, 73 handbell and 5 octave, 61 handchime touring choir has had some very memorable experiences. In addition to playing concerts throughout the United States, in May of 1995 The Alleluia Ringers toured Norway, Sweden, and Estonia playing eight concerts in a little over two weeks. In December of 1992 the choir performed with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and noted performers Doc Severinsen, Mel Tormé, and Maureen McGovern in a program entitled "The Christmas Songs." This program was aired nationally on PBS member stations. The summer of 1992 saw the Alleluia Ringers on a concert tour of Germany. The choir received standing ovations in all of its eight concert performances in cities throughout north central Germany. Since 1992, The Alleluia Ringers have recorded the new handbell music for Concordia Publishing House demonstration tapes and CDs.
In the spring of 1999, The Alleluia Ringers were selected to record a handbell instructional video entitled, "Successful Ringing: Step by Step" for the Schulmerich Handbell Company of Sellersville, PA which has been distributed internationally. In December of 1999 and 2001, The Alleluia Ringers were again invited to perform with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and Chorus under the direction of Doc Severinsen in Christmas concerts attended by 12,000 and 15,000 people (for each respective year) at the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts in Milwaukee. During May and June of 2000, The Alleluia Ringers again traveled to Germany for a concert tour. In 2001, The Alleluia Ringers were selected to perform at the American Guild of English Handbell Ringers National Convention in Palm Springs, CA.
The choir's main purpose is and always has been to "praise God through music," and this is accomplished when the choir plays for services and sacred concerts, on-campus chapel services, and on its annual spring tours. Membership is by audition only and is open to students who are able to participate for the entire academic year.
The Alleluia Ringers are located in Mequon, Wisconsin, and are
part of the college curriculum of Concordia
University Wisconsin. They rehearse on Mondays and Wednesdays
from 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. If you are wondering where Mequon, Wisconsin is, click
here
for a map of the area.
Director, Dr. John Behnke, currently serves as Professor of Music at Concordia University Wisconsin. He is highly acclaimed as an organ recitalist, handbell director, and a composer of church music. His compositions are in print with ten different publishers in the United States, Taiwan, and Germany, and he has been the recipient of two ASCAP composer grants in 1998 and 1999.
Handbells were added to the college curriculum in the fall of 1986 when Dr. John Behnke came to the Concordia faculty. At that time Concordia received a 5 octave set of
Schulmerich handbells, which had previously been used at St. John's College in Winfield, Kansas. These handbells had been given to St. John's by Mrs. Rose Deffner, in memory of her husband, the Rev. L. H. Deffner of Wichita, Kansas. We wish to thank the Deffner family and St. John's College for this gift. Our prayer is that
these handbells will never cease to sound the glorious praises of our Risen Lord.
This
page has been given the "thumbs up" by director Dr. John Behnke.
But we want to know what you think about the Alleluia Ringers. Perhaps you
are a former member of the Alleluia Ringers visiting this page, or a prospective
student interested in finding about Concordia's handbell program. Or, you
may be a handbell ringer in your church bell choir or community ensemble.
Whatever your involvement with bells is, we would like to hear from you.
Please sign our guestbook and share your thoughts about handbells and this web
page with us.
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Thank you friends for your kind thoughtfulness. |
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This page was created by Brian Heinlein
(a former 5-year member of The Alleluia Ringers)
© 2002 using 800x600 screen resolution. Last update on March 2, 2002.
This page is best viewed using Microsoft Internet Explorer.
(Music does not play and colors are different in Netscape.)
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