THE CONDUCTORS

BRONZE:

graduated with highest honors from the University of Colorado at Boulder with a Bachelor of Music in Composition and Music Theory. A career composer and arranger of handbell music, Kevin has over 1000 handbell titles in print and is one of the very few musicians who has made handbells a full-time vocation.
He was Music Director of the Pikes Peak Ringers, a virtuoso handbell choir based in Colorado Springs, for 30 years, and was also the Artistic Advisor for the Atlanta Concert Ringers for many years. His work with PPR included the premiere and thirteen further performances of his Concerto for Handbell Choir and Orchestra, and a recording with world-renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma.
Kevin is the handbell editor for Jeffers Handbell Supply and the RingingWord catalog. He is also co-founder of STEP, the Solo To Ensemble Project (sonologymusic.com). He has been in demand throughout the handbell world as a composer/arranger, workshop clinician, and festival conductor.
Kevin was Music Director of the National Honors Handbell Ensemble, an intensive performance opportunity for advanced teens, for their first five events. He has conducted at Carnegie Hall, Radio City Music Hall, Central Park, Disney World, and his music has been played on the Boston Pops stage. He has won numerous awards, including winning American Guild of English Handbell Ringers Composition Contests and Jeffers Composer of the Year.
As a continuation of his career-long focus on mentoring of handbell choirs, conductors, and composers/arrangers, Kevin now devotes considerable energy to bringing opportunities to other teachers, conductors, performers, and writers.

COPPER:

is an experienced soloist, educator, musical director, conductor and adjudicator. She holds a Bachelor of Music and Bachelor of Education Degrees from The University of Western Ontario. She is the director of the handbell program at Aurora United Church, is a member of the EmBellished handbell quartet, and has been a ringer in The Bronze Foundation ensemble since 2015. She has given many handbell workshops at OGEHR Festivals and workshop days and was one of the guest conductors at the 2019 and 2023 OGEHR Festivals. Lisa was chosen to be a Canadian Conductor at the 2022 International Handbell Symposium in Nashville.  Lisa is the current President of OGEHR and is on the Board of the Handbell Musicians of Canada.

LISA KYRIAKIDES

Accent:

Photo: Nic McQuade

has been involved with handbell ringing for over 25 years as a ringer, conductor, soloist and adjudicator of handbell festivals and compositions, and as a workshop clinician.
She was the Music Director at Robertson-Wesley United Church in Edmonton for 16 years, where she worked with two five octave handbell groups - the Robertson-Wesley Ringers and Nova Bells as well as the choir, and she also volunteered with several elementary school handbell groups during that time. She has performed, conducted and given workshops internationally at handbell and choral events in Korea, Australia, England, and Denmark as well as all over Canada.
Last year, she founded a 5-octave choir at the Cosmopolitan Music Society in Edmonton.
Throughout her career, Tammy-Jo has sought out education and experiences which have advanced her skills to a higher level. She has a Bachelor of Music in Organ from the University of Alberta, a Master of Music in Organ from McGill University (Montreal) and a Master of Music in Choral Conducting also from the U of A.
Currently, Tammy-Jo is the Operations Manager of the Korora Choir Association, the Music Editor of the United Church of Canada’s “Gathering Magazine”, the harpsichordist for the Alberta Baroque Ensemble and has a radio show on bigeradio.com.

Tammy-Jo Mortensen

Special Guest Conductor:

is the Assistant Director for Chime In! Music with a Mission under the direction of Rick Wood based in Bethlehem CT. This family of ensembles, whose mission is to engage people in the joy and sense of community that music fosters through participation and performance, includes 2 multigenerational handbell choirs, a children’s vocal choir, and 2 children’s handbell choirs.
In 2015 Samantha co-created the Connecticut Handbell Musicians.  She is the Director of this process-oriented group of ringers who use the summer to stretch and grow, enhancing their skills and enriching their musical experience culminating in a 4 concert series at the end of the summer.
Samantha has been a clinician and workshop leader for many events including Spring Rings, and the new youth handbell festival Crucible held this past January in Houston, Texas.
Samantha rings with Chime In! as well as with the New England Ringers, and is one-third of the handbell trio FaLiSaD (pronounced “Felicity”), who thrive in tight harmonies, rhythmic impossibilities, and having too many bells to handle.
Samantha has always loved music, joining choir at age 6 and continuously singing and playing various instruments ever since. She has been ringing handbells since 1995.
She received two B.S. degrees from Radford University one each in Music and Theatre, and has studied conducting under Rick Wood, Dr. William Payn and Kevin McChesney.

Samantha Beschta

The Venue

Deerfoot Inn & Casino - 11500 35 St SE, Calgary, Alberta T2Z 3W4

Clean, comfortable rooms stacked with amenities. Choose a king+sofa or a double room for just $164/night + taxes.
(approx $120 USD)
Suites and themed rooms also available if you want to splurge.
Want to come a few days early or stay a few extra days? No worries! From July 31 through Aug 12, you’ll get the same room rate.

Two full days of catered breakfast and lunch are included with your registration.
Multiple restaurants on-site means you won’t need to travel to get good food at the other times.

On-site bars and lounges provide ample space for you and your friends to kick back after rehearsals.

One of Calgary’s best casinos is right on-site, too!

EASIEST METHOD, BY FAR:
CALL at (403) 236-7529 (local) or
(888) 875-4667 (toll-free)
Ask for CLASSIC BRONZE

To reserve your room:

Or follow the steps below
for ONLINE:
deerfootinn.com
Enter your dates, click ‘check availability’.

Then click ‘add code’,

Click ‘discount code’ then Select ‘group attendee’

enter group code
1160420
Then click ‘add’.

Registration is open!