A Handbell Choir Christmas Concert

On November 29, the C of O Handbell Choir rang in the season with their Christmas Concert in the Royal Oak Forum at the Keeter Center. The choir, under the direction of Ms. Marsha Goldsmith, began the program with a French carol, “Gloria Fanfare.” The next piece they played was the ever popular “Carol of the Bells.”

This has been Ms. Goldsmith’s first semester directing the Handbell Choir. She said that “the handbell concert was a joy and a blessing for us as performers, and for those in the audience as well. Bells and Christmas just go together like ham and eggs.  

There were several high points for me:  ‘Carol of the Bells’ is a season favorite and the choir performed it masterfully - quite an achievement considering that 8 of 13 choir members are new to our group!  Another truly wonderful moment was Keaton Reich's solo with Savanna Faught's harp accompaniment.  Keaton worked hard to polish his music and the presentation was beautiful.  A third highlight for me was ‘Silent Night’ because three handbell choirs in the community were able to ring with us - Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran of Kimberling City, Faith Lutheran of Branson, and SofO.  Having our 7th graders join us was very special.  

Finally, having "Mama D" at the concert with her church handbell choir was especially meaningful since she started the CofO handbell choir over 40 years ago.  Marilyn Droke is synonymous with handbells on this campus.  Following in her footsteps was daunting.  I give great credit for our success to the five experienced ringers in our group: Jacob Henderson, Magen Cross, Brittany Bedwell, Hannah Yonce, and Keaton Reich who gave above and beyond to help our new ringers learn this unique way to bring glory to God.”

The Handbell Concert was well attended by friends, family, and the community.  The concert provided a truly wonderful way to usher in the Christmas spirit. You can hear the Handbell Choir again before the semester ends at Christmas Card to the Community, Saturday, December 10th, at 7:00 PM and Sunday, December 11th, at 2:00 PM, at Williams Memorial Chapel.