Members

Greg Fisher was the Music Minister at Trinity Lutheran Church in Vernon, CT when he decided to form a handbell group in October 2005 that could expand its repertoire beyond music typically found in a church setting, and to perform increasingly more difficult levels of music. Greg began his handbell directing as Trinity Lutheran’s bell director in 1977, and has continuously directed church and community bell groups ever since. He is currently the Connecticut State Chair for the American Guild of English Handbell Ringers, a national organization dedicated to promoting the art of handbell ringing. AGEHR sponsors state, regional and national festivals and workshops for ringers of all ages. Greg has hiked the entire 2,175 mile length of the Appalachian Trail, the 272 miles of the Long Trail and all 65 4000-foot mountains in New England. He enjoys golf and Sudoku; loves the Red Sox and Acadia National Park.

Carol Aronson is a charter member of the Hockanum Valley Ringers, as well as the ensemble’s historian. She lives in Manchester, CT with her husband of 57 years, Lenny. They are helping populate the world with handsome boys by way of their 3 sons and 4 grandsons. In 1988 after retiring from work as an office nurse, she started ringing handbells with the “Rockville Ringing Belles,” of Rockville United Methodist Church (RUMC). More recently, she's played again with RUMC in the choir “A Ring and a Prayer.” Other musical experiences for Carol include playing the trombone throughout high school—culminating in winning the 1st place ribbon for a solo performance at an all-state band competition. Carol enjoys ringing handbells, hiking and crafts. Presently, she serves as historian for HVR and has donated her time and talents to create a scrapbook depicting HVR’s journey. Her favorite bells to play are the bass bells and her favorite bell piece is “Grazioso.” Chocolate is her favorite food and we always look forward to the treats she prepares for concert refreshments as well as for our cast parties.

Katrine (Katy) Barno by day is an average teenager, but when night falls she becomes The Ringer, a crime-fighting handbell player. She has played with HVR for three seasons and is the youngest member of the group. Katy is very musically talented. She has played bells for 4 years in addition to 8 years on the clarinet. This fall she is entering her senior year of high school. In her spare time, Katy loves to read books, listen to music and mess around with friends.

Lynn Fisher has been ringing bells since 1992 and has the unique honor of being married to our director, Greg. She currently rings with Trinity Lutheran Bells and the RUMC choir “A Ring and a Prayer.” Besides ringing, Lynn enjoys gardening, quilting and golfing. The bells Lynn rings are not easy to read—they often are split between both the treble and bass staffs, we don’t know how she keeps it all straight! Lynn, a charter member of HVR, plays with determination and a light heart. Her newest technique is a form of bell juggling…a struggle to keep all her bells on the table which may not be long lived...

Paula Haney is from Manchester Ct. She started playing handbells in 1977 at her church. Paula likes to swim and enjoys going to the beach when ever she can! Paula is perhaps the luckiest member of our group because she is the grandmother of two of our players (Peggy & Katy.) We enjoy the loving, family dynamic they bring to HVR and admire how they support each other.

Peggy Haney is from Manchester, CT. She has been ringing bells since she was 13 years old as a member of several different choirs, trios, duets or solo. Peggy currently works in retail and volunteers at Case Mountain Community Church of Manchester. She loves to learn new instruments and has been involved in music most of her life. Because of her skillfulness with music we often put her in charge of our lowest bells, which weigh over 8 lbs each. We love to watch her juggle those impressive instruments! She plays in one of the most difficult bell positions and makes it look easy because of her style and grace.

Amy Hubeny is from South Windsor,CT. She and her husband are the parents of 3 adult daughters. She works as a pediatric nurse at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center. Amy has played handbells for about 10 years and with HVR for 4 years. She loves the challenge of the music as well as the camaraderie of playing in a group. Amy has also dabbled in arranging music for bells.

Karen Johnson coming soon...

Janice Klingman has been married to her husband George for 47 years, together they raised 3 children and can proudly boast of their 9 grandchildren. About 5 years into their marriage, Janice began her adventure ringing handbells and has advanced to her current position as Director of the RUMC bell choir “A Ring and a Prayer.” She feels comfortable performing in almost all positions and has performed in one duet - Chopsticks with former RUMC director, Diantha Dorman as well as in Bell Change for 4 which was featured by HVR in their Spring 2009 concert. Janice enjoys connecting with the ringers who play with her on a musical, and personal, level. She loves all genres of music (with the exception of rap) and enjoys hearing contemporary music in church. The bell pieces that make an emotional connection with her are stand out as her favorites. Janice lives her life to the fullest--her hobbies include tennis, golf, bowling, computer graphic design, and spending quality time with her family. She volunteers at RUMC as a church school teacher, with church publicity, as well as with the vocal & bell choirs. Janice also supports HVRs publicity by creating our posters & postcards.

Deb Manning hails from Vernon, CT, where she lives with her two cats. Deb has been ringing bells for over ten years and enjoys playing bells whenever she can. She loves the challenge of playing bell solos, duets and small ensembles. We love having Deb in our choir because she provides encouragement to us when we struggle in a given piece of music. When our director Greg is unavailable, Deb steps-up and fills in as director to lead us through rehearsals. Deb makes a point to focus on musical dynamics and bell ringing technique-which has helped us grow as a choir. In her spare time, she enjoys scrap-booking, jewelry making and painting with crayons.

Tracy Oates is from South Windsor Ct, where she lives with her husband Paul and her daughter Lauren. She currently works at Manchester Community College as an Educational Assistant. Tracy first played handbells in high school, but didn’t play in a formal handbell choir until after she was married. Since then she has played in two church choirs before joining HVR. Tracy is our secret weapon, by way of her easy-going husband. Paul has been known to step in at a moment’s notice when one of our ringers is unable to perform at a concert. We appreciate his musical talents as well as his devotion to his wife (and the success of our choir.)

Mary Jean Pelham’s voice has soared over choirs since childhood, through college, and as an adult. She was first introduced to handbells in the mid 70’s and has been playing on and off over the years. In addition to her time with HVR Mary Jean has played with the First Congregational Church of Vernon, CT; Union Congregational Church of Rockville, CT; and RUMC. She is a widow with 3 children (all of which who have played handbells in churches and schools), and 8 lovely grandchildren. A retired operating room nurse, her hobbies include traveling, counted cross stitch, reading, and of course—handbells. We wonder how she flies so easily through new pieces of music, perhaps its because she is a licensed pilot, and she can read a barometric scale as well as a bass scale!

Carol Ross lives in Tolland, CT with her husband Don. She has been playing handbells for many years with RUMC and for the last few years with Hockanum Valley Ringers. In her spare time she enjoys hosting church parties and receptions, baking and decorating cakes and cookies and keeping up with her 6 grandchildren. Carol is attentive to detail and you can always catch her smiling between songs!

Marissa Shanbaum joined HVR just weeks after her marriage to her captivating husband Steve in 2007. She began ringing bells at Emmanuel Lutheran Church when she was in high school and has rung on and off ever since. In her time with HVR she has played a variety of bells spanning the highest and lowest notes. When she's not playing bells, Marissa likes to get tangled up in yarn--she enjoys knitting, crocheting, and even the simple task of winding yarn into a fresh ball. Her newest adventure is participating in a tap class offered by the local Community Y which she attends with her mother. Marissa took dance classes for 15 years from ages 2 to 17, perhaps its all those years of dance recitals which have trained her to smile & perform at the same time. That, or it’s the joy she experiences when performing with such a talented group!

Sylvia Yoder is from South Windsor, CT. She is a retired credit card fraud specialist. She has been married to her husband Steve for 42 years and together they have 3 children and 5 delightful grandchildren. Sylvia started playing in 1981 with the Ringing Belles under the direction of Diantha Dorman. Sylvia has been ringing ever since and has participated in many national and local bell festivals. In addition to ringing with HVR, Sylvia currently plays with her church bell choir at RUMC. When she’s not ringing bells, Sylvia is active in her church vocal choir and has served as church mission chairman for several years. Her favorite activities include cross-country skiing and hiking. We look to Sylvia to provide strong rhythms from “the battery”. She to help keep us on beat and has a knack for playing triplets.

Marina Halmers resides in Vernon CT. Currently a student at Central Connecticut State University. She has been involved in many musical endeavors including vocal choirs, bell choirs, musical dramas and instrumentals. Along with HVR she also plays with the Emanuel Lutheran church bell choir in Manchester, CT. When not playing bells she is working on her studies to earn her bachelor’s degree in Psychology or spending time with family and friends.