Come start the new year by being part of this special Great Christmas Ring event.
Enjoy the sites of our Nation's Capitol, perform at the Lincoln Memorial and the world premiere of
The Heavens are Ringing
Al Reese is currently the Musical Director of the Virginia Handbell Consort -- a professional community handbell ensemble in Virginia Beach. Al is a frequent clinician at area handbell festivals, was the Associate Conductor of Distinctly Bronze West in 2015. Al has a passion and a love for handbell ringing and excels at helping ringers achieve memorable performances.
The Registration fee is $195 dollars. This includes: Saturday Dinner with the Cast Complimentary Coach Transportation to and from the performances Museum of the Bible Admission Music Stand, Music and Performance Shirt Friday night Rehearsal with Conductor Al Reese VIP seating to your choice of performance of The Ringing Nativity
Your registration fee does not include: Transportation to the Washington, DC area. Hotel accommodations. If you want to rent bells instead of bringing your own. Gloves without dots are required for those renting bells.
Any handbell ringer willing to learn and perform the repertoire. Ringers under the age of 18 MUST be accompanied by an adult.
Both individuals and pre-existing ensembles can participate.
* Holiday Inn Washington Capitol - National Mall. Room rate $104/night single or double. All transportation to and from concerts will be provided for guests at the Holiday Inn
You will need to bring 2 bells or 4 if you play the shellys. Malmark, Schulmerich or White Chapel. All notes are naturals, there are no accidentals and no bell changes. You may bring your own, or ask us about handbell rental. We can accomodate a limited number of people on a first come first served basis.
The event begins on Friday, January 6th at 6 PM and goes through Saturday's performance at the World Stage Theater at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, DC. The performance will end at approximately 6 or 9 PM. All rehearsals and performances are mandatory. Rehearsals will be held at the Capitol Ballroom of the Holiday Inn, Washington Capitol National Mall Hotel.
You are not required to prepare your music ahead of time but if you would like to practice and see the music ahead of time you can purchase a downloadable copy from the Great Christmas Ring website.
Music, provided with registration. You will play a position assignment with over 100 of your fellow ringers to create a a mass ring chor. Most of the collection is level 2+ or level 3. You will have plenty of time to master the music in Friday night's rehearsal.
The Ringing Nativity is a world premier event that blends drama and handbells to tell the Christmas story in a full theatrical production. The World Stage of the Museum of the Bible will present The Heavens are Ringing for a ticketed audience. Great Christmas Ring performers will perform on stage as the opening musical act at both the matinee and the evening performance.
YES! We will follow all local guidelines for masking and social distancing throughout the event.
Every attendee will have the opportunity to indicate dietary preferences and needs when they register.
Please let us know when you register if you have any other needs we need to be aware of.
Dress comfortably for rehearsals. We will be in intensive rehearsals for long periods so wear good shoes. We will provide you with your performance shirt and you provide black pants. You will also want to plan on a jacket or heavy sweater as the temperature in D.C. can be cold (47 degrees F) this time of year.
Washington D.C. is easily accessible by all means of transportation. Reagan International Airport is minutes away from the hotel by cab or rideshare. The Metro is a 2 block walk. Amtrak also services DC via Union Station. Metro is available from the train station. Cab or Rideshare is approximately 15 minutes.
* The Museum of the Bible is the largest private museum in the District of Columbia. With 5 floors of exhibits, artifacts interactive exhibits, and multi-media presentations, the Museum invites all people to engage with the transformative power of the Bible. Daily admission is typically $24.99. It is included for you and your VIP guests with your registration.
You will not need a car. Metro, Cabs, Rideshare and provided transportation will meet all your needs.
Your first step in participating in the Capital Great Christmas Ring is filling out our application. You can do that by clicking on the Registration link below.
If you have any questions about the Capital Great Christmas Ring please email us at
info@globalbronzeproductions.com