a community handbell ensemble
Douglas
Anderson began as director of MOVR in 2008. He holds a
Ph.D. in Music Theory from the Ohio State University, master's degrees
in library science and music theory from Kent State University and the
University of Texas, respectively, and a bachelor's degree in vocal music
performance from Ouachita Baptist University in Arkansas. Dr. Anderson
moved to the mid-Ohio valley in 2005 to join the faculty of Marietta College
as Director of the Library.
Also active as a professional choral singer, Dr. Anderson has performed with the Robert Shaw Festival Singers, the Carnegie Hall Choral Workshop, and the Heritage Chamber Singers of Greenville, S.C., as well as Cantari Singers and Opera Columbus, both in Columbus, Ohio. He has sung professionally in various choruses under such noted conductors as Robert Shaw, Charles Dutoit, Neville Marriner, and Norman Luboff. His solo vocal engagements have included the Tuscaloosa (Ala.) Community Singers, the Augusta (Ga.) Choral Society and the Greenville (S.C.) Chorale. A specialist in Schenkerian analytic theory, Dr. Anderson has also taught music theory, analysis, and counterpoint at Presbyterian College in Clinton, S.C., Furman University in Greenville, S.C., and Sinclair Community College in Dayton, Ohio.
Jean
Clegg, from Beverly, Ohio, began ringing handbells at
First Presbyterian Church under the direction of Kathleen Reel in the
early 1990s. She was asked to sub with MOVR and then joined the group
in 1998. Music has always been important in Jean’s life as she played
various instruments in high school (her favorites being the French horn
and alto horn), and took piano lessons for 5 years.
Jean earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Special Education from Ohio University in 1975. She began teaching that fall and is now completing her 35th year of teaching special education and her 23rd year at Parkersburg South High School. (One of her responsibilities there for the past 20 years has been planning and decorating for the Junior/Senior Prom.) Jean has taught in grades 1–6, and 9–12. She has also taught adult basic education in Wood County, severe and profound students at the former Colin Anderson Center in St. Marys, WV, and high school students at the Alternative Center for Education in Wood County. In 1994, Jean earned her Masters Degree in Special Education from West Virginia University.
When not teaching or ringing, you may find Jean in the kitchen cooking. She enjoys preparing the Wednesday evening dinners at the First Presbyterian Church Gathering. Among her other interests are needlework, traveling, photography, and solving Samuri-Sudoku puzzles. Jean is the proud mother of Rachel and Cory Clegg and the even prouder grandmother of 1-year-old Tyler Clegg.
Lois
Coffey, a former Iowa farm girl, currently lives and works
in Charleston, WV. She was one of the original members of the Mid-Ohio
Valley Ringers when it first began about 15 years ago. At that time, she
lived in Vienna, WV, and travel to rehearsals and concerts was no big
thing.
When
a job change required a move 80+ miles away, it would have been more logical
and economically appropriate to give up the group ... but THAT didn't
happen -- too many memories and the chance to ring challenging music far
outweighed the weekly drives on Monday evenings.
When not ringing bells, Lois can be found Mondays through Thursdays at
Presbytery of WV where she is the Treasurer. Another part-time position
with the United Disciples of Christ church allows her to direct handbells
and play piano for worship. She's the proud mom of two grown kids -- both
bell ringers -- and four grandkids. Ah, what a blessing!
Jennifer
Johnston Crow nervously joined the ranks of the Mid-Ohio
Valley Ringers this year. More at home in a vocal choir or singing soprano,
she learned to play bells under the tutelage of Kathleen Reel many years
ago -- and she's played ever since, mostly in church settings.
Jennifer was a member of the Parkersburg High School A Cappella and Chamber choirs (she was an inaugural member of the chamber choir!) and the West Virginia Wesleyan College Concert Chorale, and has sung off and on with the Parkersburg Choral Society. She was also a member of the Larry Parsons Chorale in its fledgling days.
Jennifer has performed as a soloist and a choral singer for a number of local productions, most recently as a member of the Smoot Trio and soloist in MOVR's Spooky Spectacular. To earn a paycheck, she toils as a writer/editor and personal coach at the Bureau of the Public Debt in Parkersburg, which is a pretty good way to make a living. For fun, she's involved in music, knitting, graphic design, hiking, and traveling. In fact, she and her husband Charles recently survived a trip to Death Valley and are busy checking out the best way to see Alaska.
Susan
Dixon. The handbell choir performed the Sunday that Sue
Dixon and her family visited the Lutheran church that would become their
home church in 1982. Sue was enchanted by the bells and joined the bell
choir immediately, even before she became a member of the church. She
rang with the group for 23 years, then joined a local community handbell
group for four years.
In February 2009, she was invited to join MOVR and, together with Lois Coffey, drives weekly from Charleston for rehearsals. For the past four years, Sue has also attended "Distinctly Bronze," a four-day ultimate handbell experience that attracts ringers from across the country.
Originally from Lancaster, PA, she graduated from West Virginia Wesleyan College with a degree in elementary education, and she's currently a reading teacher at Overbrook Elementary School in Charleston, WV.
She and her husband John, a dentist in Charleston, have four daughters. Sue enjoys reading, exercise, traveling, and spending weekends at the log house John built.
Denise
Holmes...
Jane
Irvine has been involved with handbells since 1980, when
Ray Lowther convinced her to start a handbell program at Little Hocking
School. An active ringer and director, her credentials include master
classes with Dr. William Payn in conducting, a member of Distinctly Bronze
East, attendance at area and national handbell festivals, and generally
anywhere where she can ring bells. She served Area V AGEHR for 6 years
as education chair, where she administered the chime grant program and
served as clinician at various events and festivals. She recently was
guest conductor at the Columbus Children's Handbell/handchime festival.
Jane is an active church organist and accompanist for area events, including River Cities orchestra "Messiah sing", "Just us Friends," a women's trio, and most recently accompanied the vocalists at the Smoot Theater's Spooky Spectacular. Also active in area community theaters, she will be Music director for the upcoming Parkersburg Actors Guild production of "Man of La Mancha".
Jane retired after 30 years in the k-8 music classroom, but you can find her teaching at WVU-Parkersburg and Marietta College. Jane and husband Tim are the proud parents of Ross, a law student at Capital University.
John
Nicholson began playing handbells in the late 1980s with
the Celebration Ringers at Emmanuel Baptist Church. He found handbells
a great opportunity to expand on his musical interest. John had played
trombone and baritone in school but thought that would be the end of his
musical career.
He enjoyed the challenges offered by handbells and when his church choir had mastered the song “Canticle” by Arnold Sherman, he decided he was ready for the big time. When the opportunity to audition for MOVR arose in January 2000, he jumped at the chance. Even though the audition went terribly, the group must have felt sorry for him and thought he couldn’t really be that bad! So they offered him a spot in the rotation and John readily accepted.
In addition to handbells, John’s other interests include running, bike riding, and collecting accordions (he currently owns three). He hopes some day to find the time to learn how to play them!
John is the Director of Administration at Mountain State Blue Cross Blue Shield with primary responsibility for Human Resources and Facilities. He is married to Lynn and they have two grown children, Kelly and Alex.
Beth
Payton began ringing handbells at Wayne Presbyterian Church
in Pennsylvania while in the fourth grade. Her involvement with singing,
ringing and directing there led her to Westminster Choir College in Princeton,
NJ, where she earned a bachelor's degree in church music. While there,
Beth had the privilege of ringing under the direction of Don Allured in
the Concert Handbell Choir and studying all things handbell.
While at WCC, she also sang with various choirs and performed with the Philadelphia Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic. From there, she went to Naples, FL, where she directed music at several churches and sang and played for the Christian Rock Band "Temperance," but that's another story...
In 2004 she settled in Marietta, Ohio, where she currently lives with her daughter Faith. She directs the choir, handbell choir, and praise team at Christ United Methodist Church.
Denise Holmes invited Beth to substitute at an MOVR rehearsal in 2005. At the group's June concert, one ringer was late returning from the dinner break so they asked Beth to fill in. Her debut required her to sight-read Arnold Sherman's "Canticle!" She's been with the MOVR ever since, and attended Distinctly Bronze last year.
She works fulltime at the YMCA and in her spare time (ha!) enjoys Bible study, reading, worship, solo ringing, and exercising.
Alvin
Phillips started ringing handbells in the early 1990's
with the Celebration Ringers handbell choir at Emmanuel Baptist Church.
He substituted several times with MOVR before joining the group in 2005.
He has also sung in choirs and led children's choirs in churches for several years. He played piano and tuba while he was growing up near the small town of Union (Monroe County), West Virginia.
Alvin also enjoys participating in Actors Guild productions when time allows; most recently he was seen as the Munchkin Mayor in The Wizard of Oz.
A former teacher and computer analyst, he found his true calling in 1995 when he became executive director of Wood County Habitat for Humanity.
He is married to Jeanie and is the father of Aaron and Adam, who are true musicians!
Marijean
Stockwell started playing handbells at First Presbyterian
Church of Marietta in 1975.
While
attending Muskingum College, she started a small bell choir at College
Drive Presbyterian Church, participating in that group during her college
years.
After graduating from Muskingum, she returned to playing handbells with
First Presbyterian in Marietta, and then played with Emmanuel Baptist
in Parkersburg.
After prodding from Judy Prater, the bell director, along with John Nicholson and Alvin Phillips, Marijean began substituting with MOVR. She joined the group full time in 2004.
In addition to playing with MOVR, she attends the Green Lake American Baptist Music Conference in Wisconsin each year, where she also plays handbells.
Charles Thomas was first
exposed to handbells during his college days in the mid 1970s. After being
convinced by his private teacher that being a professional orchestral
musician was not in his future, he was drawn to a new opportunity to make
music with something that didn't have a reed.
He notes that another benefit the handbell choir has over other instruments is that it is always "in tune," at least with itself.
After that exposure to bells in college, Charles' next opportunity to play didn't come until his family landed at Wayside United Methodist Church in Vienna in the early 1980s. He subbed and played in various groups there, ultimately taking responsibilty for directing the Carillon Ringers through various circumstances.
He has played with the Mid-Ohio Valley Ringers since its inception, serving a stint as Musical Director. He's thankful for honest, realistic music teachers, and the WVU School of Business.
He makes his living at the West Virginia Corporate Credit Union. He and his wife Donna have two grown children.
Donna
Thomas "I got a call from Dub Koon [the new youth
and music minister at Park Presbyterian church in Beaver, PA]. He wants
you and your sister to come to the church tonight to help unpack some
bells."
This message from my mom caused eye rolls from us. What are bells? She had not asked that question. "Just take your sister and go!!!"
I remember walking in to the church basement with about 12 other youth. There were big cardboard boxes. Dub had us put on white gloves before he would open the boxes. (another eye roll!) Then we started unwrapping the bells from the plastic bags and lining them up on the tables. Dub gave us a quick lesson in bell ringing, then handed out mimeographed music he had arranged ... Fairest Lord Jesus. I stood at the table where Dub had assigned me, picked up my bells, and, on Dub's direction it started: my passion with handbells! I was in the eighth grade, and I rang with the youth choir until I graduated from high school. We played everywhere and for anyone. We even went on tour in the summers for a week at a time.
After moving to Vienna, WV, and joining Wayside United Methodist Church, I started ringing again in the adult bell choir under the direction of Harilyn Burger. In 1994 I got a call from Kathleen Reel about meeting to organize a community choir. No eye roll this time!
When not ringing with MOVR, Wayside's adult bell choir, or directing the children's chime choir at Wayside, you can find me at Marietta Memorial Hospital working as a Medical Technologist in the chemistry department. Oh, and I'm also a mom who causes eye rolls from my children, Lisa and James.
Bryon
Yetter became involved in handbells at the First Presbyterian
Church in Parkersburg around 1989 under the direction of Kathleen Reel.
He wasn’t sure at first, but after his mother (Lois Coffey) convinced
him it was fun, he decided he’d give it a shot. He was always mesmerized
by the bass bells and wanted to play that position when he “grew
up.” After a couple of years in the youth bell choir, he stepped
up into the adult choir and learned how to ring the big bells! After playing
in his church choir for many years and ultimately ringing under his mother’s
direction, he decided to join the Mid-Ohio Valley Ringers in 1994, their
first year.
Bryon has been involved in music his whole life. He began learning violin at age 5. He learned to play saxophone in elementary school and kept up with it throughout high school, and he played in the jazz, concert, and marching bands for Parkersburg High School, where he graduated in 1994. He then went on to West Virginia University in Parkersburg where he studied music theory.
He currently is the Culinary Manager for Olive Garden, where he has worked for 14 years. He and his wife Leslie have two beautiful sons, Matthew and Ethan. With any free time he has, he enjoys playing with his kids and watching football and hockey.