Cast of Bronze

Cast of Bronze, a handbell ensemble from Dallas, participated in our morning worship service and then presented a concert on Sunday afternoon. It was awesome.

I've heard handbells before, but not like this. They sounded wonderful, but to me, their coordination and teamwork is just as incredible. Musicians often play two bells at once, then lay down those bells and grab another one or two, all while keeping perfect rhythm. Sometimes they even move to another area entirely, without missing a beat. I'm way too big a klutz to manage that! I'd be dropping bells everywhere.

These folks obviously enjoy playing. They were having fun, which, of course, led to fun for their audience.

This is their conductor, Christopher T. Nabors. He's been playing bells since he was a kid, and he isn't tired of them yet.

These colorful tubes are called boomwhackers.

These are tone chimes, which are "sort of like tuning forks on steroids," according to Chris.

See those small colorful bells? They're desk bells, like the ones you ring to get a clerk's attention. They each have a different sound.

How about these bells? Why go to the gym when you can lift these? The big silver colored ones are not the heaviest. They're made of an aluminum alloy and weigh about twelve pounds, while the large bronze bells weigh about seventeen pounds.



For one song during morning worship, Cast of Bronze, our pianist, and a trumpeter played their instruments while our choir sang. I can't figure out when they had a chance to practice together. They must have found time, though, because it was great. For a couple of songs during the concert, drums were added. It was a joyful noise!

You can find out more about Cast of Bronze by going to their website, http://www.castofbronze.com/.