This holiday season, the bells will be ringing with your favorite festive songs! We asked our friends and followers to share the holiday tunes that mean the most to them - and we listened. The result is a delightful handbell concert featuring repertoire chosen by our very own community.
Virginia Bronze (VAB) began in 2006 with a few experienced ringers, primarily from area faith communities, who were seeking opportunities to ring challenging and diverse music in a secular environment. VAB has gained local and national recognition over the last 19 years as a premier community handbell ensemble. It has performed with the Washington Chorus, the Cathedral Choral Society, Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, DC, the Children’s Chorus of Washington, Strathmore Children’s Chorus and the Alexandria Symphony. It has been a part of First Night Alexandria and an artist-in-residence at the George Washington Masonic National Memorial, and has performed at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and the Music Center at Strathmore. Virginia Bronze is well-known in the national handbell community and was invited to perform at the Handbell Musicians of America (HMA) - a national guild of handbell ringers - Pinnacle festival in Nashville, TN in 2010 and as a feature concert at the HMA National Seminar in 2019 in St. Louis, MO.
The organization’s primary outreach activities are concert performances, workshops, and festivals, and it actively seeks opportunities to educate the public about handbells. Most recently, VAB has focused on community outreach in the Northern Virginia area by partnering with ArtsFairfax, community centers and Title 1 schools in Fairfax County to expand access to handbells and handchimes.
