Cheryl Ulmer

I first became familiar with handbells in 1972 as a freshman at Northern State University in

Aberdeen, SD, when Dr. Wilmer Kirschenmann introduced us to his church bell choir. At the

time it was one of the only handbell groups in northeastern South Dakota, which played an

impressive five octaves. I graduated from NSU in 1975 majoring in Elementary Education &

Music, with an emphasis in Piano. A decade later my hometown church in Hosmer, SD started a

two-octave choir, and the rest is history.

In 1986 I was teaching in Mobridge, SD and became the director of a new three-octave choir

at Trinity Lutheran Church for nine years. I then moved to Aberdeen in 1995 where Good

Shepherd Lutheran Church had recently purchased bells. The Exultation Bells now have

five octaves of bells with five octaves of chimes. We actively ring once or twice a month.

I (semi)-retired last year after teaching Elementary Music and Piano for 40+ years. (My last

thirteen years were spent teaching Music on the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation in Eagle

Butte, SD from 2010-2023. This made for quite the weekend commute and many late-night

drives for Wednesday evening rehearsals-172 miles one-way, to be exact.) If you see me on the

SD hi-ways & byways traveling to a handbell event, you’ll know it’s me in my little red Jeep

with the license plate BELLS! I am back living in Aberdeen full time and recently began on the

Area 7 Board as the new South Dakota Sub-Area Chair. I’m super enthusiastic about anything

to do with handbells and look forward to connecting with bell groups throughout the state.