Alex Guebert is a composer, arranger, percussionist, music director and music teacher from Orange, California.
He directs five handbell groups in the area; among those are two advanced-level groups:
Cathedral Bells of St. John’s Lutheran Church in Orange, and L.A. Bronze. His compositions and arrangements have been published and performed nationwide and overseas. Alex’s compositional style is a result of his background as a percussionist, his love of film score, and his desire to broaden the horizons of handbell repertoire.

Alex holds a bachelor’s degree in percussion from Concordia University Irvine, and an M.M. in Music Composition
from Cal State Long Beach, where his graduate recital featured a 25-minute work for handbells, strings, and percussion, titled “Ransom”. His recent piece, “Out of the Silent Planet”, won the Bells of the Cascades (Portland, OR) 25th Anniversary Composition
Contest and was played at Distinctly Bronze East in 2017 under the baton of Dr. William Payn. Alex has studied conducting with Dr. Payn, Dr. Herbert Geisler (Concordia University Irvine), and Ramona Miller (former director of Cathedral Bells).

He teaches music classes and leads band programs at schools in Orange County, and has taught several mallet technique and percussion classes at handbell seminars in Pennsylvania, Wyoming, and California. Married in 2014, Alex spends most of his free time adventuring with his wife Heather, bicycling around Southern California.

Alex will conduct the Bronze Division, two of the Massed pieces, and the Bronze Plus Ensemble.

Lee J. Afdahl is the Director of Music Emeritus of First Presbyterian Church of Rochester, Minnesota.  A graduate of Luther College, Decorah, IA, Lee is a church musician with fifty years of experience in leading active programs of choral and handbell ensembles in Michigan and Minnesota.

Lee Afdahl is frequently a conductor and clinician for handbell conferences, choral workshops, and church music conferences internationally.  He has conducted festival conferences for the Handbell Musicians of America at the local, area, and national levels, for handbell classes of American Guild of Organists, Fellowship of United Methodists, Presbyterian Association of Musicians, and international handbell events in England, Japan,  South Korea, and Australia.

Mr. Afdahl has served the Handbell Musicians of America as Michigan Chair for Area 5, Chair of Area 7, and is a Past President of the national board of the organization.  He represented the organization as a conductor at the International Handbell Symposia in Adelaide, Australia in 1994, Liverpool, UK in 2012 and Jeju, South Korea in 2014.  Lee has taught intermediate and advanced conducting for HMA Seminars, and currently teaches conducting for certification for HMA.   Lee is an active organ recitalist and published composer and arranger of handbell, instrumental, and choral music with over one hundred compositions and arrangements in print.

Lee will conduct the Conference Choir Ensemble.

Friday June 21

The Festival officially begins this day. Registration Desk opens at 8:00AM until 3:30PM.
The name badge you receive at registration must be worn at all Festival events: classes, meals, concerts, etc.

Click HERE for all Festival Documents

In addition to the many class offerings, the day’s highlight is the
SHOWCASE CONCERT by Bells of the Bluffs from Red Wing, MN under the artistic director of Marilee Anderson.

No tickets are needed for Festival registrants. $20 tickets for family members or guests can be pre-purchased during the registration process, or can be purchased at the door.
Concert will be held in Riverside Ballroom C.

Bells of the Bluffs handbell ensemble is devoted to sharing their passion for handbells with people of all ages. Their ringers come from communities throughout southeastern Minnesota and western Wisconsin. They provide performance, workshop and audience participation experiences to help spread the joy of handbells. Since Bells of the Bluffs was founded in 2013, they have been building their skills as individuals and an ensemble with a broad range of music and helping others expand their ringing abilities and appreciation for handbell music.  Marilee Anderson, Artistic Director.

FRI JUN 21
8:00-3:30 REGISTRATION
9:00-10:00 PERIOD 1
REHEARSAL – Bronze Plus Specialty Choir
REHEARSAL – Conference Choir Specialty Choir
Classes: both Coppers and Bronze Divisions
Better Together – Karen Van Wert
Developing Spiritual Community – Mitchell Eithun
Mallet Like a Percussionist – Cathy Moklebust
Reading Session: Music That’s Both a Floor Wax and a Dessert Topping – Bill Alexander
Ring the Story – Sandy Mullaney

9:30-11:45 HIC Vendors & Silent Auction are open to shop and mingle (Closed 11:45-12:30)
(A fun fact: H-I-C stands for Handbell Industry Council, i.e. vendors of handbell items)
12:30-3:30 HIC Vendors & Silent Auction are open to shop and mingle

10:30-11:30 PERIOD 2
REHEARSAL – Bronze Plus Specialty Choir
REHEARSAL – Conference Choir Specialty Choir
Classes: both Coppers and Bronze Divisions
Better Together – Karen Van Wert
Mallet Like a Percussionist – Cathy Moklebust
Percussion 101 – Paul McKenzie
Reading Session: Mobile Ensemble, Quartets on the Go – Christina Herold
Ring the Story – Sandy Mullaney
This…Is…Jeopardy! – Mitchell Eithun

11:30-12:45 Lunch, on your own. Explore the wonderful options in nearby downtown La Crosse
HIC Vendors and Silent Auction are open (Closed 11:45-12:30)

1:00-2:00 PERIOD 3
Classes: both Coppers and Bronze Divisions
All About That Bass – Jessica Westgard Larson
Handbell Conducting for Ringers (Directors welcome also) – Bill Alexander
Maintenance: Malmark Handbells and Choirchimes – Monica McGowan
Reading Session: If It’s June, It Must Be Christmas – Jennifer Cadwell
Reading Session: More With Less: Highlighting 8, 10 & 12 Bell Music – Sandra Eithun
Relax! Come to a Drum Circle – Cathy Moklebust
You Are Your Instrument – An Intro to the Alexander Technique – Lauren Hill
HIC Vendors and Silent Auction are open

2:10-3:10 PERIOD 4
REHEARSAL – Bronze Plus Specialty Choir
Leadership Tea – Area & National Updates: for Directors, Area Board Members, HMA Staff
Classes: both Coppers and Bronze Divisions
Developing Spiritual Community – Mitchell Eithun
HELP! I Need to Write a Processional/Descant/Accompaniment FAST! – Cathy Moklebust
POUND Exercise Class – Kristin Tranby
Reading Session: Mobile Ensemble: Quartets on the Go – Christina Herold
Score Study – Musicality – Monica McGowan
Subdivide – Taking on Challenging Rhythms – Karla Hulne
You Are Your Instrument – An Intro to the Alexander Technique – Lauren Hill
HIC Vendors and Silent Auction are open

3:30 HIC vendors and Silent Auction are closed for the day.

3:30-4:40 PERIOD 5
MASSED REHEARSAL – all ringers

5:00-5:40 PERIOD 6
Dinner, provided

5:50-7:15 PERIOD 7
MASSED REHEARSAL – all ringers

7:30 PERIOD 8
SHOWCASE CONCERT
with BELLS OF THE BLUFFS from Red Wing, Marilee Anderson, Artistic Director
Concert is free for Festival registrants. $20 Tickets on sale at door for all others

9:00 Retreat to your hotel.