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Ole to perform solo handbell concert

By John Andert '10
February 6, 2008

Although handbell ringing is an art usually performed by a group of musicians, Barb Otheim Brocker '67 has spent the past decade honing her ability to deliver solo performances using a "bell tree."

BarbBrockerHandbellLarge
Barb Otheim Brocker '67 has honed her ability to deliver solo handbell performances using a "bell tree."
Brocker, a nationally known musician, will showcase her skills in a unique handbell concert at St. Olaf College on Feb. 9. The performance will begin at 6 p.m. in the Christiansen Hall of Music's Urness Recital Hall and is free and open to the public. The concert will also feature ringers from the St. Olaf Handbell Choir and vocalist Kristin Anderson '09. Hannah Mahr, the 9-year-old daughter of St. Olaf Handbell Choir Conductor Jill Mahr, will accompany Brocker in her performance.

The American Guild of English Handbell Ringers (AGEHR) Area VII is sponsoring Brocker's appearance, which also features handbell workshops earlier in the day.

An Oregon native, Brocker has been ringing handbells for 30 years. In the last 10 years she has developed the art of soloing on a bell tree, which is essentially a stand that holds various handbells of all shapes and sizes. Brocker says she's excited about returning to St. Olaf, where she learned to challenge convention and try new ideas. She hopes students and those in attendance at her performance see the results of taking a new idea -- such as the bell tree -- and developing it into a reality.

"It's easy to take the road that everyone else has traveled; it's safe," Brocker says. "Experimenting with a new idea may not be initially accepted, but the journey of discovery is simply exciting to live."

Still a new technique, the bell tree is a rising art in the handbell world. Offering her expertise on this technique and other handbell pedagogy, Brocker has been a clinician at many local, regional and national workshops, including the national Solo and Ensemble Extravaganza in Colorado Springs and the National Director's Seminar in Milwaukee. She also serves as the Oregon Chair of Area X of the AGEHR and has led the handbell program at Sunriver, Ore., since 1996.

"I first saw Barb soloing on a bell tree at the National Director's Seminar in Milwaukee. She was phenomenal," Jill Mahr says. "She has such command of the instrument and such a presence on the stage. She is very engaging to watch."

Contact Kari VanDerVeen at 507-786-3970 or vanderve@stolaf.edu.