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Gloribells are ready to 'Ring in the Season'

The First United Methodist Church's Gloribells have been ringing in the holidays for 18 years.

The Gloribells are getting their brass bells prepared for spreading the Christmas spirit at their annual "Ringing in the Season" bell concert. It is set for 3 p.m. Sunday at the First United Methodist Church in Sidney.

Under the direction of Marva Schiessler, the 11 members that make up the Gloribells begin practicing for their Christmas concert in early October.

"We only meet once a week for about an hour to an hour and a half," Schiessler said. "Typically we get maybe eight to 10 practices in before the performance, so we really have to work when we do meet."

According to Schiessler, each member plays two main notes plus the sharp and flat for those notes, so being dedicated to the group is something she finds important to a successful performance.

"Playing bells isn't like a vocal choir where someone else might have the same part and can help out in that section," she said. "Everybody has their own part so you really have to be committed to playing."

This year's concert will include 10 classic Christmas selections and feature two soloists. Janet Rosenbaum will play the flute and Sean Anders will play the violin. The accompanist for the performance will be Valerie Hoekema.

"We will have a nice variety of Christmas melodies," Schiessler said. "We hope it's something people will enjoy. It's going to be fun just to watch. It's a very visual concert, just seeing how they pick up the bells and how they ring them. We have different techniques to make different sounds, so it's definitely something to see."

 

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