Decibells to perform two Christmas concerts in Madison Township

Bill DeBus, The News-Herald, Willoughby, Ohio
·2 min read

Dec. 10—Anyone who enjoys Christmas music played by handbell groups may want to mark their calendars for Dec. 15 and 16.

Those are the dates when Decibells, a Lake County-based handbell ensemble, has scheduled two holiday shows.

"Sounds of the Season," a handbell concert celebrating the music of Christmas past and present, will take place at Chapel United Methodist Church, 2019 Hubbard Road in Madison Township.

Decibells will perform from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Dec. 15 and 4 to 6 p.m. Dec. 16.

The ensemble will be playing songs such as "A Charlie Brown Christmas," "Jingle Bell Rock," "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch," "The Chipmunk Song ("Christmas Don't be Late)," and more traditional carols like "Jingle Bells" and "O Little Town of Bethlehem."

Admission is free, but donations will be accepted to help Decibells, a nonprofit organization, purchase new handbells. It currently borrows a set of handbells from Chapel United Methodist Church.

The group consists of 14 ringers and has grown considerably since its founder and director, Martha DiLorenzo, began rehearsals in October of 2022.

DiLorenzo got the idea to start Decibells after going to the Handbell Musicians of America Area 5 2022 Spring Festival in Cleveland. The event was titled "Rock, Roll & Ring."

She attended the festival with fellow members of a handbell choir at a local church. DiLorenzo has been a handbell ringer in that group for about 30 years.

The opening concert of "Rock Roll & Ring" featured The Raleigh Ringers, an internationally acclaimed community handbell choir from Raleigh, North Carolina.

"They played a rock 'n' roll medley with Guns N' Roses and everything else," DiLorenzo said. "It was phenomenal."

At that point, she became inspired to start an independent, nonprofit community handbell choir that could bring similar enjoyment to audiences in Lake County.

Decibells performed its first concert on June 3 at Chapel United Methodist. "On the Road Again" was the title of the concert, which featured songs such as "California Dreamin'," "It's a Small World," "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" and "Fly me to the Moon."

"Our June concert was very well attended and we have been busy rehearsing for Christmas," DiLorenzo said.