New England handbell choirs raise funds for One Lewiston at annual Maine Spring Ring
Apr. 27—AUBURN — The 2024 Maine Spring Ring featured 16 handbell choirs ringing in spring at the Auburn Middle School on Saturday.
The biannual event, hosted for the second time in Auburn, featured over 120 handbell ringers from across Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and Massachusetts.
Maine's participating choirs were from Auburn, Camden, Cumberland, Falmouth, Rangeley, Hampden, Lincoln, Portland, Skowhegan, Somesville, Winthrop and York. Choirs also participating from out of state came from Bedford, Massachusetts; Concord and Madison, New Hampshire; and Newport, Vermont.
Joining from Portland was the Lincoln Ringers, an eighth grade choir from Lincoln Middle School.
While the Spring Ring usually holds a freewill offering to cover event expenses, the event's committee decided the offering would be split with half going to the One Lewiston Resilience Fund, said Amy Rollins, communications director for Handbell Musicians of America's New England area.
One Lewiston is a partnership between the city of Lewiston and the Lewiston-Auburn Chamber of Commerce which aims to honor victims of the Oct. 25 mass shooting, support victims' families, pay tribute to the community's resilience and create a memorial. (See more about One Lewiston at onelewiston.org.)
"The audience is going to hear a variety of music, they're going to hear the whole phenomenon of what it sounds like to hear 120-some-odd ringers on the gym floor ringing at the same time," Rollins said shortly before one of the last workshops and rehearsals ahead of the 4 p.m. concert.
In addition to all the choirs in attendance was an all-bronze choir, aptly named Randomly Bronze, featuring ringers from all six New England states. Rollins said the New England contingent of Handbell Musicians of America has made it a priority this year to perform at all six Spring Rings, Maine's being the last.
Rollins explained that handbell classifications break down to the simpler tin bells and intermediate copper bells. The bronze alloy of both classifications is usually reserved for more experienced ringers, she said.
"For Maine Spring Ring, we traditionally offer just the tins and coppers music because we don't have really any choirs in Maine classified as bronze," Rollins said adding that she was thrilled to hear the diverse bronze handbells.
Rollins said handbell ringing is a musical tradition typically found in churches, but often involves different denominations and individuals joining in for a larger choir.
Sue Downes-Borko from Rangeley Ringers said her choir is made up of members from four Rangeley area churches and others from the community. The choir has met sporadically since the 1980s, but has rehearsed steadily since 2007 and ventured out to Vermont, Massachusetts and Maryland for conferences. Downes-Borko has been a ringer for around 45 years.
"We love it," said Downes-Borko. "I love the social piece, learning compositions and being able to share our music with the community."
Debbie Hillman from the Auburn United Methodist Ringers, also a former teacher at Auburn Middle School, said she has been ringing for over 20 years. As such, she was recommended along with another from her choir to join the Randomly Bronze choir.
"Choirs have been practicing these songs for months," Hillman said. "Today, we're learning how to play together," Hillman said. It's all about the spirit of it and "the sharing of music and learning to play better."
"When I moved down here from Dover-Foxcroft, I was looking for a musical outlet, something to use the other side of my brain. For me, it's expressive and I find it really relaxing ... rehearsing at this bronze level, though, has been kind of 'ahh!'"
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