Home - Blue Ridge Ringers

Making Beautiful Music

in the Mountains!

ABOUT US

CELEBRATING OVER 30 YEARS

The Blue Ridge Ringers is an auditioned community handbell ensemble founded by Connie Engle in September 1995 in Hendersonville, NC. We are a diverse group of ringers from Henderson, Transylvania, Buncombe, Polk, and Spartanburg (SC) counties. Many also direct or ring with their church handbell groups or other ensembles.

We ring five octaves of Malmark and Schulmerich handbells and five octaves of Malmark choirchimes and practice weekly at Hendersonville First United Methodist Church, and are very grateful for their support.

The Blue Ridge Ringers is incorporated as a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, with federal tax-exempt status. All donations are gratefully accepted.

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MEET THE RINGERS

Click to read our bios!

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Elaine Bagley

Elaine Bagley,

a retired math teacher from Georgia, has been ringing bells for 20 years. She also enjoys tutoring, swimming, playing bridge, and reading. She and her husband live in south Asheville. They have two grown children and four grandchildren.

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Suzanne Bailey

Suzanne Bailey...

has been happily ringing handbells for more than 40 years. This is her 9th season ringing with The Blue Ridge Ringers. When not ringing, she enjoys hiking, kayaking, reading, and tutoring in an after-school program in Brevard. She and her husband have lived in Brevard for 8 1/2 years and have 3 sons and 1 grandson.

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Harmony Browning

Harmony Browning...

is the youngest member of The Blue Ridge Ringers. She is a high school sophomore who has several years of French Horn experience. She enjoys singing and playing with her church bell choir.

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Tim Browning

Tim Browning...

is a violinist, pianist, and singer who runs a local private teaching studio. He also currently serves as music minister of Fletcher SDA Church. Tim is a product of Houston’s High School for the Performing & Visual Arts, and has sung with the Houston Symphony Chorus as well as being assistant director of VOX–The Rob Seible Singers.

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Rhonda Freeman

Rhonda Freeman...

is a retired music teacher who recently moved to Asheville from Metro Atlanta where she and her husband Terry raised their family of 3 children for 32 years. Rhonda has directed adult and children’s handbell choirs for 26 years and was a member of Golden Bells of Atlanta for 15 years. She had maintained a large piano studio for over 40 years in GA

and FL. Rhonda is currently enjoying ringing and singing with Central UMC of Asheville and Grace UMC in St. Augustine, FL. This is her first year with The Blue Ridge Ringers and is excited to be a part of this group.

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Donna Grubb

Donna Grubb...

began playing handbells in 1996 when she joined the handbell choir of First Presbyterian Church in Florence, SC. She was a member of that group for 25 years until she and her husband retired to Arden, NC with their 3 dogs in 2022. While in Florence, she left a nursing career to become a full-time mom to their daughter. Donna joined The Blue Ridge Ringers in 2024. In addition to playing handbells, she enjoys the outdoors, playing with her dogs, flower gardening, and flower pressing.

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Donnie Halter

Donnie Halter...

President, joined The Blue Ridge Ringers in 2011. She plays with the handbell choir of Brevard Davidson River Presbyterian church in Brevard and will sub for any group that needs two extra hands. Her other passions are her church, cross-stitching (she made the BRR banner), and other handicrafts. She and her husband Glenn live near Lake Toxaway and have 5 children, 12 grandchildren, and at last count, 5 great-grandchildren.

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Ed Hauck

Ed Hauck...

has been involved with church music including handbells for 45+ years. Since January 2024 as the Director of Music & Worship at Lutheran Church of the Nativity in Arden. He also leads the choir at Trinity View Retirement Community in Arden. He attended J. Sargent Reynolds Community College and Virginia Commonwealth University (Sacred Music) in Richmond. In 1998, he moved to NE Ohio serving Lutheran parishes after spending 35 years in Richmond. He has attended handbell conferences and workshops over the years, including summer sessions at Westminster Choir College with Kathy Eberling-Shaw.

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Lynn McFarland

Lynn McFarland...

Treasurer, has played handbells for over 30 years and joined The Blue Ridge Ringers in 2015. A highlight of her bell career was playing the National Anthem with over 500 other ringers for a Nationals baseball game in Washington DC in 2012. She lives in Hendersonville with her husband Stan and they have two sons.

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Cindy McKinstrie

Cindy McKinstrie...

has been with the Blue Ridge Ringers for almost 8 years. She has played in 2 church bell choirs, one in Vermont and presently in Tryon, accumulating over 11 years of playing. She lives with her husband, Frank, in Columbus, NC enjoying the retirement life if his wife would ever slow down. Their 5th and youngest child got married in May. Very exciting times.

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April Preston

April Preston...

was introduced to bells at church and became a substitute ringer with The Blue Ridge Ringers in fall 2018. She considers BRR a chosen family and joined full time in early 2019. Throughout childhood April was active in music with various choirs, bands, and orchestras. However, playing music was cut short to pursue a medical career and raise three wonderful daughters. April is now thrilled to return to music, a childhood passion! April and her husband are retired and live in Spartanburg, SC.

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Blaine Russell

Blaine Russell...

Director, has served as the Director of Music at Fletcher United Methodist Church since 2013, where he leads the Memorial Handbell Choir and other ensembles. He has a B.A. in Voice from High Point University and an M.M. in Church Music from Shenandoah Conservatory. Blaine began ringing bells in 2012, and just a year later he was excited to join The Blue Ridge Ringers. He also is currently serving as the North Carolina State Chair for Area 3 of Handbell Musicians of America. Blaine is a native of Kosciusko, MS and has been married to his wife Christina, also a church musician, since 2011.

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Karin Small

Karin Small...

Vice-President, began ringing handbells in high school in Ohio. She has been involved in music throughout her life in various choirs and bands. She took a brief hiatus to pursue a career, then began ringing again with the Tusculum Handbell Choir in Greeneville, Tennessee. After ringing there for several years she moved to North Carolina in 2019. She also plays clarinet and piano and serves as advisor and roving substitute for the Fletcher Academy bell choir, Exaltation.

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Lawrence Stewart

Lawrence Stewart...

Secretary, made the move from northeast Mississippi to Durham, NC in 1992, and has played with handbell choirs at Trinity UMC, North Raleigh UMC, and Hendersonville First UMC. Exposed to the vast repertoire written for handbells, he credits the NRUMC music program for giving him an immersive experience with the instrument. Currently, Lawrence finds himself on a new journey, seeking ways to create, whether it’s through choral music, freelance design, ringing with The Blue Ridge Ringers, or the endless home projects he really should consider finishing.

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Brennan Szafron

Brennan Szafron...

joined The Blue Ridge Ringers in January of 2022. Brennan is the “foreigner” of the group, growing up in the province of Saskatchewan, Canada. He is organist and choirmaster of Holy Cross Episcopal in Tryon where he has served since November of 2021. For 18 years, he served as organist and choirmaster of the Episcopal Church of the Advent in Spartanburg, SC. He holds degrees in organ performance from the University of Alberta (B. Mus.), Yale University (MM), and the University of Michigan (DMA). Brennan is also instructor of organ and is the organist of Converse University in Spartanburg and a regular keyboardist with the Spartanburg Philharmonic and Spartanburg Master Chorale. He is an occasional cellist and an avid hiker. This past fall, Brennan became the Assistant Director of the Blue Ridge Ringers.

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