Dear Handbell Fans and Enthusiasts,
After the resounding success of last year’s festival, we are excited to invite you to the next Iowa City Handbell Choir Festival on March 27-28, 2026 at St. Andrew Presbyterian Church!
The clinician for the festival is Martha Matthews from Kalamazoo, Michigan. A 34-year veteran of handbells, Martha is the current conductor of the longest consistently running community handbell ensemble in the country, Kalamazoo Ringers. She founded and conducted Philadelphia Bronze, an advanced auditioned community handbell ensemble with the motto “elegant energy.” She served for 13 years as handbell director at Proclamation Presbyterian Church in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, and for 7 years at Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Most recently, Martha served as one of the clinicians at the Worship and Music Conference at Montreat, North Carolina, during the summer of 2025. Her musicality, positive energy, sense of humor, enthusiasm for bells, and care for the ringers was a highlight of the conference.
We hope that you are planning on registering for the festival. Individuals, partial handbell choirs, and full handbell choirs are welcome.
All information is in the registration link here:
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me. Hope to see you in 2026!
Happy Ringing!
Laura
Laura Kastens
Assistant Director of Handbell Ministries
St. Andrew Presbyterian Church, Iowa City
