CLINICIANS AND PRESENTERS

AUSTRALIA Handbell Society of Australasia

Suzanne Maslen (Kevinwood Bells musical director) is a physicist who researched the physics of sounds made by belleplates, presenting a paper on this topic at an acoustic conference in St Petersburg, a pianist who has performed concertos with Symphony orchestras in Western Australia, NSW and Queensland and the choir director of numerous community choirs.

Henrik Hogg is studying composition at the Conservatorium of Music, Sydney University, and rings with Kevinwood Bells. Composing for handbells, celeste and piano is his newest work – “Duck in a Pond”. He has an upcoming orchestral premiere in September of 2026.

CANADA Handbell Musicians of Canada

Patsy Andrews-Vert received a Bachelor of Music Education from Brandon University (Brandon MB) in 1984. She also holds an Associate in Flute Performance from the Western Board of Music (1986). Patsy has taught students of all instrumental music levels in both Saskatchewan and Manitoba, Canada. She is retired from teaching in South-Central Manitoba, but continues to work in the school system teaching whatever she is given. She is an active clinician, adjudicator and conductor in handbells, band, and Speech Arts. Patsy is a Past-Chair of the Handbell Musicians of Canada, and President of the Manitoba Guild of English Handbell Ringers. She directs the Trinity Lutheran Handbells in Starbuck MB and plays with the quartet Ring Out! based in Winnipeg MB.

heather nicholson has been ringing up musical adventures across North America since discovering handbells in 1992! A founding member of three bell choirs and a small ensemble in the Toronto, Canada area, she has performed and taught at local, regional, national, and international handbell events (including the 2004 Toronto Handbell Symposium) — always ready for the next challenge, concert, or last-minute ringing adventure. Known for her energetic and expressive solo performances, heather loves combining creativity, movement, and musical storytelling to bring handbells to life. She produced a CD of small ensemble handbell music in 2009 and has three published solo handbell arrangements through AGEHR Publishing (HMA), From the Top Music, and Sonology Music.
Beyond the ringing table, heather spent more than 10 years as Editor of OGEHR’s Clapper Chatter newsletter and currently serves as the provincial Central East Area Representative and a Director-at-Large for Handbell Musicians of Canada.

Emmy Okazawa-Bortolin was born in Japan, but immigrated to Canada as a child and grew up bilingual (Japanese-English) in Ontario. She moved to Québec City for university and “became” Québécoise, absorbing all that was French-Canadian. Like a sponge soaking up all the incredible culture and history of this region of Canada, she learned how to play spoons, finger weave, dance reels and speak French like a local. She continued this fascination in Alberta where she taught French Immersion while training and performing with a francophone giguing troupe, La Girandole. This was incidentally a very artistic time in her life as she also met her first handbell in Alberta. Since 1984, Emmy has been a ringer, soloist, clinician, adjudicator, director and massed conductor at events in the USA, Singapore, Canada and at IHS Liverpool. She has served on local, national and international handbell Boards since the early 1990s and organized the 2nd IHS Edmonton in 1992 as well as several regional and national handbell festivals. In her free time, she teaches fitness, music and plays jazz clarinet in a swing band.

Debbie Rice is the artistic director for the Handbell Society of Edmonton, Alberta. In 2024 she was awarded the International Handbell Laureate Award in Japan while representing Canada as conductor. She has served as mass conductor for previous symposia in Australia 2006 & 2018 (Inaugural Handchimes), United States 2008, Japan 2010 (Festival Choir) and Korea 2014 (Youth). In addition to symposia, she has adjudicated and conducted in 25 countries.
Debbie holds membership in two Guilds: Handbell Musicians of Canada and Handbell Musicians of America as an Honorary Life Member (the Guild’s highest honour). Her administrative positions included serving as National President for HMA where her board transitioned into a new form of governance. In her role as a former Executive Director for the International Handbell Committee, we officially welcomed Hong Kong and Singapore into our community! She has also been a university professor and faithfully served music ministries.
Handbells and handchimes remain a lifelong passion as she continues to bring this instrument into new communities. Her 2027 international tour partnering with WITTE Travel will explore Poland and Czech Republic.

HONG KONG Handbell Association of Hong Kong

Alice Lee Oi Shan has been studying handbells with Ms. Emily Li since 2002 and is now a member of the Hong Kong Handbell Academy Belltastic Ensemble, actively performing in Hong Kong and overseas. She has attended the International Handbell Symposium since 2008. For 17 years, she established and conducted her school handchime and belleplate choirs, achieving outstanding results in inter-school handbell competitions every year. She has also served as a workshop clinician many times, including workshops on Chinese fan-painting, Chinese knots, and paper cutting..

Emily Li is an internationally respected handbell soloist, conductor, educator, and composer with over three decades of experience in advancing the art of handbell performance. Born and raised in Hong Kong and now based in Canada, she has appeared as a performer and clinician across Asia, Europe, and North America, engaging diverse handbell communities worldwide.
She is the Founder and Artistic Director of the Hong Kong Handbell Academy, a leading institution in handbell education, where she has been instrumental in cultivating artistic excellence and shaping generations of ringers. Under her direction, the Academy’s ensembles, including the Hong Kong Youth Handbell Ensemble, have earned international recognition for their high performance standards and innovative programming.
Renowned for her expressive artistry and insightful pedagogy, Emily integrates movement-based approaches to deepen musical understanding and communication. A frequent conductor and clinician at international festivals and symposiums, she is dedicated to inspiring ringers and conductors to pursue expressive, collaborative, and meaningful music-making.

HUNGARY

Márton Germán is a founding member and the artistic director of the Szironta Ensemble, established in 2009. He creates the ensemble’s handbell arrangements and develops its repertoire to actively promote the art of handbell ringing. Additionally, he serves as a director of the European Handbell Committee and manages PR and international affairs for Szironta and its umbrella association.
His musical work is deeply rooted in researching handbell techniques and chamber ensemble practices, with a strong focus on sharing this knowledge. A professional in the media industry with degrees in economics, education, and communications, Marton enjoys travelling, exploring Central and Eastern European music, and studying Slavic culture.
Currently, he is spearheading efforts to secure Hungary’s official representation within the International Handbell Committee, aiming to expand continental Europe's presence alongside the UK. He is deeply committed to integrating the Hungarian handbell community into the global movement and is thrilled to share his cultural heritage at the International Handbell Symposium.

ICELAND

Karen Janine Sturlaugsson was born in Massachusetts, USA of Icelandic descent. She grew up in a musical family and started playing trumpet and piano from an early age and played in bands, orchestras and handbell choirs. She graduated college with degrees in music and mathematics. In 1987 Karen moved to Iceland. She has taught brass and ensembles and been the assistant principal at the Reykjanesbaer Music School since 1999. Currently Karen conducts the Reykjanesbaer Music School Handbell Choir, Lúðrasveit verkalýðsins (an adult community band in Reykjavík) and LV Big Band. Karen received the Order of the Falcon from the Icelandic president in June 2022.

JAPAN Handbell Ringers of Japan

Nozomu Abe founded the Kobe YMCA Bell Choir in 1980, initiating his career in handbell music. A board member of the Handbell Ringers of Japan from 1986 to 2021, he also spent 30 years as Kansai Chapter Director, contributing significantly to regional performance standards. Internationally, he was invited to conduct mass ringing at the International Handbell Symposiums in Exeter (1988) and Birmingham (2000), performing his own arrangements of Japanese folk songs. In 2010, he chaired the executive committee for the 14th International Handbell Symposium in Osaka, leading the event to a successful conclusion. Currently, he is dedicated to training the next generation at the Osaka College of Music and Kobe YMCA. The four recordings released by the Kobe YMCA Bell Choir are well regarded for their musicality.

Noriko Musha began ringing handbells the year after HRJ was founded, marking the beginning of nearly five decades as a ringer. Since 1996, she has participated in every International Handbell Symposium and has contributed to planning and operations for the past Symposium hosted in Japan. This year, she will join HRJ members in Aberdeen, presenting a Japanese culture class and sharing her ORIGAMI workshop with ringers from around the world to fold for world peace.

SOUTH KOREA Korea Handbell Association

Nara Song is a conductor of the Hallelujah Church in Korea. Due to the influence of her father, who was an art teacher in high school, she grew up exposed to various aspects of Korean art and won an award for painting and making at a prestigious competition.

SINGAPORE Handbell Ringers of Singapore

Damien Lim trained as a military and theatre percussionist, and Yamaha Electone musician; Damien is Founder and Music Director of the MINISTRY OF BELLZ. “Music” has led him to perform, teach & adjudicate in 20+ countries.
Damien is a Fellow of the London College of Music (UK). He holds a Master of Music (Performance) from the University of West London – London College of Music (UK), a Master of Music (Leadership) from the National University of Singapore – Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music and was recently awarded the title of Doctor of Letters (Honoris Causa) by ATU in 2022, for his work in handbell music development in Singapore.
Damien directs advanced handbell teams at 5 schools and is consultant for 9 other school ensembles. A believer of creative excellence through handbell music, he contributes actively to the development of handbells in Singapore: though his tireless work with students, youths, persons with special needs and is Music Director with the ExtraOrdinary Light Orchestra. His motivation is to be “purposeful in pursuit of excellence”. Damien is the Executive Director of the HRSG. www.damienlim.weebly.com

Lyn Yap is the President of HRSG and is recently retired. She is involved in editing and research for various organisations on a voluntary capacity, in the areas of disability and dementia studies, and creation care. She is extremely excited to welcome ringers from all over the world to the inaugural IHS in Singapore.

UNITED KINGDOM Handbell Ringers of Great Britain

Philip Bedford is currently living and ringing in Canterbury, England; handbell music composer, International Symposium Massed Ringing Conductor and Workshop Clinician since the 3rd Symposium in 1988 and through the following 22 years. With his brother Don he published 28 books of handbell music ranging from 4 books for 1½ octaves in number notation, 7 books for 2¼ octaves in both staff and number notation, 5 books for 3 octaves and 5 books for 4 octaves only in staff notation, and a dozen individual 5 octave staff notation pieces composed by Philip, all now on line and in the Public Domain. He has come out of symposium retirement to dare you to share his love for traditional number music.

Ruth Cantlay has been ringing handbells for over 30 years and is the musical director of Jordanhill Parish Church Handbell Ringers in Glasgow. She is currently the secretary of the Scottish Regional Association of HRGB. She has conducted at several Scottish Regional events, and has attended many of the International Handbell Symposia. Ruth ran two similar workshops in Osaka in 2010 and prepared a similar workshop which was run at the Symposium in Liverpool in 2012.

Aidan Fozard has been ringing handbells since he was 9 or 10. Aidan is a handbell conductor, performer, educator and event organiser, including as part of the organising team for this event and the organiser of the National Residential Ringing Week. Aidan is the Musical Director of the 35 member HRGB East Anglian Regional Team. With 3 rows of English bells spanning around 7 octaves, it is one of the largest advanced groups in the UK. It is a non-auditioned community group that meets monthly before performing a series of concerts in the spring. Aidan is a regular conductor and educator on a breadth of topics for HRGB National events and has done the same at HMA events. As a ringer, Aidan is a member of the Royswood Bronze trio and is well known for his Belleplate solos. Aidan aims to make quality performance and musicality core, while also having fun!
In the world of work, Aidan is a senior IT service management consultant, forming and leading virtual teams, turning over rocks and running towards the fires.

Emily Franks has been a handbell ringer pretty much since she was born as both her parents played. She learnt the four-in-hand style when she was 9/10 years old and played regularly in a 12-bell team from a few years later. Three years ago, her team of three ringers became a team of two and branched into 8 bell music and the complexities it brings.
Emily has been in Girlguiding (UK) since she was 5 years old. She is a qualified Brownie Guider meaning she helps 7–10 year old girls try new things and learn life skills while having fun and building their confidence week by week. She has taken part in campfires for 20 (and a bit years) from a Rainbow (age 5-7) to now leading fire songs with members of all ages in the Guiding community.

Judith Frye learned to ring as a student 50 years ago. Currently she is Tower Captain at Dunblane Cathedral, Training Officer for the Scottish Association of Change Ringers and a Tutor for the Association of Ringing Teachers. She rings handbells with Dunblane Cathedral Handbell Ringers.

Alan & Wendy Walters have both been ringing church bells for over 50 years and first met in a church tower at University. They have been ringing handbells for 40 years and formed the Alton Handbell Ringers in 1991, which Wendy leads.
Katrina Gordon (composer) and Susie Dingle (conductor) are co-founders of the social enterprise caithnessmusic.com which promotes community group music making for health. Since 2012, they have been taking an explicit, values-led approach to facilitating group music making in their wee corner of Scotland. As well as working with the Caithness Handbell Ringers, they also run weekly rehearsals for choirs, orchestras, swing bands and brass bands, open to all ages and abilities. Katrina has completed an MSc in Mindfulness Studies, researching Music and Mindfulness.

Dr. Alan Hartley is the son of the founding Chairman of Handbell Ringers of Great Britain. He is a past Chairman of HRGB, and past Chairman of the International Handbell Committee. He led the Organising Committee for the International Handbell Symposiums in Birmingham (2000) and Liverpool (2012). He is now the Archivist for HRGB.

Elena Koponen-Baikie is a Finn who has lived in Scotland for over 30 years and as well as handbell ringing, enjoys various traditional crafts. She has always loved the logic and geometry of Celtic Knots and has lately started using them in her crochet work.
Mark Walland has been ringing handbells for the last 53 years and is getting the hang of it at last! He is a member of 4 different teams varying from duets with his wife Sue to the East Anglian Regional Team. In the 7 years before his retirement he worked at the Whitechapel Bell Foundry.

Tim Willetts is a teacher and education adviser. After discovering the joy of handbells in the 1980s he rang bass bells for years before realising that a conductor’s baton weighs less! He has been Musical Director of St Lawrence Chobham Handbell Ringers and Kirdford, Ifold and Plaistow Handbell Ringers Association (KIPHRA) since 2002. He has played bells and conducted bell groups in many countries. In 2005 he was invited to become Musical Director of the East Anglian Regional Handbell Team, and the Founding Director of the Northern Bell Orchestra. His school handbell groups achieved distinctions in their LCM Handbell Ensemble Exams. From 2014 to 2023 he was Chair of the Handbell Ringers of Great Britain – and he is currently Executive Director of the International Handbell Committee.

Fiona and Robert Willis are a married couple with a combined experience of over 60 years’ handbell ringing off table, in hand, peal ringing and four-in-hand both from number and staff notations. In 2024 they represented HRGB at the International Symposium in Toronto as members of Tor Bells, playing traditional Sea Shanties four-in-hand with Robert’s parents, Jane and John. As a couple they have performed both off-table and four-in-hand as ‘Beauty and The Beast’ – We’ll leave you to decide who is who! Fiona is one of the four conductors of the HRGB South West Region Handbell Ensemble founded by Robert before he moved on to direct the Exeter Youth Orchestra. Fiona and Robert were prominent clinicians at the UK National Youth Music Camps for 13 years, each teaching a group of 10-12 teenagers how to ring a bell - right through to a concert ready performance of a piece at the end of the week after only a few hours tuition. In addition to Handbell Ringing and Orchestra work, Fiona and Robert are a Primary School Teacher and an NHS Server Analyst respectively, both volunteering with Scouts and Squirrels (4-5 yr olds) in what little spare time they have.

Kate Worthington owns Lakeside Needlecraft and the business has been running for 12 years. It specialises in cross stitch but also sells needlecraft items for all crafts. She have been stitching for over 20 years and was very lucky to be able to turn her hobby into her full time job. She enjoys all kinds of stitching and particularly loves stitching nature, birds and Quaker style designs.

SCOTLAND Guest Presenters

Charley Buchan was born in Fraserburgh, North Aberdeenshire, and brings over 20 years’ experience as a north-east Scotland cultural practitioner and project manager, along with over 10 years as a Secondary School teacher to his role as Doric Language Development Worker with the Elphinstone Institute, at the University of Aberdeen. He has a continuous Doric thread that weaves its way through both his professional and personal work and was Director of Fitlike Records for 7 years. Charley features regularly in the Press & Journal (P&J) 'Doric Corner' feature and is an active volunteer with the Tarves Heritage Project in Tarves, where he now resides.

Chelsea Hawthorne represents McCalls Highlandwear, a family-run Scottish business established in 1887 and now proudly spanning four generations. With a long-standing reputation for quality, craftsmanship, and expertise in Highland dress, the business has remained rooted in tradition while continually evolving for the modern wearer.
She’s passionate about making Highlandwear feel easy and approachable, whether someone has grown up around tartan or is coming to it for the first time. Chelsea works closely within the family business and plays an active role in how customers experience Highlandwear today. A big part of what she enjoys is helping people feel comfortable and confident in what they’re wearing, and showing that Highlandwear can work in lots of different ways, not just the traditional ones.
Through sessions like Touch of Tartan, it’s less about a formal talk and more about sharing the story behind it all. From the history and craftsmanship through to what it actually feels like to wear, the aim is to bring it to life in a warm, down-to-earth way and give people something they can really connect with.

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Handbell Musicians of America

Brenda Austin is in demand internationally as a conductor and clinician, known for her dynamic, energetic approach to connecting musicians through handbells. In 2019, she joined the editorial team at Hope Publishing Company in Carol Stream, IL, and in 2023 she was named Music Director for Embellish Handbells. Under her leadership, Embellish was selected as one of the premier ensembles to perform at Handbell Musicians of America’s Pinnacle in 2025. Before joining Embellish, Brenda served as Artistic Director of the Detroit Handbell Ensemble beginning in 2016. She has also served as Director of Music at First United Methodist Church in Eaton Rapids, MI, since 2003.
A prolific composer and arranger, Brenda has had more than 120 handbell and sacred choral titles published since 2015. She is highly sought after as a clinician throughout the year and has conducted at numerous festivals and workshops, including HMA’s Distinctly Bronze and the Bellprints International Handbell Competition in Hong Kong.

Stevie Berryman lights up festival podiums with her humour, creativity, and ability to draw moving performances out of ringers at any skill level. She is the director of the Handbell Ensemble at Trinity University and the Artistic Director of River City Ringers in San Antonio, TX. Stevie was a co-founder and Artistic Director of the acclaimed Houston Chamber Ringers in Houston, TX, and of Rocket Bells in League City, TX. She has previously directed many different church ensembles in Virginia and Texas. She wears the titles of handbell clinician, arranger, and educator but is best known for her imaginative and immersive concert programming. Stevie has a particular passion for teaching beginners how to ring, and her innovative, play-based methods have made her a sought-after educator and clinician at area, national, and international handbell festivals. She and her husband Paul are co-owners of Truly Horrible Things, a snarky card game company, even though her mother always told her that no one would ever pay her to be sarcastic.

Nick Hanson After receiving his BA in Music (with a concentration in handbell performance) from Concordia University, Irvine, California, Nick has been teaching at The Potomac School in McLean, Virginia, for the past 25 years. At Potomac, he teaches six classes to students between ten and nineteen years old. He also serves as the handbell director at a Presbyterian Church in Alexandria, Virginia.
Nick is a sought after faculty clinician and conductor throughout the world, having led events, classes and workshops in England, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, Taiwan and the United States. Most recently he conducted the esteemed handbell event, Distinctly Bronze, in 2025. In 2022, The Potomac School recognized Nick with the Bill Cook Excellence
in Teaching Award, and he was featured in the Arlington Magazine article ‘Teachers We Love’ in 2023. He is a published writer in the national US handbell magazine Overtones, serves on HMA’s Bells in Schools Committee, has over 100 pieces composed and arranged, and is co-host of the podcast Two Tacos High: A Handbell Podcast.

Kathryn Jurado is a musician with over 30 years of performance experience, 20 years of nonprofit volunteer work, and a lifelong dedication to church music ministry. She is a respected leader in the handbell community as both a ringer and director. She serves as Director of Handbells at Landon School in Bethesda, Maryland, where she leads ensembles in grades 5-12, and is the Handbell Editor for Alfred Music and Instrumental Editor for Jubilate Music Group. Originally from Puerto Rico, Kathryn holds Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from the University of South Florida. As a freelance oboist and private teacher, she has performed with orchestras, musical theatre, and opera companies in central Florida, appeared in La La Land Live, and performed alongside artists including Ray Charles, the Irish Tenors, and Hanson. A sought-after clinician and conductor, Kathryn continues to lead festivals and events across the United States, inspiring musicians of all levels. She is passionate about developing expressive, musically confident ensembles through educational and engaging rehearsal techniques.

Cheyla Marrero has been involved in Latin dance since the age of 12. She has participated in various dance groups, performed alongside musical artists, and shared her knowledge through teaching in school settings. She has also been part of similar workshops at past symposia, bringing both cultural perspective and hands-on experience to her sessions. In addition to her artistic background, she is a professional designer and team leader who enjoys creating engaging and welcoming learning environments.
Linnette Rodriguez has been ringing bells since 1989. She has not missed a Symposium since 2004 and has helped offer the Latin dances workshop in Symposiums in Australia (2006), Japan (2010), and Canada (2016). She has played bells in over 25 countries and loves sharing the art of handbell ringing with friends from all over the world.

Derek Nance is a professional technical director and stage manager who works primarily in the western United States. He has worked both concerts and theatrical shows at Lake Tahoe Shakespeare and Idaho Shakespeare, as well as working behind the scenes with the Reno Philharmonic. As a handbell musician, Derek is also one half of the duo that brings you concerts live on the internet from the Handbell Musicians of America National Seminar every summer