National Seminar 2009

Barbara Brocker

Barbara Brocker has been ringing for 30 years, and in the last 10 years has been developing the art of playing bell trees as a solo instrument.  Using three octaves in 6 bell trees suspended from a stand, she's performed and taught bell tree classes, led ensemble and bell tree workshops, and given solo concerts in several Area festivals in the US.  As a bell tree performer and instructor at the national Solo and Ensemble Extravaganza (“SEE”) in Colorado Springs in 2001, 2003 and 2005, she also was selected to join their nationally selected “Dream Team” quartet.  Ms. Brocker performed bell tree solo concerts at the 2006 and 2008 National Handbell Directors’ Seminars.  At the 2008 International Handbell Symposium, she was the instructor for bell tree classes.  Over 20 of her bell tree arrangements are in publication through several sources.  Barbara recently served as Oregon Chair of Area X and founded the handbell program in 1996 at Sunriver, Oregon where she currently resides.

Kay Cook

For 30 years Kay Cook has been changing the lives of youth and adults through the rhythmic music of handbells.  She is described as a visionary, utilizing her innovative style and unique training techniques to make a difference through the art of handbell ringing.  Ms Cook was educated at Eastern Illinois University and Arizona State University.  As a clinician, Ms Cook has instructed handbell directors, composer, and ringers from the United States, Japan, Canada, Australia, and Europe.  Ms Cook conducted a Masters Class for handbell directors at Concordia College, Mequon, Wisconsin during their summer sessions for a period of three years.  Ms Cook has conducted, taught, and attended many AGEHR festivals, director’s conventions and workshops over the past 30 years.  She was also the founder and President of Handbell Exploration.  Ms Cook and her Scottsdale English Handbell Ensemble attended the 12th International Handbell Symposium in Australia.  This was Ms Cook’s 4th attendance, with her choirs, at an International Handbell Symposium.

Ms Cook has accepted countless invitations as guest conductor for festivals, concerts, conventions and seminars throughout the United States, Canada, Asia and Europe.

Ms Cook was recently nominated for the Arizona Governor’s Arts Award in two categories, once in Individual category and once in Educator’s category.

David Davidson

Kathy Ebling Thorne

Griff Gall

Michael Glasgow

Rima Greer

Alan Hughes

Kathryn Hughes

Nancy Jessup

Nancy Jessup teaches handbells at Concordia University, Irvine, where she is responsible for two of the four handbell choirs, teaches private handbell lessons, coaches the quartet, RESOUND!, and handbell coaching on all levels.  She also co-teaches the Handbell Methods class.  Nancy has been ringing for over 30 years and has taught and conducted at conferences and workshops throughout the United States, in Canada, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Beth Judd

Beth (Watson) Judd is Director of Music Ministries at Northwest Hills United Methodist Church, Austin, TX, where she oversees a program consisting of six choirs.  She has served as President of the American Guild of English Handbell Ringers, as Secretary/Treasurer of Area IX, and as Music Chairman for AGEHR, Inc.  She is active as a conductor and clinician for seminars, festivals, workshops, and denominational worship and music conferences.  She was also one of the conductors representing the United States at the International Handbell Symposium in Toronto, Canada, in the summer of 2004.  Beth is a published handbell composer and author for AGEHR Publishing.  She was a charter member and the assistant conductor of the Dallas Handbell Ensemble and was the original conductor of the Concert Bells of Fort Worth.  Beth also served as President of the Greater Dallas Handbell Association.  Beth has been attending AGEHR activities since 1965 and has been conducting handbell choirs since 1968.  She is a member of the AGEHR Legacy Society and Past Officers Council.

Beth holds degrees in Voice Performance and Music Education from the Manhattan School of Music in New York City and the University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK.  She was an Instructor at Queens College, Charlotte, NC, and was the handbell instructor at Southwestern Theological Seminary in Fort Worth.  Beth has served churches in New York City, Norman, OK, Charlotte, NC, and Dallas and Arlington, TX.  Beth recently married Greg Judd, a member of the congregation she serves, and they reside in Austin, TX.

Kermit Junkert

Sueda Luttrell

Sueda Luttrell is a native of Lufkin, Texas, and received the Bachelor and Master of Music degrees in Organ Performance from Baylor University.  She has served as organist of churches in Lufkin, Waco, and Ft. Worth, Texas, and Marietta, Georgia.  She currently holds the position of Organist/Music Associate at University Baptist Church in Fort Worth, where her duties include directing the various handbell choirs for fourth graders through adults.

Sueda's handbell experience began during her high school years with the youth bell choir of First Baptist Church in Lufkin.  She held the position of Georgia State Chair for AGEHR Area IV from 2000-2002 and regularly serves as a clinician, conductor, and solo performer for state, area, and national handbell events. She is a published author on handbell related topics and her solo bell compositions are published with STEP (Solo To Ensemble Project), Lifeway Press, and Red River Music.  Since beginning solo ringing in 1995, Sueda has performed throughout the United States., including presenting the featured solo concert at the AGEHR 50th Anniversary Celebration in Norfolk, Virginia, in 2004.  She is also a member of the East Texas Handbell Ensemble under the direction of Arnold Sherman.

Sueda resides in Ft. Worth with her husband, Jeff, and two daughters, Meredith Joy and Melanie Grace.  Meredith is a doctoral student at Texas A&M University, and Grace is an undergraduate student at the University of Southern Mississippi.  Jeff is an engineer employed by Lockheed Martin.

Monica McGowan

James Meredith

John Pfeiffer

Debbie Rice

Debbie is the Director of the Handbell Ministry for Becks Baptist Church in Winston-Salem, NC. This ministry includes multicultural and intergenerational choir groups for all ages utilizing the largest set of handbells and handchimes commercially available. Her bronze ensemble, Rejoice Ringers, has released two CD recordings and been featured in concerts for handbell events across the United States. She is in demand as a conductor and clinician throughout the US and internationally that has included Australia, Canada and Great Britain. In June 2009 Debbie is the conductor for an International Handbell Festival in Great Britain. Just prior to this seminar she serves as guest conductor for the first Asia Handbell Festival in Singapore. In August she will be the guest conductor for the summer workshop of the Handbell Ringers of Japan.

Her degrees are in music education, opera and musical theatre. She has been a frequent contributor to Overtones, served on and chaired numerous committees at the area and national level as well as held elected offices as an Area III Chair (1997-99), National Secretary (1999-2003) and the National Presidential cycle (2003-2008). Debbie currently serves as the Executive Director for the International Handbell Committee.

Arnold Sherman

Martha Lynn Thompson

Martha Lynn Thompson was the Organist and Associate Director of Music at St. James United Methodist Church in Little Rock, Arkansas from 1969 until her retirement in July 2002.  Her husband, Felix, was the Director of Music and jointly they directed the handbell program.  Under their leadership, the St. James Music Ministry grew from 2 to 20 choirs, including 13 bell choirs.  Prior to coming to St. James, Martha Lynn taught junior high school choral music and, with her husband, developed a graded choral and handbell program at the Methodist Children's Home in Little Rock.

In 1989 Martha Lynn was elected AGEHR National Secretary and for two years served on its Board of Directors.  In 1995 she was given the status of Master Instructor of Handbell Notation, and in 2001 she was given the highest honor of an Honorary Life Membership.

Mrs. Thompson is a graduate of Henderson State University where she received her Bachelor of Music Education degree with a major in organ and theory. She has more than 300 published arrangements and transcriptions that range from music for the beginning bell choir to music for the most advanced choirs. With Frances Callahan she has written 13 collections of music for beginning handbell choirs, and alone she has authored 7 other collections for beginning and intermediate bell choirs.  She also has two published organ transcriptions, is the author of two handbooks for directors and ringers.  Her most recent work, published by AGEHR, is Tunes that Teach, a book of handbell and handchime music and teaching materials that are usable in both schools and churches. 

In her retirement, as a volunteer Martha Lynn continues to direct three handbell choirs at St. James UMC, to work behind the scenes with the St. James Alumni Ringers which her husband directs, and to be active as an arranger of handbell music.  In her “spare time” she also does free-lance music engraving, putting into practice what she is teaching this week!

Tammy Waldrop

David Weck

Paul Weller

Stephanie Wiltse