Handbell ensemble to perform in Mt. Pleasant

The Agape Ringers, Chicago’ s premier handbell ensemble, will perform in concert at First Presbyterian Church, 902 S Walnut St., Mount Pleasant, IA, on Monday, June 24 at 7:30 p.m. The concert is freewill offering, but due to limited seating, tickets will need to be reserved ahead of time from the church office. All are welcome to attend.

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The Agape Ringers are an auditioned handbell ensemble that perform musical styles ranging from classical to jazz to familiar pop music. The sixteen musicians have a collective ringing experience of over 450 years and perform on 132 bronze Malmark handbells and 73 Malmark Choirchimes®.

Directed by founding member KC Congdon since 2019, The Agape Ringers were formed in 1992 under the direction of David L. Weck. This exciting ensemble enjoys an ongoing collaboration with pianist/composer Joel Raney, and has performed with jazz trumpeter Orbert Davis, the Rockford Symphony, the North Shore Choral Society, the Illinois Brass Band, the Elgin Choral Union, the Elmhurst Symphony, and the West Towns Chorus.

The group is noted for beautifully orchestrated presentations of entertaining and varied music. Listeners are entranced by the ensemble’s energy, precision, and musicality. Since its founding in 1992, The Agape Ringers has made over 330 appearances across North America, Puerto Rico, and England. The ringers have been featured as performers and teachers for events such as the Fellowship of American Baptist Musicians Conference for Church Musicians in Green Lake, WI, and local, regional, and national gatherings of the Handbell Musicians of America.

You can learn more about The Agape Ringers on the web at www.AgapeRingers.org, and on Facebook and YouTube by searching for“ The Agape Ringers.” You can stream The Agape Ringers on any major music streaming platform, including Spotify and Apple Music.

The current program encompasses a wide variety of musical styles, from classical to boogie, with arrangements of well-known pieces such as Andrea Bocelli’s “Time to Say Goodbye;” “ Flight of the Bumblebee,” arranged as “Bumble Boogie;” “For Good” from the Broadway hit Wicked; and many more compositions for handbells.

Tickets are freewill offering and must be picked up before the performance. To get your tickets, please call or stop into the church office. Office is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. — 2 p.m. Got any questions? Contact the church at 319-986-5851 or firstpresbymtp@gmail.com.