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Ding, dong, bing, bong! Imagine that you are strolling down a snow-covered walk in the early evening hours of mid-December, and you hear the far-off call of church bells. The sound is magic, provoking a flood of memories, goose bumps, and a visceral sense of wonder. No surprise, then, that Season of Wonders may have the same effect on you. The Capital City Ringers ("CCR") is a community handbell ensemble hailing from Lansing, Michigan. This album provides nearly a full hour of handbell-driven pleasures, but does include some complementary support from a few other instruments (percussion, keyboard, guitar). The overall effect is beautiful bewitchment--just the ticket for providing an instrumental backdrop to your holiday fun.

Achieving precision and high-art musicality with handbells is no mean feat, and CCR pulls it off here. With selections ranging from the gloriously classical (Messiah's For Unto Us a Child Is Born) to traditional and contemporary chestnuts (God Rest Ye Merry & White Christmas, from international treats (A La Ru (A Christmas Lullaby)) to homegrown spirituals (Rise Up, Shepherd, and Follow), CCR does it all with elegance and style. Some pieces shout with joyous bravado, and others shimmer with understated enchantment. Two favorites, The Wexford Carol and Coventry Carol, delicately draw listeners down a richly rewarding path.

My winter cap comes off to director Jane Wright and her CCR. Bravo! If you long for the unique elegance and charm of Christmas bells, let CCR provide a Season of Wonder this year.

--Carol Swanson
(Reviewed in 2007)

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From the liner notes:

The CD was recorded over several sessions from Fall 1997 through Fall 2003. The following ringers were involved in the recording of this CD:
Lisa Biasi
Rosalyn Butler
Nancy Dawson Clark
Kim Finison
Kris Finison
Lorraine Finison
Chuck Gendrich
Cheryl Hill
Joe Hill
Rick Hobrla
Lois Krieger
Diane Lanning
Chisanne Lowe
Gary Masters
Gina Patton
Brad Poreda
Adam Reemts
Charlotte Reemts
Laura Sparks
Susan Speers
Becky Stoner
Jodi Johns Sullivant
Katie Wharton
Adrene Wilford
Sharon Yohn
Cricket Young

Director: Jane C. Wright
Percussion: Kim Finison, Kris Finison, Jane Wright
Keyboard: Laura Sparks
Guitar: Roger Humphrey
Sound Engineer: Joel Newport
Recording Studio: Harvest Music and Sound Design, Lansing, MI
Cover Photo: Kim Finison Photography


From the Website:

The Capital City Ringers, Inc., an auditioned community handbell ensemble from Lansing, Michigan, was formed in 1984 to give an opportunity for advanced handbell ringers to grow, learn, and promote the art of handbell ringing by providing a high quality musical experience for diverse audiences. These advanced ringers come from the extended Lansing area. They volunteer their time and talents and are committed to community service projects and concert performances in the Lansing area and beyond. Their fifteen to twenty concerts a year take them to many areas of Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and even as far as Disney World, Florida, in the summer of 1991. They also have been the featured group for the opening concert of an Area V Festival Conference. The Capital City Ringers are known for their musical expression and dynamic interpretation of the music they play. Their goals are achieved through participating in festival conferences, workshops, tours, recordings, and other performance opportunities...

The group owns and performs on a full 6 octave set of Malmark handbells, including a C9, several duplicate bells, a 6 octave set of Malmark Choirchimes©, and a variety of auxiliary percussion instruments. CCR will often be accompanied by other instruments, such as clarinet, flute, cello, or even a synthesizer.

Capital City Ringers

Season of Wonder

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Track List