A two-day handbell event scheduled for Oct. 10–11 is set to bring a centuries-old musical tradition to Green Mountain Falls, giving Pikes Peak region residents a chance to both learn the craft and hear it performed live. The gathering marks the fifth time Church in the Wildwood has hosted the Forté Handbell Quartet Workshop and Concert.
Handbells are precision-tuned metal bells, each capable of producing a single pitch, played collectively in an ensemble in which every participant is assigned responsibility for specific notes. An ensemble may draw on anywhere between 25 and 85 individual bells, spanning diameters from 2 inches to beyond 15 inches; pitch rises as bell size decreases, and the heaviest instruments can reach 18 pounds.
The instrument traces its roots to European bell-tower ringers who needed a quieter way to rehearse — rather than subjecting their neighbors to full-volume tower practice, they developed smaller handheld bells so sessions could move to a local pub. Over time the practice evolved into a distinct art form embraced by churches and community stages alike, and advances in casting technology brought greater precision tuning, wider musical ranges, and repertoire written expressly for the instrument. Wartime demands during both World Wars set the tradition back — bells were melted for military use and ringers left for service — yet a resurgence that began in the 1950s has carried the practice forward to the present.
Forté's members have appeared as featured performers and faculty at Handbell Musicians of America events, completed multiple national tours, and released recorded music along with a DVD of music videos shot at locations throughout Colorado.
Saturday's workshop welcomes both complete newcomers aged 16 and up and seasoned ringers, offering three distinct skill-level tracks and keeping group sizes small so each participant receives individual attention. The session runs all day at Church in the Wildwood from 9 a.m. until 5:30 p.m., with a meal provided; the registration fee is $50, scholarships are available upon request, and spots can be reserved at wildwooducc.org/handbell.
The following afternoon, Sunday at 3 p.m., Forté will perform a free public concert in the church sanctuary — no ticket or reservation needed. Following the performance, concertgoers will have an opportunity to speak with the quartet members and examine the bells up close. Funding for both the workshop and the concert comes from a grant awarded by the Kirkpatrick Family Fund.
Whether registration fills ahead of Oct. 10 will offer an early signal of how much appetite exists in the region for a sixth annual event.