"Singing Ringers"

The Cantabelle Ringers started in the fall of 1986 with the assistance of Mary Fran Lewis.  Dennis Dell was the first director and continues in that position today. The choir participated in the Big Sky Handbell Festival for the first time in April of 1987.  The church purchased a three-octave set of Malmark Handbells and started with 11 ringers.  In 1995, Great Falls hosted the Big Sky Handbell festival and had 23 choirs and 250 ringers assemble at Paris Gibson Middle School with Bob Ivey as the clinician.   Members of the choir have attended the Region X handbell festival in Portland, Tacoma, and Spokane in the past years.  This event happens every even year in the Northwest.
 
Chris Kosmerl and Lynn Weeks started the first youth handbell choir in 1990 and it lasted for three years.  Attendance and time of practice made keeping the group growing difficult and it disbanded for a time.  In the fall of 2000, a youth chime choir was started  at the Logos Wednesday night church program for youth. 
 
Presently we own a four-octave set of Malmark Handbells and a three-octave set of choir chimes.  Membership in this group is open to any interested person willing to make the time commitment.  If you are interested, contact the church or call Dennis Dell at 452-8695.
 
The name of the group came from Dennis Dell who changed the musical term cantabile into cantabelle - which literally means "singing - ringers".  Many of the first handbell choir were also Chancel Choir members at the time, hence the name.