Pittsburgh bell choir to perform in downtown Johnstown

Reporter

Three Rivers Ringers will perform as part of the Johnstown Concert Series at 7:30 p.m. May 20 at First Presbyterian Church, 309 Lincoln St., downtown Johnstown.

JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – The musical sounds of bells will ring out at the performance.

Pittsburgh's premier community handbell ensemble, the Three Rivers Ringers, will perform as part of the Johnstown Concert Series at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at First Presbyterian Church, 309 Lincoln St., downtown Johnstown.

The ensemble first performed for the concert series in November 2018 and was met with a positive response from the audience.

"It was very well received and we had about 150 people there, so we’re expecting another big crowd for this concert," said Joe Dipyatic, a concert series board member. "They have five sets of one particular bell and three sets of another and they also have three sets of chimes, so it's a big operation with 18 to 20 performers."

Three Rivers Ringers was founded in 2010 by five handbell musicians with the goal of achieving musical excellence, performing challenging repertoire and pushing the boundaries of the handbell art form.

They performed at the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in 2012, performed for the American Guild of Organists’ regional convention in 2015, and was honored to perform at the National Seminar for Handbell Musicians of America in 2016.

Three Rivers Ringers performed with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra at its holiday pops concerts in December 2015 and December 2016 to great acclaim, with a return engagement of nine performances in 2019.

They organize and run the Western Pennsylvania Handbell Festival, and offer on-site workshops and mentoring for handbell ensembles and directors.

Three Rivers Ringers has released four albums that include "Ringing in the Season" in 2014; "Jubilate" in 2015; "Swingin’ Bronze" in 2017; and "Earth Shall Ring" in 2019.

"You wouldn't see anything like them around here and the bells are really out of sight," Dipyatic said. "It's something different and they know how to put a good program together."

The repertoire will feature a varied program of classical and contemporary tunes, including "Peal Con Brio," "Hymn to Joy," "Adagio from Piano Concerto No. 20," "Champaca," "Baby Elephant Walk," "Down the River," "Singin’ in the Rain," "Three Rivers Rag," "Pennsylvania Polka," "Won't You Be My Neighbor" and "El Capitan."

"It's all kinds of music and I think people will like it," Dipyatic said. "There's music that will stick in your head and when you leave you’ll be humming some of the tunes they played."

He said audiences can expect an evening of wonderful music.

"I think they’ll be surprised, especially if they’ve never seen something like this," Dipyatic said.

Following the performance, audience members will have the opportunity to meet and speak with the musicians.

For more information on Three Rivers Ringers, visit www.threeriversringers.org.

Tickets are $15 each or $25 for two adults, $10 for seniors and $5 for students, and can be bought in advance or at the door.

For more information, visit www.johnstownmusic.org.

Kelly Urban is a reporter for The Tribune-Democrat. She can be reached at (814) 532-5073. Follow her on Twitter @KellyUrban25.

What: Johnstown Concert Series presents Three Rivers Ringers.

Where: First Presbyterian Church, 309 Lincoln St., Johnstown.

When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday.

Tickets: $15 each or $25 for two adults, $10 for seniors and $5 for students.

Information: www.johnstownmusic.org.

Reporter

Kelly Urban is a reporter for The Tribune-Democrat. She can be reached at (814) 532-5073. Follow her on Twitter @KellyUrban25.

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