2025 Area 5 Spring Festival
April 25-26, 2025 | Columbus, Ohio
Fred Gramann, Guest Conductor
Join us in Ohio’s capital city as we welcome Fred Gramann to lead us in a weekend of handbell ringing, fellowship, and fun!
Please read below for more detailed information. We look forward to seeing you there!
Registration
Early bird registration (before Feb. 1, 2025): $99 per person
Regular registration (after Feb. 1, 2025): $115 per person
Table rentals: $15 per table
Register for the 2025 Spring Festival in Columbus, Ohio
Conductor: Fred Gramann
Fred Gramann holds organ performance degrees from Syracuse University and the University of Michigan. With his wife, Nancy, he went to Paris, France, in 1972 for organ study with Marie-Claire Alain and Maurice Duruflé. What was to be a nine-month stint evolved into a 50-year musical adventure in the City of Light. Fred held the position of Director of Music at the American Church in Paris, where he was organist and conducted the choral and handbell program, from 1976 to 2022. Fred and Nancy now reside in the French city of Orléans.
A well-known composer and internationally known conductor, educator and handbell clinician, he is frequently invited all over the world to conduct handbell festivals. He is the honorary associate director for the Raleigh Ringers of Raleigh, North Carolina, the Embellish Handbell Ensemble of Grand Rapids, Michigan, and the Tintabulations Handbell Ensemble of Reno, Nevada. Fred has conducted both Distinctly Bronze East and Distinctly Bronze West and is the permanent director for the Bay View Week of Handbells; UK Bronze, which is held in Sutton, Surrey, England; and Bronzefest, which includes bronze-level handbell choirs from Michigan, Ohio, and West Virginia.
Festival Location
Greater Columbus Convention Center
400 North High Street
Columbus, OH 43215
Event Lodging
Area 5 has secured a block of hotel rooms for the 2025 spring festival at a rate of $189 per night.
Hyatt Regency Columbus
350 North High Street
Columbus, Ohio 43215
Stay tuned for booking instructions and parking information.
Festival Repertoire
Music may be purchased directly from the publishers of any music retailer. Our retailers include: Heitz Handbells & Music, Jeffers Handbell Supply, and J.W. Pepper. All attendees should have legally purchased copies of all music on hand at the event. Photocopies are not allowed without proof of license or proof of purchase.
MASSED
| Title (Level) | Composer/Arranger | Publisher & code |
| Psalm 139 (L3-) | Fred Gramann | Choristers Guild CGB1276 |
| Lead On, O King Eternal (L3-) | arr. Judy Phillips | Ringing Word RW8147 |
| Jubilant Praise (L3-) | Jantz A. Black | Hope HP2990 |
| Darkness in the Midst of the Storm (L3) | Mary Lou Fast | From the Top FM20711 |
TINS
| Title (Level) | Composer/Arranger | Publisher & code |
| Joyeuse (L3-) | Karen L. Buckwalter | Beckenhorst HB799 |
| Passion Chorale (L2) | arr. Brenda Austin | Red River Music RRBL5084 |
COPPERS
| Title (Level) | Composer/Arranger | Publisher & code |
| Pax (L3) | Kyle Webber | Ringing Word RW8281 |
| TBA | Fred Gramann | TBA |
Schedule
Coming soon!
Class Sessions
Coming soon!
Opening Concert
Coming soon!
Vendors
The Area 5 Board would like to extend an invitation to anyone wishing to share their products or services with handbell musicians or educators to be a part of our Spring 2025 Festival in Columbus.
Vendors will be in a high traffic area outside of the ringing site and classrooms. Registration costs and associated fees coming soon.
Scholarships
Coming soon!
Photography Policy
The Area 5 Photography Policy can be found here.
HMA Tablet Policy
Handbell Musicians of America is committed to upholding the copyright laws of the United States and protecting the rights of our publishers, arrangers and composers. If you wish to use a tablet computer to hold your music in place of standard paper copies on a music stand, you must contact the publisher of each piece of music to first obtain permission to convert a purchased piece of music to the format required for the tablet you are using. Copies of the written permission received from publishers must be presented on request from the event organizer, event chair, or Handbell Musicians of America staff. Permission from a publisher for one piece does not imply permission for other songs from the same publisher. The title of each song used in this format must be included in the written permission received. Attendee should also have legally purchased copies of all music with them for verification. Titles originally purchased in a digital format do not require permission from the publisher, however, please have a copy of your purchase receipt available.
Cancellation Policy
Full registration amount less $20 per person will be refunded if notification is received by March 1, 2025. No refunds will be given for cancellations received after this date.
Questions?
For any questions about the 2025 Spring Festival, please contact Area 5 Chair Jarod Ogier or visit the Spring Festival FAQ.
Questions?
New to handbell festivals? Confused about registration or logistics? Our FAQ can help!
