Raleigh Ringers

I went to see the Raleigh Ringers yesterday. This wasn’t my first time to see them. Three and a half years ago, I saw them in Omaha.

This time, one the ringers from my church handbell group knew they were coming and asked if I wanted to go. I’m glad she did. It was really fun. The concert was in Hagerstown, which is an hour and a half away. The extra driving time was a little bit of a drag. I rushed home from church (where we played handbells 🙂 ), and slammed some cereal down, then met Diane and her sister, mom, and friend for the drive to Hagerstown. I was sooo sleepy on the way there, but I felt like it would have been impolite to sleep, so I forced myself to stay awake. It made my eyeballs hurt.

The concert was GREAT! They played a mix of Christmas music and regular music. One of my favorites was an original piece called “Escape Velocity”. They used a ringing technique I had never seen before. The director called it “singing bells”. They ran a wooden dowel around the edge of the bell and it sang like a wine glass. I was astounded.

On the trip home we stopped for food. I was sooo sleepy, but I felt like it would have been impolite to sleep, so I forced myself to stay awake. It made my eyeballs hurt. On the drive from our meeting point to my home, I almost felt like I was hallucinating. It was after 8:30pm! When I got home, I could just barely get my contacts out before collapsing on the bed. Whew!

But it was worth it. The Raleigh Ringers are awesome.