The song Smiles has a long and wonderful history. T. Will Callahan wrote the lyrics in a Bay View cottage near the end of World War I, and it went on to be a tremendous hit, selling about 5,000,000 print copies (before the existence of public radio, or television, or the internet). The connection to …
Tag: Week of Handbells
The Bay View Week of Handbells is an annual advanced performance event held at the Bay View Association near Petoskey, Michigan. Just over 100 ringers occupy the stage and orchestra pit to prepare and perform a concert of challenging music. It's a special honor to have one's composition included in the repertoire.
BVWOH was started by Don Allured, often referred to as the USA's "Dean of Handbells", in 1978 as a workshop for handbell directors to learn skills to make them better equipped to lead their handbell choirs at home. Over time, it evolved from a class-based educational event to a totally performance-oriented event.
Don Allured directed the Week of Handbells from 1978 to 2002. Carl Wiltse succeeded him at the podium until 2017. Fred Gramann started his tenure as Week of Handbells director in 2018.
BVWOH also has a special set of works commissioned by the Allured Composition Committee that receive world premieres at the Week of Handbells. Generally, these are some of the most complex and challenging selections in the Bay View repertoire.