Bow River
Handbell
Musicians Society

The year was 2018…

Usually, when you think of handbells, you imagine yourself in a church or perhaps at a school function. After all, that’s where most handbell choirs are.
Annie Hergott wanted to start a community-based handbell group to give musicians a chance to ring handbells outside of either of those settings. The focus would be on musicality and artistry, pushing the boundaries of what people expected to hear played by handbells.
She gathered a few forward-thinking people at a local diner and pitched the idea.

From left: Jim Winslett, Annie Hergott, Wanda Costinak, Debbie Opinko-Brown,
Ian Costinak, Bruce Clark

During that initial meeting, the name “Bow River Bells” was agreed upon and checked to make sure that nobody else was using it already.

The wheels were set in motion that day, even though it was only six people with no money, no bells, and no place to rehearse.

Flash forward to present day:
The Bow River Handbell Musicians Society is a thriving handbell community with multiple performance teams, several sets of bells, and a large fanbase.
None of the six folks at that first meeting would’ve believed than how quickly this idea would take hold, but the dream was there.

Lots of ringing, lots of fun!