vhc members
Al Reese, Musical Director
Al Reese was named the Interim Musical Director of the Virginia Handbell Consort in January 2008. Al is a retired Army musician, serving over twenty-one years in various Army bands as a trumpet player. With various Army bands, he has performed for international audiences in marching, concert and jazz bands as lead trumpeter and soloist. He has played for artists such as Aretha Franklin and appears on the Grammy Award winning PDQ Bach recording "Music for an Awful Lot of Winds and Percussion."
Al has participated in numerous AGEHR Festivals and Conferences and Handbell Exploration events, where he has rung in Advances Performance Choirs under such notable directors as William Payn, Fred Gramann and David Davidson. An avid handbell soloist, he has coached with Nancy Hascall, Sueda Lutrell and Ron Bellamy. Al began with VHC as a ringer in January 2006.
Al is a published composer and holds a Master of Church Music Degree with concentration in Handbells from Concordia University, Wisconsin where he studied with William Payn, John Behnke, and Arnold Sherman. He is currently the Music Director and Organist at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Suffolk, VA.
Vickie Brynildsen has been ringing with VHC for a year. She is currently finishing her senior year at Virginia Wesleyan College, pursuing a Bachelors of Science in Earth and Environmental Science. She has been ringing handbells for nearly 14 years in various church groups. Other then handbells Vickie also plays piano and sings in numerous choirs. She has also recently completed her Sacred Music Certification and is the handbell director at Deep Creek United Methodist Church in Chesapeake, Va. Originally from Alexandria, Va. Vickie now calls the Tidewater area home.
Missy Cernigliaro joined VHC in the fall of 2004. After surviving the Christmas season with the Consort, there was nothing she could do but re-audition and jump in with both feet. Missy is a wife and Mom of three great kids, two teen boys and one very pre-teen daughter. She has been ringing and directing for 10 years and has had the privilege to play both nationally and internationally. She is involved with the American Guild of English Handbell Ringers and is currently serving as Area III Historian and Local Liaison for the Virginia and North Carolina Festivals. Missy is pursuing a Music Education Degree and is looking forward to a career in Music.
Lynn Dash has been involved in music since childhood, singing in a variety of groups and playing flute in bands, orchestras, and other community groups across the country. She began ringing handbells at Chestnut Memorial UMC in 1990. This is Lynn's fifth year with VHC and she serves as the ensemble's treasurer. While raising three sons, Lynn and her husband Ernie moved frequently, thanks to his 27 year Air Force meteorology career. They are now empty nesters and Virginians by choice and have lived in Grafton for seventeen years. Their family has expanded to include three daughters-in-law and four beautiful grandsons. Lynn has many interests including quilting, knitting and reading, and owns a home-based direct sales businesses.
Joyce Easter joined VHC in January 2002. Joyce's musical interests began in the 5th grade with the flute. She added the oboe in junior high school, bassoon in high school, and began solo ringing and directing during graduate school. Joyce holds a doctoral degree and is a Chemistry Professor at Virginia Wesleyan College. "Dr." Joyce is a New Jersey native and traveled through New York, North Carolina, and Illinois before settling down in Virginia Beach with her husband Loran.
Joan Lamp joined VHC in January 2008. She moved to Norfolk in 2002 where she joined the Monumental UMC ringers after meeting Charm Peterman at a VHC concert. Who knew? She has had the opportunity to ring and sing in various choirs, as she moved frequently as an Air Force family. Since leaving her career as an R.N., Joanie has had more time to pursue her artistic voice in mixed media, collage and photography. She and her husband David have two children; Devin who graduated in May 2007 and is pursuing his own musical career and Taryn, currently in college. Last, but always in front, is their golden retriever Kerri who keeps them all on a tight schedule.
Deana Laney is in her third year of ringing with VHC. She began her musical journey with piano at age seven and has been ringing handbells since 1976. She previously directed handbell choirs at Trinity Lutheran Church in Newport News and is also a solo ringer. Deana is married with three children and two grandchildren and has spent her days for the past seventeen years at True Value Hardware in Grafton. At other times you can find Deana curled up with a good book!
Cindy Lewis, President of VHC, lives in Virginia Beach. After providing in-home child care for twenty years, she finally left the nest and now works as a sales representative for a local screenprinting/embroidery company. Cindy started ringing with her church choir about 12 years ago and is a charter member of VHC. She also rings with Tapestry, a community handbell quartet.
Ann Morgan brings twenty years of ringing experience to the group. Ann is a VHC charter member. She also rings with the Monumental UMC bell choir and with Tapestry, a community handbell quartet. A native of Newport News, she now lives in Portsmouth with her husband, Arthur. When not ringing handbells, she enjoys quiltmaking.
Lucille Rankin was born and raised in the Midwest, but has settled in Chesapeake. She is a wife, mother, grandmother and small business owner. Ringing merrily with VHC since January 1998, she also enjoys playing the piano, singing and making melody in her heart to the Lord.
Lois Reese began her ringing career in 1987 and began with VHC in August 2005. She teaches vocal music and world drumming at Trinity Lutheran School, Newport News, is the Music Director at Hilton Presbyterian Church, Newport News and is a member of the Virginia Opera Chorus. Lois was the Local Conductor for the Hudson Valley Handbell Festival in 2004 and has had the pleasure of spending a week studying advanced handbell conducting with Dr. William Payn at Concordia University. Lois has been playing the piano and flute since her childhood. She and her husband, Al, reside in Norfolk with their dog Coppelius (Copie). When not singing or ringing you can find Lois sitting at the sewing machine.
Karen Simons came to the Hampton Roads area in 1991 to take a job at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard. Having grown up with music all her life, learning to play the piano (she claims "poorly"), the viola ("not bad"), and singing ("you be the judge"), learning to ring handbells was a challenge she couldn't resist. She has been ringing for thirteen years and is a charter member of VHC. She also rings with St. Pauls Episcopal in Suffolk. She currently lives in Chesapeake with her daughter and four schnauzers!
David Weirich is the oldest child in a very musical family. Though he has been around music his entire life, he didn't start playing handbells until April of 2007 when he was drafted into the bell choir at Monumental United Methodist Church in Portsmouth, Virginia. There, he met several VHC members and was talked into auditioning in January of 2008. He is currently in his senior year at Virginia Wesleyan College pursuing degrees in music composition and mathematics. Though he grew up in a small town in Michigan, David now lives in Portsmouth, Virginia.