Chi
Rho
Handbell Choir of Christ
the King
(In
Greek, Chi means Christ and Rho
means King.)
The
handbell choir was formed shortly after Fr. Kempsell was called
as Rector of Christ the King in 1966. The
Kempsell family came from a parish in Dallas,
Texas that had recently
acquired a set of English handbells. Fr.
Kempsell’s wife, Ruth, a trained musician, had directed the
handbell choir in their production of Benjamin Britten’s Noye’s
Fludde. The Kempsells were captivated
with the unique sound and beauty of the bells, and brought their
fascination of handbells to Christ the King.
The
congregation raised funds to purchase a two-octave set of Schulmerich
handbells, and rehearsals began in the basement of the Kempsells’
home on a ping-pong table. Ours was
the first handbell choir in Arvada!
Ruth directed the choir until 1972 when she and Fr. Kempsell
handed the direction over to their daughter, Martha.
She continues to direct the choir today.
Through the generosity and support of many, many Christ the
King parishioners, we have expanded to nearly five octaves of handbells,
from C3 to C8.
Our
membership ranges from our veteran ringer, who has been ringing
from the beginning, to people who have recently joined Christ the
King. Over the years we’ve played
for other area churches, community events, nursing homes, weddings,
funerals, shopping malls and even the Arvada
Center.
We rehearse during the school year, play once a month for
Sunday services, and break during the summer.
Currently we have one choir for high school students and
adults, and we rehearse on Monday nights from 7:15pm
to 9:00pm.
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