The 2025 Bay View Week of Handbells
August 11-14, 2025
Our Mission Statement
“The Bay View Week of Handbells exists to give advanced ringers an opportunity to prepare a concert to be performed at a high professional level.”
About the Event
Founded in 1978 by Donald E. Allured, the Bay View Week of Handbells has become a destination for advanced handbell ringers throughout the world. The intensive five-day event takes place in northern Michigan on the picturesque shores of Lake Michigan. Ringers are assigned positions in ten choirs, using sets of handbells and chimes ranging from five to eight octaves. The rehearsals begin at noon on Monday and continue through Thursday afternoon. The closing concert is held at 7:30 pm on Thursday evening and is professionally videotaped. The week concludes with a farewell breakfast on Friday morning.
The Director
Fred Gramann holds organ performance degrees from Syracuse University and the University of Michigan. With his wife Nancy, he went to Paris, France in 1972 for organ study with Marie-Claire Alain and Maurice Duruflé. What was to be a nine-month stint evolved into a 50-year musical adventure in the City of Light. Fred held the position of Director of Music at the American Church in Paris from 1976 to 2022 where he was organist and conducted the choral and handbell program. He and his wife, Nancy, now reside in the French city of Orléans.
As a well-known composer and internationally known conductor, educator and handbell clinician, Fred is frequently invited all over the world to conduct handbell festivals. He is the Honorary Associate Director for the following handbell choirs :
- Raleigh Ringers ( Raleigh, North Carolina )
- Embellish Handbell Ensemble ( Grand Rapids, Michigan )
- Tintabulations Handbell Ensemble ( Reno, Nevada )
Fred has conducted both Distinctly Bronze East and Distinctly Bronze West, and is the permanent director for UK Bronze which is held in Farnborough, Hampshire, England. He also conducts Bronzefest, which includes bronze-level handbell choirs from Michigan, Ohio, and West Virginia.
The Repertoire
The 2025 repertoire encompasses a variety of styles, tempi, techniques, time signatures and key signatures, offering a good mix of original works and arrangements of tunes the audience will recognize.
Please consult the repertoire list to decide if you are capable and willing to meet the challenges involved, keeping in mind that the music must be ready to ring at performance tempo at the first rehearsal. Only you can discern if you have the desire, available time and necessary skills to prepare for this event. This commitment must be taken seriously. Please be aware that this is not an event where you come to learn notes. This is an event where ringers come prepared so that we can work together as an ensemble of more than 100 ringers to enhance the musicality of the collective works.
Registration
Advance Registration
27 of the 108 ringing positions are assigned prior to the Alumni Lottery Application process. These include:
A) Deep Bass Ringers
( aluminum G1-B2 ).
Those with considerable experience ringing aluminum bass handbells may apply for one of the four available positions.
The application deadline is November 15, 2024. Any alumni who apply and are not selected for these positions may submit an Alumni Lottery Application by December 30th.
Deep Bass Application
Deep Bass ringers and Low Bass (C3-B3) ringers, collectively known as Pit Ringers are under the guidance of bass bell coordinator Paul Kingsbury. 
B) Position Coordinators
Coordinators for the remaining ringing positions P1 [C4-D4] to P11 [B6/7-C7/8] are selected to help preparation during the months leading up to the event. As coordinators, they communicate with the musicians ringing the same position to help solve problem measures and suggest when and where to share bells when it is extremely hard to ring everything or when it is helpful to share bells with a neighbor.
To apply for Position Coordinator, one must be:
- an alumnus of the BVWOH, having experienced the various facets of the event.
- willing to purchase the music as soon as you are selected, study it to find the problem measures, and compile performance notes for that position’s ringers.
- organized and willing to respond with regularity when ringers ask questions.
Guidelines for Position Coordinators (PCs):
- PCs are expected to have their performance notes ready by March 1st .
- PCs must communicate with other PCs to discuss side-to-side bell sharing suggestions.
- All notes are stored in a central location using Google Docs accessible to all ringers.
- PCs are expected to respond to questions from ringers within three days of receiving the enquiry. If that is impossible due to personal circumstances, they will quickly respond with an approximate date to communicate an answer.
- Last minute bell sharing assignment changes are to be avoided. Any changes deemed necessary should be communicated to position ringers no later than July 1st.
The application deadline is November 15, 2024. Any alumni who apply and are not selected must still submit an Alumni Lottery Application by December 30th.
Position Coordinator Application
C) New Bronze-Level Ringers Participants
An important aspect of the BVWOH is welcoming new participants. Ten bronze-level ringers who are new to this event will be accepted from the applications received. Potential applicants need to review the repertoire once it is announced to ensure they are fully aware of what will be required. They need to have the advanced skills and adequate preparation time to successfully participate in the BVWOH experience.
The application deadline is December 1, 2024.
New Participant Application
D) Young Adult Tuition Scholarships
We consider encouraging young adult ringers to attend the BVWOH is essential to our future. Thanks to the Carl Wiltse Scholarship Fund, one or two tuition scholarships are offered to bronze-level ringers between the ages of 18 and 30.
The application deadline is December 1, 2024.
Young Adult Tuition Application
Regular Registration for Alumni
The selection of ringers for the remaining positions are determined by means of a lottery.
- Interested alumni need to submit the Alumni Lottery Application by December 31st. An automatic reply message will be sent to confirm receipt.
- The submitted forms will be assigned consecutive numbers in the order they are received.
(Note the assigned number has nothing to do with priority.) - During the first week of January, a special lottery process will put the numbers in random order.
- Positions will be filled using the generated random number. Any ringer’s whose random number falls within the available positions will be emailed a link to register on-line the following week.
- When all the available positions have been filled, the order of the remaining random numbers will constitute the waiting list. These people will be notified of their status as wait-listed.
Fees
The Registration Fee is $300.
The Concert
The public concert will be presented on Thursday, August 14, 2025 at 7:30 PM in the John M. Hall Auditorium, 1715 Encampment Ave., Petoskey, Michigan. It is free to the public with a free-will offering taken to benefit the Bay View Association Summer Music Academy. A CD, DVD, Blu-Ray, and/or USB drive of the concert may be ordered by filling out the order form available during the week or by contacting Pierpont Productions (231-347-4488 / pierpontproductions.com). Pre-ordered recordings are normally sent in October.
Concert Attire
The concert attire is BLACK. Please do not wear dark gray, navy or faded black.
- Men: BLACK long sleeved dress shirt with BLACK dress pants, BLACK belt, BLACK socks, and BLACK shoes.
- Women: BLACK top with three-quarter length sleeve or longer, BLACK pants (no jeans) or skirt, and BLACK shoes. Please no glittery or dangly necklaces or earrings.
- All Ringers: BLACK gloves.
- It is imperative to avoid wearing perfume or other scents as some ringers are prone to allergic reactions.
Music
You are responsible for purchasing and using published music scores. Photocopies are not permitted on the rehearsal floor.
If you wish to use a tablet computer for your music in place of standard paper copies, you must retain a copy of the purchase receipt for digital downloads or keep the original purchased music on hand in lieu of a purchase receipt.
Housing & Transportation
You are responsible for securing your own housing. Petoskey’s tourist season is in full swing during this time of year so PLEASE make your reservations early.
Ruth Crist Hall
Ruth Crist Hall provides inexpensive on-site dormitory housing. Located on Terrace Avenue, Block 45, it’s a short walk to rehearsals. The cost is $180 which is less than one night in many of the local inns and hotels. Openings are limited to the first 40 paid registrants.
While northern Michigan typically enjoys an average daytime temperature in the mid 70’s to low 80’s, it does sometimes get hot and Crist Hall is not air-conditioned. Registrants staying in Crist Hall are asked to bring twin bed sheets, pillowcases, and towels. Please be aware that some beds are bunked – single beds are not guaranteed, even if specifically requested. Check-in time is Monday afternoon at 5:00 pm (or whenever the first rehearsal is finished). If you plan on arriving on to the area on Sunday, you will need to secure other housing for Sunday evening.
The dorms are not for everyone and that’s why many musicians use the fine hotels, inns and rental properties available in the area.
Cottage Rentals in Bay View Association
Contact Jill Petro at McCune Real Estate in Petoskey (231) 838-3549
or utilize this searching for rentals link.
Inns and Hotels
There are many fine hotels, inns and bed and breakfasts located in the area. Please check with a travel agency, the Petoskey Chamber of Commerce (www.Petoskey.com) or your favorite travel website.
Transportation
You can get to Bay View by car, plane, or boat. Take a look at the map and start making your plans, remembering all registrants must secure their own travel arrangements.
Refund Policy
We know that life happens and plans change! Please take careful note of the refund policy. Refunds will be paid out according to the following schedule:
Up until April 1st : all monies paid will be refunded minus a $50 handling fee.
April 2nd through June 15th : 50% of all monies will be refunded.
Cancellations made after June 15th for any reason (including medical issues, family emergencies, etc.) are not refundable.
Bay View Week of Handbells
Highlights
You will be a part of one of the most amazing handbell events in North America. Your attendance not only benefits you and your skills, it also helps three worthy musical scholarship funds: the Donald E. Allured Composition Fund, the Carl Wiltse Scholarship Fund, and the Bay View Association Summer Music Academy.
You can shop in nearby Petoskey or Harbor Springs, drive about 30 minutes to catch a ferry to Mackinac Island, take a swim in Little Traverse Bay, bike along the Little Traverse Wheelway or anything else that piques your interest.
Friday morning an optional breakfast is held at 9:00 am at the Bay View Inn to view the concert video draft recorded by Pierpont Productions. It’s a lovely opportunity to celebrate the week and say farewell to friends. This is at your own expense not covered by the tuition fee. Signing up on the reservation list in advanced is required. You must purchase the buffet breakfast to view the video.
Funding Awards
The Donald E. Allured Composition Fund
This award was established August 1993 as a gift to director Donald E. Allured by the attendees of the annual Bay View Week of Handbells. The intent of the award is solely to commission original handbell music that exemplifies the highest standards, quality and expectations that Don Allured would demand in an original composition. Each year, participants at the Bay View Week of Handbells donate to the fund to honor Dr. Allured’s contributions to the handbell world (see Allured & Wiltse Funds Page for previous award winners) . Special envelopes are distributed during the week and contributions may be placed in the designated basket at any time. Cash, checks, and credit cards are accepted (checks and credit card donations are tax deductible). Please make checks out to the “Handbell Musicians of America, Inc.” and write “Allured Fund” on the memo line. Checks should be mailed to:
Handbell Musicians of America
PO Box 221047
Louisville KY 40252
Gifts can also be made online:http://handbellmusicians.org/grants-giving/giving/funds/
The fund is invested through Handbell Musicians of America and commissions are funded by interest from the principal. Sixteen compositions made possible by the Allured Fund have been premiered at the BVWOH. Most have been published and available for purchase.
The Carl Wiltse Scholarship Fund
Established to honor Carl Wiltse, the purpose of this fund is to offer a full tuition scholarship to an advanced ringer between the ages of 18 and 30 who wishes to attend the Bay View Week of Handbells. The fund is invested through Handbell Musicians of America. If you would like to donate to this fund, your check should be made out to Handbell Musicians of Americam Inc. with “Wiltse Scholarship Fund” on the memo line.
Checks should be mailed to:
Handbell Musicians of America
PO Box 221047
Louisville KY 40252
Gifts can also be made online : http://handbellmusicians.org/grants-giving/giving/funds/
Contact BVWOH
Any questions?
Please contact Carmen Massaro, operations manager, at weekofhandbells@gmail.com
or
call him at 440-724-1072.
For information about the Bay View Association please consult their website: www.bayviewassociation.org