A glorious cacophony

Posted on August 24, 2009
Filed Under Concerts, Reviews | Leave a Comment

Repost from: Bastrop Daily Enterprise

Link to story: http://www.bastropenterprise.com/entertainment/x2145963825/A-glorious-cacophony

Bastrop, La. -

Michele Sharik brings her passion and talent for music to the ancient art of bell ringing. She does so with a unique style that combines tradition with innovation.

“My philosophy is, this ain’t your grandma’s handbells,” she said.
Michele is the sister of Enterprise columnist Barbara Sharik. Last week, Michele and sister Jan of Maryland visited Morehouse Parish and got to meet Gov. Bobby Jindal at Friday’s Chamber of Commerce luncheon.

Afterwards, Michele stopped by the Enterprise to share her remarkable story.

Michele began playing the flute at the age of eight and later attended the prestigious University of Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. She moved to Muncie, Ind. in 1991, where a local church invited her to join its handbell choir.

“I’d never seen handbells before,” she said. “It was just extremely fun.”

Michele found a second church had handbells stored in a closet, untouched. She volunteered to help the church starts its own bell choir.

“Then I bought a book of solos, and I began giving solo performances. That was even more fun.”

Handbell ringing dates back 400 years, when English bell tower ringers escaped the cold belfries to practice their method indoors.

“Somebody had the great idea, we can go to the pub where it’s warm and practice,” said Sharik.

Bell ringing as a musical form is alive and well today, thanks in part to organizations such as the American Guild of English Handbell Ringers Inc. (AGEHR).

In 2001 Michele auditioned for the Sonos Handbell Ensemble, based in San Francisco. Sonos tours the world and plays a wide range of musical styles, from classical to modern folk.

Michele moved to the West Coast to join the ensemble. She has toured with Sonos to 31 states, England, Scotland, Canada and China. Next summer she will perform at the International Handbell Symposium in Osaka, Japan.

“This will be our sixth time going to Japan,” she said. “They love handbells in Japan. I’ve actually studied the Japanese language a little bit.”

Michele said she has recorded two albums with Sonos and has continued to perform having recent shoulder surgery.

“I took my sling off for a concert. It was a lot of teamwork to make it work, and I appreciated them all for that.”
Michele is also one of a handful of bell ringers who give solo performances.

“There are probably about a dozen [bell ringers] who give solo concerts, and only about four or five who travel to do solo concerts,” she said.

Her first solo album, “Chimera,” was released in 2007. Perform an Internet search on Michele Sharik, and you will find her recordings on Amazon.com and some of her live performances on YouTube.

“I play mostly classical — Bach and Beethoven,” she said. Her favorite piece to perform is the traditional English melody “Greensleeves.”

“Music is such a deeply personal thing for the composer. I usually speak to the audience. I want to tell you why I’ve chosen this piece and why you should care about it. I want the audience to love it, too.”

Michele said she owns 42 bronze handbells of various sizes, from the smallest called “thimbles” to the largest which are eight inches across the mouth. The clappers are attached to springs so the musician can control them.

“I prefer to be called a ‘handbell solo artist,’ as opposed to a soloist,” she said.

Michele cites as her inspirations the New Age jazz harpist Deborah Henson-Conant and the Scottish percussionist Evelyn Glennie.

Glennie is deaf and often plays barefoot in order to feel the sound of her music.

“She’s just amazingly powerful as a musician,” said Michele. “If you didn’t know she was deaf, you’d never guess it. She touches the sound.”

Michele has directed handbell choirs at Sunnyvale Presbyterian Church in Sunnyvale, Calif. for eight years, and at Trinity Episcopal Church in Menlo Park, Calif. for six years.

“They see what joy it brings to people, and we all have a great time,” she said.

Michele also teaches students throughout the country, including West Palm Beach, Fla., where she said handbells are an important part of education.

“Every school in West Palm Beach has bells,” she said. “It was a glorious cacophony. It teaches musicality, personal responsibility and teamwork.”

Michele is also part of a harp and handbell duo called Bronzewood Paedeia. The duo most recently performed at a Folk Harp Festival in Big Sky, Mont.

Barbara Sharik said she is proud of her sister’s accomplishments.

“Michele came into this world smart, and hasn’t slowed down since,” said Barbara. “Every time I hear from her, she’s added another accomplishment to her repertoire. She obviously got my share of musical talent, doubling hers, because the only thing I can play is the radio.”

Never one to back away from a challenge, Michele said she is studying piano, composition and snare drum. She plans to record two more solo albums, and she is writing a book on handbell techniques.

“I’m not happy unless I’m busy,” she said. “This is exactly what I was meant to do. I love it. And even when I’m not doing it, I’m thinking about it.”

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