We're beginning our 35+ Anniversary season and can't wait to share our excitement with you.

In 1990, Bells of the Cascades was created as a way for local Portland handbell directors to have the opportunity to ring. Now, as we head into our 35th-plus anniversary, the ensemble is enjoying its rich history of ringers and directors, and we are expanding our audiences extensively! We are so excited to celebrate with you this year. We want to invite you to join us throughout the 2025-2026 season at two unique concert experiences, and to participate in the other special activities we have planned!

Our traditional December concerts were held December 20 and 21, 2025. This holiday concert is always meaningful to our community, and this year’s theme, Winter’s Tale, featured a wide range of holiday pieces while telling a story about a little girl who gets lost outdoors in winter. Through moments of self-discovery, she eventually finds a village, a new home, and gets reunited with her family. The concert was performed to the largest audience we've ever had the pleasure to play for and was well received.

We offered a unique (and successful!) Bells of the Cascades Marketplace at our December concerts, with quality handcrafted items created by our own BOC members. We hope to continue that as a holiday tradition annually. Another success at these concerts was our two separate food drives, with many bags and boxes full of items our audiences brought in to donate to our chosen charities. We’re tremendously grateful for the enthusiasm our audiences bring to sharing our good fortune with our communities.  

Our Spring concert theme, When All Else Fails… will feature a 10-movement concert cycle of the same name, composed entirely by our director, Matthew Compton. We’ll be joined at these special concerts by Pikes Peak Ringers, to double the pleasure of the handbells. Not only that, but there will also be multiple additional instrumentalists performing with us to enhance the sounds. These exciting concerts will be June 6 and 7. Tickets are available online here.

Last but not least, as a teaser for our 2026-2027 season, we want you to know about our next cruise to the Eastern Caribbean. This will be our 17th cruise! BOC, along with our clinician, Brenda Austin, plan to have an enjoyable time mixing two of our favorite activities—sailing and handbell ringing. We hope to see you on board!

Barbara Hughes
President, Board of Directors of Bells of the Cascades