Bells of the Cascades

Voyages: In Search of Peace

Join Bells of the Cascades and the St. John’s Lutheran Church Cathedral Bells of Orange, California as we perform this joint concert exploring a wide range of music on the topics of peace, self-discovery, and personal confidence!

On Saturday, July 17, we’ll be performing in Glendale, AZ as the closing concert of the Handbell Musicians of America 2021 National Seminar. You do not need to be an attendee of the National Seminar; tickets are just $10 at the door. For those who can’t make it in person, this concert will also be livestreamed on YouTube, so one way or another we hope you can join us! More information about this concert.

Then on Sunday, July 18, we’ll be performing in Orange, CA at the home church of the Cathedral Bells. This performance will be free! More information about this concert.

In memoriam: Carolyn Bradley

On Saturday, April 10, 2021, Bells of the Cascades was saddened to say goodbye to our beloved member Carolyn Bradley—who passed away earlier this year—at her memorial service in Tigard, OR. We were honored to perform three pieces in tribute. It was, in fact, our very first public appearance as an ensemble since February of 2020.

Carolyn was like our team Mom. She always tied perfect, uniform bows on the backs of the women’s dresses, cleaned all our eyeglasses, and provided us with Altoids before each performance. She reminded the women to wear lip color and earrings. Her dedication to BOC went far beyond that, though. She led the membership committee, worked hard on her music outside of rehearsal, and attended nearly every rehearsal, even throughout her illness and treatments. She had a beautiful smile and shared it freely.

As serious as she was about her music, Carolyn had a fondness for telling jokes. She would occasionally approach one of us with what seemed to be the beginning of a serious conversation, only to end it with an unexpectedly devastating punchline. She was filled with faith and brought a calm, good-natured presence to our ensemble.

Now that there are more men in BOC, there aren’t as many dress bows to be tied, but there are more bow ties! No matter the attire, Carolyn’s spirit of excellence in both performance and appearance will continue on in all we do. We miss her.

In memoriam: Tim McDonough

Tim McDonough on the Bells of the Cascades Cruise V. Tim is on the right, in the white suit.

A group photo of Bells of the Cascades with Tim McDonough (back row, on the left side)

Bridgetown Sound with Tim McDonough (center, middle row)

Members of Bells of the Cascades are deeply saddened by the passing of former member and former President of the group, Tim McDonough.

Tim met his wife Karin on Bells of the Cascades Cruise V and shortly thereafter moved to Oregon and joined the ensemble. He was an incredibly talented ringer (and singer) and a truly kind man.

Tim died Dec. 8, 2020, at the age of 53. Here are a few photos of Tim with the group, as well as one after he left Bells of the Cascades but joined Bridgetown Sound, and helped facilitate a collaboration between the two groups. Bridgetown Sound has recently launched the Tim McDonough Memorial Music Education Fund.

Our condolences to his wife Karin. RIP Tim.

Read & Ring 2020 - CHANGES

Join Bells of the Cascades members for Read & Ring 2020!

EVENT POSTPONED. 2020 has been quite the year so far! Bells of the Cascades, just like all other handbell ensembles, has had to cancel events and adapt to the current medical/scientific guidelines on living with the coronavirus. Therefore, our Read and Ring event on Saturday, August 8 will not take place as originally planned.

At this time, we are postponing this event until a yet-to-be-determined date. Please come back and watch for updates to this site, visit us on our Facebook page, or sign up for our mailing list and watch for emails. As soon as we can, we’ll be announcing the details!

Community Concert Series Performance!

Update: Due to concerns about COVID-19 and public health, Woodburn UMC has CANCELLED this concert. We hope you all stay healthy!

Bells of the Cascades is celebrating 30 years of ringing this year! As part of that celebration, we’ve been asked to be featured performers on Sunday, March 15, 2020, at Woodburn United Methodist Church, for their “Who’s On Third?” community concert series. Here are the details!