One hundred handbell ringers from New York and Virginia will descend upon historic Riverside Church to toll handbells during its 34th Annual English Handbell Festival at 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, April 22 in the Church’s Nave, at 490 Riverside Drive (bet. 120th & 122nd St.), Morningside Heights.
Guest conductor Kathleen Ebling-Shaw will direct 100 handbell ringers as they perform a variety of compositions by composers from around the world.
Participating choirs include: The Riverside Ringers (NYC), The Emanuel Ringers (Pleasantville, N.Y.), The Katonah Celebration Ringers (Katonah, N.Y.) and Mitchell Ringers (Annandale, VA).
Preceding the handbell concert, at 3:00 p.m. carillonneur Dionisio A. Lind will give a recital on the church’s world famous carillon; and at 3:30 p.m. Riverside Church Organist, Christopher Creaghan, will perform an organ recital on Riverside’s 206-rank Aeolian-Skinner pipe organ, the second largest instrument in New York City with more than 12,000 pipes.
To get to The Riverside Church by subway take the 1 to 116th St. and walk to 490 Riverside Drive (bet. 120th & 122nd St.) two blocks west of Broadway.