February 17 -19, 2023 Handbell Retreat Information
Intermediate Track: Clinician Alan Lohr
Alan Lohr has been an adjunct member of the faculty at Bob Jones University since 1989 and has also worked at SoundForth music division of BJU Press until 2012 when SoundForth was sold to The Lorenz Corporation based in Dayton Ohio. There he was the keyboard and handbell editor for the SoundForth imprint. As the director of the handbell choirs at the BJU, Mr. Lohr has been active as a clinician and adjudicator for various national and state competitions. He has led his choir recitals, concerts, and toured throughout the United States representing BJU in churches and schools. He has taught at many conferences utilizing the music notation program, Finale, to student and music directors.
Mr. Lohr earned his undergraduate degree in Music Education and his MA in Sacred Music from Bob Jones University. He has also studied at Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida, and the University of South Carolina in Columbia. He studied handbells with Don Allured at the Hartt School of Music in Hartford, Connecticut. He has been an active member of the Handbell Muscians of America and served on the Area 4 board in various positions and on the board of the Handbell Industry Council.
He is the current and founding director of Carolina Bronze, a community handbell choir in Greenville, South Carolina. He is a member of the Greenville Concert Band, a community organization for those who love playing in a musical ensemble.
He and his wife, Nancy, are both recently retired. They have one married daughter and three grandchildren. He enjoys gardening, travel, and spending time with his wife and family.
Advanced Track: Clinician Jason Krug
Jason W. Krug (b. 1978) is a native of Indianapolis, Indiana. He holds a degree in music from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Jason is a full-time freelance composer, arranger, clinician, and teacher. Since his first publication in 2006, he’s had over 400 compositions and arrangements accepted for handbells, piano, strings, organ, and choir. His works have been featured at numerous festivals and workshops in the United States and beyond. He is also the owner and editor for Grassy Meadow Music, which publishes sheet music for handbells, piano, and strings.
In his spare time, Jason enjoys writing. He has spent several years working on a young adult fantasy series, The Sadonian Chronicles, and recently released his first non-fiction book, The General Theory of Creativity. He frequently participates in the National Novel Writing Month event in November.
Jason continues to live in Indianapolis with his wife Ellen and his sons Daniel and Malcolm. You can find him on the web at jasonwkrug.com and grassymeadowmusic.com.
February 24-26, 2023 Handbell Retreat Information
Intermediate Track: Clinician Stevie Berryman
Stevie Berryman can’t whistle. But she makes fantastic pesto, and she can fold a fitted sheet. Likewise, her skills as music director and teacher have also been acquired through long hours of arduous and dedicated practice.
For much of her career Stevie has directed seven or more ensembles each week, meaning she has 114 years of experience (in dog years). Her effusive energy and wild creativity found a perfect setting in 2013 when she became the Artistic Director of the Houston Chamber Ringers, which has let her smash together her love for music, laughter, and tacos in a truly remarkable way. She has a particular passion for teaching beginners how to ring, and her innovative, play-based methods have made her a sought-after educator and clinician at area and national handbell festivals.
Stevie serves as the handbell director at First Congregational Church Houston, and loves helping other choirs as a private clinician or planning epic concerts for them as a creative consultant. She and her husband Paul are co-owners of Truly Horrible Things, a snarky card game company, even though her mother always told her that no one would ever pay her to be sarcastic.
Advanced Track: Clinician Michael Helman
Michael Helman is currently Director of Music/Organist at Brevard-Davidson River Presbyterian Church in Brevard, North Carolina where he
directs the Adult choir and handbell ensemble as well as is a staff accompanist at Brevard College.
Prior to moving to North Carolina, Michael was Director of Music/Organist for sixteen years at Faith Presbyterian in Cape Coral, Florida and for fifteen years at St. Paul’s United Methodist in Wilmington, Delaware.
He is an active composer of handbell, organ, and choral music with over 200 pieces in print. He served for a number of years on the Board of Area 3 of the Handbell Musicians of America. Michael has begun two community handbell ensembles: the Wilmington Handbell Ensemble in 2000 and in 2009 the Southwest Florida Handbell Ensemble. He is also the past Handbell Editor for the Lorenz Corporation.
