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Karen Leonard, Director
MVR's Artistic Director is Karen E. Leonard . She is a graduate of Boston University and UMass Lowell with degrees in church music, organ performance and conducting. As Minister of Music at West Chelmsford United Methodist Church she directs a graded choral and handbell program of seven choirs and also serves as organist. A Past National President of the American Guild of English Handbell Ringers (AGEHR), Karen is very active in event planning and currently chairs the AGEHR Past Officer's Council, the Master Classes and Distinctly Bronze, an event for advanced ringers. She and her husband Mark have two grown sons. John is finishing a Master's degree at UMass Amherst in Jazz Composition and Arranging. He works full time at Gerry's Music Shop in South Hadley, MA and part time as a composer, arranger, and music copyist. David is a Vice President with Morgan Stanley in Manhattan. He is married with a seven-year-old son, and a three-year-old daughter.
Diane Burke
Diane was inspired to take up bellringing by her mom, and has been
ringing for over 15 years. In addition to MVR, she also rings with the United
Ringers in Littleton MA, and is delighted to be a first-time director this year
with the Joyful Ringers of First Church Congregational in Marlboro, MA. Diane is
also a gospel singer, currently with the Voices of Glory Choir in Boston, and recently
contributed on an award-winning CD with the Boston Praise Collective. An avid fan
of NFL football and college basketball, Diane recently left her 17-year career
in sales to pursue interests in holistic health, office organizing, and event
planning. Diane lives in Marlboro with her incredibly supportive husband Ron,
and her two cats, Blue and Sebastian.
Holly Cerullo
Holly has been ringing handbells since 1980 as a member of the West
Chelmsford United Methodist Church Festival Ringers. She is also assistant director
of the Celebration Singers, a vocal group made up of middle school and high school youth.
Having retired in June of 2004 after 35 years of teaching, she currently explores gardening,
writing, quilting, memory booking, and of course more handbell activities. Holly has
been married to her husband Michael for 35 years and has a 26 year-old son, a 30 year-old
daughter, one cat, and several “grandpets”.
Rachel Cerullo
Rachel has been an avid handbell ringer since the 2nd grade, and joined MVR in
2002. An office worker by day, her 8-4 job allows her to cram as many creative pursuits into her
nights and weekends as possible. Besides her bell activities, Rachel enjoys working on various
drawing and photography projects, reading Stephen King, and listening to Barenaked Ladies and
Bruce Hornsby. She also loves singing and dancing, and became active in community musical theater
last year. She most recently appeared as a “Silly Girl” (a real stretch), a dancing napkin, and a
wolf in the ActorSingers of Nashua's spring production of Beauty and the Beast .
This July, she gleefully tackles the role of the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz
with the New Thalian Players of Manchester, NH. Rachel proudly maintains a small zoo of animals
in her apartment, consisting of cats, ferrets, rats, spiny mice, fish, a bird, a rabbit, and two
iguanas, (oh my!).
Sue Chamberlin
Sue started playing handbells in 1981. She directed and played in the quartet
Bells-n-Four for 15 years, has directed youth and adult handbell choirs, and has served on the
Area I Board of AGEHR. Currently, Sue directs the handbell choir at Faith Community Bible Church
in Loudon, NH. Two years ago, she retired from teaching math in order to work with bells full-time as the New England sales representative for Schulmerich Bells. Sue and her husband Doug enjoy living on Northwood Lake. They have two married children and two grandchildren.
Carolyn Elmore
Carolyn enjoyed ringing handbells as a teenager and rejoined the sport about
fourteen years ago in her church group, the West Chelmsford United Methodist Church Festival
Ringers. She is the mother of six children (Jake, Ben, Maggie, Jamie, Jasmine and Kisha)
and a patent attorney specializing in biotechnology and pharmaceuticals. In her free time,
which there is very little of these days, she and her husband enjoy being youth leaders,
coaching, traveling, and renovating their antique home.
Tom Engle
Tom began ringing handbells while in junior high and hasn't stopped yet.
He rang with the Saint Olaf Handbell Choir and Madison Area Concert Handbells while in school.
Tom and his wife Kate live in Nashua, NH, where he works for a large software company.
In his spare time, he enjoys playing piano, reading, and doing projects around the house.
Carolyn Ernest
Carolyn,originally from Illinois, works as a construction project manager
for a large Boston-based general contractor. She enjoys playing tour guide for friends and
family, seeing new places, and anything crafty. Although a Midwesterner at heart, she loves
the New England foliage, the delicious seafood, and the expert driving skills of Bostonians!
A handbell enthusiast since 5th grade, Carolyn spent her college years touring nationally as
a member of the handbell ensemble at Purdue University and is truly addicted to handbell ringing!
She isexcited for the spring season with MVR!
Patrick Gagnon
Patrickis very happy to be returning to the Merrimack Valley Ringers this
season. Completely obsessed with handbell ringing, but not allowed to talk about it at home,
he directs a diverse program of vocal and handbell choirs at Trinity Lutheran Church in
Chelmsford, MA, where he is Music Director. Patrick is a graduate of Boston University where
he studied Music Education, voice performance, and collaborative piano. He is associate
director of Back Bay Ringers, Boston's community handbell ensemble. Patrick is choral director
at Billerica Memorial High School and lives in Tewksbury with his wife and a "menagerie of
animals," which is a phrase he stole from Rachel. They both teach at the Boston University
Tanglewood Institute in Lenox, MA. Patrick is currently Chair-Elect of AGEHR Area I, serves as
Co-Chair of the annual Area I Directors' Seminar, and will Chair the 2009 Area I
Festival/Conference at the University of Maine at Orono.
Linda S. Lamb
Linda teaches computer science and web page design at Nashua (NH) High School South as well as directing a handbell choir. She played flute in high school, graduating from Walnut Hill School of Performing Arts in Natick, MA. Linda graduated from UNH and has directed several handbells groups and currently plays in United Ringers, in Littleton, MA. When she is not ringing she is creating websites, working with HS Students and spending her time with her family in Nashua NH.
Molly Lamson
Molly made her singing debut in a kindergarten musical, and has had a passion
for music ever since! Molly has been singing forever, and ringing since 1989. She even played
handbells at the White House and piano at Carnegie Hall. You never know where music will take you! Molly is an active member of the Merrimack Valley Chorus and Fascination quartet of Sweet Adelines. She is co-owner of I Dream of Beading in Waterville Valley, NH and a graphic designer in Londonderry, NH. Molly is thrilled to have just married the love of her life, Jeremy, this past September.
Marianne McVoy
Marianneworks in the office of the First Congregational Church of Shrewsbury
where she has been the Financial and Membership Secretary since 1987. After receiving a B.S.
in Medical Technology from the University of Vermont, she worked in several hospital
laboratories in Boston, Grand Forks, ND and Worcester, specializing in Microbiology.
Marianne has been ringing handbells with the Shrewsbury Ringers since 1982 and also
rings duets with Linda Chadwick. She enjoys singing with the Post Road Chorus and Harmony
on the Sound Chorus of Sweet Adelines, doing counted cross-stitch, reading and playing bridge.
She and her husband Rick live in Petersham. They have two sons, Chris and Jeff.
Bill Noss
Billplayed bass guitar in a rock 'n' roll band in Nashville, TN, in the
70s and 80s, despite any musical training (says something about rock 'n' roll). Years later,
he took piano lessons, then joined a church choir and handbell choir to continue his
training. He has played handbells for ten years. Bill is a graphic designer and enjoys
woodworking, playing piano and golf.
Jane Sachs
Jane started playing bells in 2000 with the Unitarian Universalist church in
Chelmsford, and joined the Merrimack Valley Ringers three years later. She has recently retired
and moved to New Hampshire, where she now also plays with the Plainfield Chimers. In addition
to bells, her time is spent taking courses at Dartmouth, playing flute with the Upper Valley
Community Band, and enjoying her hobbies of quilting, tennis, canoeing, and hiking with her
husband and their dog, Angus.
Greg Westland
Greg 17, has been playing handbells for five years with his church choir in
Framingham, MA and for two summers at the camp The Walden School in Dublin, NH. He also plays
piano, sings, writes music, and teaches music theory and composition. Gregory has been homeschooled
since he was 10. This is his first season with MVR. After graduating at the end of this year,
Gregory plans to take a year off before college, spending a large part of the year helping with
reconstruction work in New Orleans from Hurricane Katrina.
Kim Whitehead
Kim is excited to be ringing with MVR again this year. As a
graduate of UNH and Boston University with degrees in piano and organ performance,
she is the Organist/Accompanist and Handbell Director at the Congregational Church
in Amherst, NH. In addition, she teaches piano to "kids" of all ages,
and accompanies the Merrimack NH Community Chorus. Outside her busy music schedule,
Kim volunteers as an advisor for the Intl. Order of Rainbow for Girls, loves watching
the Patriots and Red Sox, and treasures spending as much time as possible with her
husband Derek and their amazing little girl!
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