The Music Director

Kevin McChesney
Kevin graduated with highest honors from the University of Colorado at Boulder with a BMus in Composition and Theory. A composer and arranger of handbell music, Kevin currently has over 900 titles in print and is one of the very few musicians who makes handbells a full-time vocation. He has won numerous awards for his work, including winning American Guild of English Handbell Ringers Composition Contests and Jeffers Composer of the Year. Kevin is the handbell editor for Jeffers Handbell Supply and the Ringing Word Catalog. He is also the co-founder of the Solo To Ensemble Project (STEP).  

As Music Director for 20 years, Kevin brought the Pikes Peak Ringers to national prominence, including a commercial recording with internationally renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma. He is in demand throughout the handbell world as a workshop clinician and festival conductor. Kevin lives in Colorado Springs, CO, with his wife Tracy and their cats, Belle and Grace Note.

The Assistant Director

Alice Myers
Alice graduated from Berry College with a BS in Business Management and was also the founding director of the Berry College Handbell Choir. She served as Music Associate at Norcross FUMC. In her 14-year tenure she continued to develop the graded handbell program including four choirs ranging in age from third grade through adults. The adult choir, Joyful Ringers, was honored to perform twice as the special guest for the Boar’s Head Ceremony at Oglethorpe University. Alice has been an active ringer in community ensembles, first with the Golden Bells of Atlanta and later with the Atlanta Bronze Ensemble.

Alice currently serves as Youth Music and Program Director at Jonesboro FUMC. She also serves as Camp Coordinator for the NGA Youth Music and Arts Camp at Oxford College presented by the NGA Chapter of FUMMWA. When she isn’t in ministry or ringing, she’s relaxing at home with her husband, Dale, surrounded by their feline family of six – Onyx, Tigger, Simba, Sophie, Sadie, and Phoebe.

 

 

Dede Alsobrook
Dede began her bell ringing career as a youngster in church and joined the ACR in January of 2005. She loves the challenge of learning advanced music and has been deeply enriched by the friendships she has formed within the group. By day, she is a Human Resources Business Partner. She enjoys crocheting, reading, and going on vacation! But above all, spending time with her friends and family is what brings her true happiness.

 

 

Jeff Carter
Jeff has been ringing bells since the age of 10 and has found that ringing as an adult is a lot more fun. He has been a fifth grade language arts teacher for over 20 years and is currently raising a teenage daughter, so bell ringing is a great stress-reliever. Jeff also enjoys playing tennis year-round with ALTA.

 

 

Lillianette Cook
Having received her Bachelor of Music from Wesleyan College and her Master of Music from Georgia State University, Lillianette spent 32 years in the DeKalb County School System teaching general music, chorus, and drama. During her career she was listed twice in Who's Who Among America's Teachers and was honored to be the director for the DeKalb County Elementary Honor Chorus. Upon her retirement, Lillianette's school honored her by naming the entrance road Lillianette Cook Way.

 

Nancy Cullison
Nancy is a native Atlantan who lives with her husband, daughter, and three large dogs. During the workday she is a teacher-librarian at an elementary school where she was elected 2010 Teacher of the Year. After hours, Nancy pursues her penchants for dogs, dancing, books, and music. She plays recorders, crumhorn, and percussion in an early music consort, as well as ringing in two handbell choirs.  Soli Deo Gloria!

 

Kathe Cunningham
Kathe began ringing with the ACR in 2005 and now holds the record for longest commute to bell rehearsal, traveling from her new home in the Chicago area to ring with the group. Kathe is very involved in music and is currently in production of her third CD with 4-hand piano partner, Hyoun Joo Song. When not hanging out in the music or craft rooms, Kathe is a total sports mom - you can find her watching her son play lacrosse or cheering on Auburn football. Kathe and her husband, Jeff, have three young adult sons.

 

Amanda Easley
Amanda began ringing bells during high school in Arizona. She is a founding member of the ACR and currently serves as the official ACR bartender. Amanda earned her PhD in neuroscience at Emory University where she still conducts research on how the brain regulates sleep. When she’s not busy teaching, you can find her puttering around the pottery studio.

Scott Easley
Scott has lived in Atlanta his entire life. He presently rings handbells for Peachtree Christian Church. Scott joined the ACR in the spring of 2005, where he met his bride. He is the ACR vice president and when not ringing handbells or walking his greyhound, Scott is in charge of information technology for a financial corporation.

 

Clarissa Evans
Clarissa has been ringing handbells for over 20 years. Besides the ACR, she currently rings with the Pleasant Hill Presbyterian handbell choir. Clarissa and hubby Patrick enjoy “getting away” to the mountains of north Georgia. They have three grown children and six grandchildren. Clarissa’s 9-5 is assisting administratively for the VP of Academic Affairs at Georgia Piedmont Technical College.

Suzanne Holton
A Lexington, KY native, Suzanne lives in Norcross with her husband, Scott, and is a paralegal assistant in a Midtown law firm. A mathematics degree from Centre College in Danville, KY started her on a career in computer programming, which she left in the 1970's to be a stay-at-home mom to Steven and Sara for two decades. Suzanne learned to ring handbells with the Asbell Ringers at Doraville's Church of the New Covenant Presbyterian Church, where she also sings in the choir. In her free time, Suzanne enjoys sewing, tennis, reading, sudoku, and crossword puzzles.

 

Steve Leadbetter
Steve participates annually in national handbell events for advanced ringers, including Bay View Week of Handbells, Distinctly Bronze (DB) East, and DB West. He has performed in Pinnacle and National Seminar auditioned All-Star choirs and the 2007 DB European Performance Tour. Steve is a multiple bells-in-hand instructor for Area 4 events in GA and SC, as well as for church workshops. Steve is a statistician in cancer prevention research at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and caters to his felines Ashley, Gracie, Cloe, and Molly.

Dale Myers
Dale began his ringing career at an early age at Lilburn First Baptist Church where he continues to ring with the adult choir. Ringing has always been a part of his life – earning him a scholarship to ring at Brewton Parker College with the Baron Ringers, ringing with the Golden Bells of Atlanta and later with the Atlanta Bronze Ensemble. When he’s not ringing, you can find Dale working at Georgia Tech in the OIT Department helping faculty, staff and students with their computers and taking on various other technology challenges around campus. He and his wife, Alice, live in Lawrenceville with their furry family of six cats.

Marcia Rainey
Born and raised in Chicago, Marcia relocated to Georgia in 2000 and, after retiring from her position as manager of pension administration, moved to Presbyterian Village, a retirement community in Austell, GA, with her husband, Paul. A piano student for many years, her first exposure to handbells was at Peachtree Presbyterian Church in the fall of 2000, and that started a love of handbells that enabled her to progress rapidly to ensemble and 4-in-hand ringing. She has 3 grown children and 3 grandchildren living in other states and, besides handbell ringing, enjoys traveling, quilting, knitting, cooking and gardening.

 

Betsy Reynolds
Betsy has been ringing for 15 years (13 years with Golden Bells of Atlanta) and is currently playing with 3 groups. When not ringing, you'll find her at one of 2 jobs (elementary library clerk and Physical Therapist Assistant) or at the hockey rink where she plays on 2 co-ed teams. She also runs the Reynolds family taxi with 2 teenagers, and keeps up with 3 birds, a dog, and a husband.

 

Joyce Sweeney
Joyce has been a ringer since being introduced to the music at Illinois State University, Normal, Ill., in the early 1980’s where she earned a degree in Music Therapy. She has been active in various church bell choirs in the Atlanta area ever since. Joyce has been an active participant in the invitation-only Distinctly Bronze handbell concert series held on the east coast annually. She has experience in most positions on the table and excels at the middle bells. Joyce is employed in Rockdale County as a teacher of special needs children and holds a Masters of Education degree from Georgia State University. She is also the leader of a Cadette Girl Scout troop.

Mark Worrel
Mark is currently a member of the Peachtree Christian handbell choir. He has been ringing handbells for over 15 years and has been involved in music all of his life. Mark works in the information technology field for a global animal pharmaceutical company. When Mark is not in Atlanta, you can usually find him traveling thoughout Europe, Asia or South America for his company.