Members

Kathy Baker started playing handbells at the age of 14, having been recruited into her church choir because she could read music, and hasn’t stopped playing since. She is excited to be returning to The Raleigh Ringers this year. Kathy also plays bells for a church near her home in Burlington and works in Institutional Research at UNCG. What little time remains is spent doing jigsaw puzzles, going thrifting at yard sales or antique malls, and hanging out with her daughter, Amanda, who is supportive of her ringing.

Ruth Brown holds a Bachelor of Music from the University of Texas at Dallas, with graduate studies in Flute Performance and Pedagogy at Meredith College. She began playing handbells in 1995 after seeing The Raleigh Ringers perform. Ruth teaches private music lessons and directs church handbell choirs when she is not crunching numbers as a bank analyst. She and her husband, David, have been blessed with two amazing daughters, their wonderful husbands, and seven beautiful grandchildren.

Hunter Browning grew up in Fairfax, Virginia and has been ringing bells since the third grade under the direction of Nancy Cappel. Through his years of ringing, he has traveled to over 15 states, played in a number of handbell festivals, and performed at both the Kennedy Center and US State Department. Outside of handbells, Hunter is the chorus and theatre director at Apex Middle School. He has a music education degree in Conducting, Voice, and Piano from the University of Delaware. Hunter enjoys spending time with his niece, Ann Bishop, and eating all of the amazing food North Carolina has to offer!

Angie Chiatello comes to us from California where she began her handbell career in a two-octave choir, playing only the F and F#5 bells. via Purdue University, where she played their famous Shaker Chimes as a member of the university's Handbell Choir. Angie works in marketing for an engineering firm, does freelance graphic and web design work, and in her spare time, enjoys board games and baking.

Ellen B. Daniels began her love of music early. When she was two years old, she was caught picking out Für Elise on the piano. Her precociousness led to piano lessons and later, singing in school choruses and church choirs. When her church got a set of handbells and started a youth choir she was hooked. In her eighth year with the group, Ellen is living her dream. Retired, she spends her time volunteering and playing handbells. Ellen enjoys traveling, time with her family (and awaiting a new grandbaby), and counting in 7/8 time.

Erin Glendening comes to us from Pella, Iowa, where she followed in her siblings’ footsteps and began ringing at the age of 12. The pursuit of a master’s degree took Erin to Pittsburgh, where she rang at Shadyside Presbyterian Church and Mt. Lebanon UMC. Erin rings with the Bells of Saint Andrews and directs the children’s chime choirs at Saint Andrews Presbyterian Church. When not ringing, Erin works as a computer geek and enjoys solo ringing, cross-stitching, knitting, crocheting, reading, quilting, and watching movies. She does not enjoy giving her cat, Hayley, a bath or picking up everything that her other cat, Hawkins, throws on the floor.

Sandra Hopson was born in Illinois and grew up in the Washington, D.C., area. She began ringing at the age of ten and performed with the Carol and Wesleyan Ringers of St. Matthews UMC, Annandale, Virginia, directed by Nancy Cappel. Sandy and her husband James are the parents of two daughters, Emily and Megan. Charter Member

Allison Keisler, a native of Hickory, North Carolina, teaches chorus and handbells at Bandys High School in Catawba County. Her passion for handbells began at age nine in her church bell choir, which she later directed for 15 years. She has performed with and served as an assistant conductor for several professional handbell ensembles in the Hickory and Charlotte areas. She is the Chair Elect for HMA Area 3. Allison is a proud mother of four wonderful children, ages 16 to 21, who have a variety of interests, including WGI percussion, DCI tuba (Go Phantom) sports communication and nursing. She and her wife, Kristin—a fellow ringer—currently reside in the Winston area, where they enjoy supporting local businesses, embarking on weekend adventures, and staying engaged in their children’s many activities.

Blake Long Is originally from Farmville, North Carolina, where his early years were a mix of piano, voice lessons, and euphonium performances. He took his music to UNC-Chapel Hill where he performed in various groups while earning a Chemistry degree. After a stint in pharmaceutical R&D, he now is a consultant advising pharma companies. Blake joined the group a year after learning how to play handbells after college and has been with the group for a total of 11 years. He and his wife Melissa of 25 years have raised three boys, Spencer, Tyler, and Barrett in the town of Clayton. In addition, Blake hosts a bi-weekly podcast about Disney, Universal, and other theme parks called The Rhubarb Travelers. Check it out!

Cindy Massey (when much younger) wondered: “What could be more fun than learning to ring by joining/chaperoning her church’s youth handbell choir?” Answer: Subbing in David Harris’s church choir and being in the right place at the right time to help form The Raleigh Ringers! Thirty-five years later, combine that with daily caretaking of two young grandchildren, sewing costumes and table covers, crafting entries to the NC State Fair, or maybe taking up pickle ball at the Y, and you pretty much have her life. Hubby Phil would love help with the family pecan orchard, and he’d like her to finally unbox her golf clubs. But she's too busy for that! Charter Member

Kristin Murphy, a native of Virginia Beach, relocated to North Carolina to continue her handbell journey with The Raleigh Ringers. She began ringing as a child at Virginia Beach United Methodist Church and continued through college and pharmacy school with Williamsburg United Methodist Church, Virginia Handbell Consort, James River Ringers, and Virginia Bronze. When she is not ringing, Kristin works as a pharmacist and leads the Medication Safety Team for Novant Health. She and her wife—and fellow ringer—Allison enjoy spending time at Starbucks, visiting local craft breweries, and catching up with daughters Elizabeth and Meredith over FaceTime as they share stories of their adventures in Dublin, Ireland.

Andy Punch began ringing at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Hickory, North Carolina, at the age of 12. An alumnus of Raleigh’s Tintinnabulators and Charlotte’s Queen City Ringers, he directs The King’s Ringers handbell choir at Christ the King Lutheran Church in Cary, North Carolina. Andy’s solo ringing includes performing during a service at the American Church in Paris, concerts, and a wedding recessional performance of the theme to the Japanese cooking show “Iron Chef.” His other hobby, making audio recordings of music/sound effects, explains why he was once considered imaginary; who, after all, would drive for three hours just to record a handbell choir? Andy also enjoys playing piano when not working at a local fiber optic cable company.

Elizabeth Scott (bio coming soon)

Jennifer Stearns is thrilled to begin her seventh year with the group. She started ringing at summer camp in middle school and has been ringing ever since. In addition to bells, Jennifer has played French horn and sung in various choirs in the past. She is a native of New Hampshire but has made North Carolina home since moving here for work with laboratory software in 2011. Some of her other pastimes include cooking, knitting, playing European-style board games, and watching British panel shows with her husband Brian. Jennifer and Brian live in Holly Springs with their two dogs.

Quinn Taylor is delighted for his first year with The Raleigh Ringers! Having been a percussionist since age 10 (in concert, jazz, and marching bands), he only got into handbells after seeing The Raleigh Ringers in concert. Quinn lives in Holly Springs, North Carolina and is truly grateful for the support of his family, especially his lovely wife Shayla, who keenly observed: “The man yearns for the bells!” It’s true, he loves the emotion of hearing great music, and the challenge of performing it. Quinn works as a software engineer and has two degrees in Computer Science from BYU. In addition to his five kids’ arts and sports activities, Quinn enjoys dad jokes, singing and volunteering in church, arranging music, snuggling their goofball dogs, and practicing Portuguese, Spanish, and Italian.

Doug White, who was born the same year The Raleigh Ringers formed, began ringing handbells 21 years ago in his hometown of Louisburg, North Carolina. When not ringing, he enjoys skimming random articles on Wikipedia, playing Cards Against Humanity, and inflicting terrible puns on innocent bystanders. Doug is happy to get a great workout loading the truck and ringing bass bells in his sixth year with the group.