About us
Concert Bells of Fort Worth is an auditioned community handbell ensemble of advanced ringers from North Texas dedicated to musical excellence through artistic handbell performance. Founded in 1998, the group performs a diverse repertoire, from classical transcriptions to innovative original works, with precision and musical sensitivity. In addition to performing holiday and spring concerts locally, Concert Bells has performed for several national and regional events, including a featured concert at the National Handbell Musicians of America Seminar in Irving (2023), a featured concert at Pinnacle in Dallas (2015) – a national event sponsored by Handbell Musicians of America, the Showcase Concert at the Area 9 Festival in Arlington (2010), and Southwest Region AGO convention in Fort Worth (2015) where the group also premiered a work commissioned for organ and handbells by Sondra K. Tucker.
Previously, they performed at the 2005 and 2013 Fall Seminars presented by the Greater Dallas Handbell Association. The group has served as the local liaison for the 2005 and 2007 Handbell Musicians of America National Seminars held in Dallas, and was also selected to serve as the choir for the master class in conducting (2005) and for the hymn festival (2007). Outside of Concert Bells, the ringers also serve as handbell clinicians and conductors for local and national workshops, seminars, and camps and several are published composers of handbell music.
Concert Bells recorded demonstration CDs of new releases for Choristers Guild for several years. Their artistry is also on display in their Christmas CD, “Let All the Earth Rejoice and Ring,” and “Radiance,” a collection of hymn tunes and original works, released in 2012.
Concert Bells of Fort Worth is organized as a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation and receives most of its funding through performance fees, donations made through the Friends of Concert Bells program, and demo recordings
our members
Stephanie Rhoades
Conductor and Artistic Director
Ms. Rhoades is the Director of Worship & Music at Preston Hollow Presbyterian Church in Dallas, where she oversees the planning and implementation of the weekly and seasonal worship services. She also leads children's music and directs the Sanctuary Ringers and the recently established beginning handbells.
The daughter of two music educators, she began studying violin at age four, singing in the church choir at age five, and playing trumpet and handbells at age nine. She attended handbell conferences every summer with her church choir, quickly becoming an advanced ringer and soloist. She was working on her Master of Sacred Music degree at SMU (Southern Methodist University) in 1994 when she was invited to ring with the Dallas Handbell Ensemble, conducted by David R. Davidson. The ensemble disbanded in 1998, the same year Concert Bells of Fort Worth (CBFW) was established.
While she was not the first Conductor and Artistic Director of CBFW, she is the longest-tenured, directing CBFW since March 2003. Under her leadership, the ensemble was invited to play featured concerts during the Handbell Musicians of America's (HMA) National Seminar (2023) and Pinnacle (2015) events, recorded numerous demo recordings for Choristers Guild and purchased the lower 6th and 7th octaves of chimes and aluminum bass bells C2, D2, and G-B2.
With a reputation as an effective and engaging teacher, she has been a clinician and guest director for numerous workshops and festivals across the US, co-conducted the All-Star choir at the National Seminar in 2018 and Distinctly Bronze East in 2020 (HMA) and represented the US at the 20th International Handbell Symposium in Nashville, TN, in August 2022.
Ms. Rhoades holds a BA degree in music from Yale University and a Master of Sacred Music degree from Southern Methodist University's Perkins School of Theology. She enjoys cycling, traveling, and scuba-diving.
Brittney Axton is a graduate of Baylor University where she earned her Bachelor’s of Music degree while ringing for seven semesters with Baylor Bronze. She began ringing bells at the age of 10 when she was handed a single bell to help fill in the melody line. She continued to play handbells at First United Methodist Church Claremore, Oklahoma where her love of handbells grew and flourished. While in college, she had the chance to attend College Ring-in, oversee three 12 bell ensembles at First Methodist Waco’s South Campus during COVID, and assist the full bell choir at First Methodist Waco’s South Campus. Since 2023, Brittney has been the Director of Music at Emmanuel Presbyterian Church in Bedford. She currently rings with Concert Bells of Fort Worth, leads a 3 octave handbell group at Emmanuel Presbyterian Church, subs with various choirs around the Fort Worth area, and serves as the North Texas Representative for the Area 9 Chapter of Handbell Musicians of America. Brittney also teaches elementary music in Keller ISD. On top of her love of handbells and music, Brittney coaches gymnastics in Keller in her spare time.
Ashley Blaha lives in Addison and is a professional piano technician. She started ringing bells in middle school at her church in Houston under Stevie Berryman and has been ringing ever since! Concert Bells has been her main choir since 2014 but she has also filled in for other groups locally. She grew up playing flute and piano and still plays piano regularly for both work purposes and her own enjoyment! Ashley has been the treasurer of Concert Bells since 2021. When she’s not working on pianos she enjoys running, yoga, and reading of all kinds.
Jeanne Christopherson grew up in Northern California and has been involved in music since the age of 12. In 1990, she registered for a college handbell course and was instantly hooked! In 1997, after moving to the Dallas area, she was invited to join East Texas Handbell Ensemble in Tyler and rang with them until the group disbanded in 2014. She joined Concert Bells of Fort Worth in January 2024 and also rings with the Sanctuary Ringers at Preston Hollow Presbyterian Church in Dallas. Jeanne currently serves as Treasurer of the Area 9 Chapter of Handbell Musicians of America. She retired in 2022 after 22 years as an Executive Assistant with Bank of America and now stays busy with her home-based custom cookie decorating business. She lives in Plano with her husband, Brian - a very accomplished ringer himself - and their two rambunctious pups. They are the proud parents of two grown children and enjoy spending time with their two wonderful grandchildren as often as possible.
Nicole Culp and her husband Mark are empty nesters and recently built a house in Weatherford where they now live with their 3 dogs, Muffy, Tootsie, and Libby. They have two grown children. Their son Ryan will graduate from nursing school in May and hopes to become a family and mental nurse practitioner. Daughter Abbie is an avid mountain climber and a graduate student at Texas Tech studying clinical psychology. They are both musical like their mother, playing handbells, piano, guitar and ukulele. Nicole is a family nurse practitioner and works in a family practice in Granbury. Her mother, grandma, and great-grandmother all taught piano, so it is no surprise that Nicole plays the piano. She picked up the flute along the way and finally ended up with handbells in her hand by accident. She has loved it ever since. Nicole loves to cook, read, swim, and spend time with her family. She also has an amazing ability to memorize numbers.
Josh Fitzgerald currently lives in Irving, but is originally from Colorado. Being a Flight Attendant for a major airline has also allowed him to live in many places in the US. He's also the owner of a small ecommerce business. In a previous life, he was a full-time church musician. In addition to handbells, he plays several different instruments which you may have heard during previous concerts. Formerly, Josh served on the boards of Area 5 and Area 9 of Handbell Musicians of America. Highlights of his handbell career include separate tours to Germany and Japan, and playing in the BYU-Idaho PBS televised special with the critically acclaimed Sonos Handbell Ensemble. Also making the list is starting a handbell ministry in Nicaragua. Fun fact: Josh is a licensed auctioneer and a ham radio operator.
Elizabeth Garvin is a Computer Engineering graduate of Texas A&M with extensive experience as a QA analyst in healthcare IT. Growing up in Alief-Houston, she discovered her love for handbells, first ringing in an after-school handbell choir during middle school and later taking a handbell class for three years, where she rang daily and participated in numerous competitions around the state, even earning a letter in handbells—a unique and proud accomplishment! Her passion for ringing continued as she joined church bell choirs, and in 2004, she became a member of CBFW. With over 30 consecutive years of ringing experience, Elizabeth's dedication to handbells remains steadfast. Beyond performing, she has enjoyed coordinating and directing youth handbell choirs, sharing her love for music with younger generations. At home in Lewisville, Elizabeth and her husband, Dan, cherish their time together cooking, spoiling their two beloved cats, and attending live concerts and performances of all kinds. She is also incredibly proud of her stepdaughter, Danielle, who graduated from Texas Woman’s University in May 2023 with a BBA in Human Resource Management.
Cindy Karm has been ringing with Concert Bells of Fort Worth since 2013 and is honored to be serving as the current President. Cindy started learning piano as a young kid, then played in her first handbell choir at church while in high school. After that, she rang with the handbell choir at Trinity University and has graduated to multiple Distinctly Bronze East events in New Bern, North Carolina. To fund her handbell habit, Cindy works as a lawyer, practicing construction and general business law at a boutique firm in north Dallas. She also supports Dallas’s musical community by serving as the President of the Board of Directors of Basically Beethoven..
Valerie Martin lives in Grapevine and teaches in the radiology program for Dallas College. She grew up with music in the house as her mom and grandmother both taught piano lessons as well as played organ and piano at their church. Valerie started ringing handbells with a church group right after high school, and never looked back. Massed ringing with other bell choirs in a grand setting is one of her favorite things to do; the sound is just overwhelming! When not working or ringing, her favorite place to be is snorkeling or watching a gorgeous sunset over the Caribbean water.
Carol Lynn Mizell holds B.M.E. and M.M.E. degrees from the University of North Texas. She A resident of Denton, she has been the Conductor of the Denton Community Band since 1978. She is also the Handbell Director at First United Methodist Church in Denton. She retired from Strickland Middle School in 2017 where she taught band and handbells. Carol Lynn is an active conductor and clinician for area and national handbell events. Carol Lynn has been a part of All- Star Handbell Choirs at several Handbell Musicians of America National Seminars, and she attended her first International Handbell Symposium in Nashville in 2022. She is a published composer and an oboist and maintains memberships in Sigma Alpha Iota and the Fellowship of United Methodists in Music and Worship Arts. She served as President of the Greater Dallas Handbell Association (2018-2021). Carol Lynn and her husband, Bob, have two daughters, Michelle Mizell Corazao and Jennifer Mizell Mount, sons-in-law Marc Corazao and Terry Mount, and grandsons Ian, Kyle, and Benjamin. Her hobbies include playing Bridge and 42.
Kathy Stephenson was born and raised in Dallas and has lived in Connecticut, Washington and Italy. She currently lives in Coppell with her husband Greg, son Travis, and recalcitrant cat Chester. Her love of music began as a child with piano lessons and singing in school choirs. She began ringing handbells at Preston Hollow Presbyterian Church almost 30 years ago where she continues to ring and sing in the Sanctuary Choir. She also has played in the Brookhaven College Handbell Ensemble and Cast of Bronze. She joined Concert Bells of Fort Worth in 2022. She previously served as Secretary of the Greater Dallas Handbell Association. Kathy earned a B.A. in Psychology from Baylor University and a M.A. in Clinical Psychology from Trinity University. In addition to ringing and singing, she enjoys traveling, hiking and entertaining family and friends. In her free time, she can usually be found with a cat on her lap and her nose buried in a book.
Martha Smith lives in Plano and teaches 9th grade English and Yearbook at Williams High School. She got involved in handbells around age 12 and has been playing, directing and serving on boards ever since. When she has free time, she enjoys reading and trying to keep up with her 3 sons, 2 dogs, and 2 cats.
Brenda Swindle began ringing over 25 years ago at First Presbyterian Church in Richardson (they just needed a sub). She currently rings and sings in the choirs at Preston Hollow Presbyterian Church in Dallas. She has rung with several auditioned handbell ensembles over the years. Always open to new ventures and challenges in handbell ringing, she enjoys attending handbell events and festivals whenever time and finances permit. She also enjoys traveling, especially to the beach, with travel on the Trans Canadian Railway being on her bucket list. She attended the University of Texas at Arlington and is currently Business Manager for Faith United Presbyterian Church in Farmers Branch. She resides in the Dallas area, and enjoys spending as much time as possible with her three adult children, twins John and Sarah, and James.
booking information
If you would like to book us for a special event (wedding, memorial service, party) or for a full concert, please contact us for a quote.
Cindy Karm by e-mail or call (214) 394-9687