Twin Cities Bronze: Welcome Doug Benton!

Twin Cities Bronze: Welcome Doug Benton!: "We are so excited to have Doug Benton join us at rehearsal this weekend to see his transcription of Prelude for Holberg's Time performed in..."

Welcome Doug Benton!

We are so excited to have Doug Benton join us at rehearsal this weekend to see his transcription of Prelude for Holberg's Time performed in person for the first time!

Doug has achieved a national reputation for excellence as Clinician and Massed Conductor. He began working with handbells in 1973 and brings great energy and a wealth of experience in all facets of music to the podium and classroom. His primary stated goal is to "have fun--creating music!"

We were so proud to premier Holberg, which is dedicated to Twin Cities Bronze, at Pinnacle in Nashville last month, and make it part of our current repertoire!

Doug first encountered Twin Cities Bronze at the AGEHR Area 11 festival in Denver where the ensemble was a featured performer. As he told our Artistic Director, Monica McGowan, he has always wanted to transcribe Grieg's Holberg for handbells, but until he saw Twin Cities Bronze live and in person he'd never found a group up to the demands of the piece...complex rhythm, outstanding mallet technique, and blinding speed.

We love playing the transcription, especially the glissando. To be honest, we're not QUITE sure how we get all those notes in one measure...but it certainly works!

You can watch Twin Cities Bronze play Holberg here.

Sunday and Doug's visit are only a few days away. With his permission, we'll tell you the working title we assigned Holberg while we were learning it. In any event, we'll let you know how we did!