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Sunday, SL and Virginia drove the 3 1/2 hours to Richmond, Va. to attend a concert. So what you say!? Well, this particular concert was being held in a church! Virginia has never set foot in a church, but this concert, done by a close friend of SL's from California and one of only five professional handbell artists in the entire country, was something she wanted to see and hear. The bells in conjunction with a harp. It was magical. So soothing, absolutely amazing and well worth the trip.

There were at best guess 40 - 50 people at the concert and it was 96 degrees outside. I commented to SL that this is the first time I can ever remember that she had on a shorter skirt than I did!!! Virginia was nicely dressed for the occasion. A white, mid-calf length crocheted skirt, light gold and tan trim peep-toe 3" heels and a long-sleeve gold tone silk blouse, buttoned to the top and a white long sleeve thin cotton with gold buttons jacket.

Not the first look, of course you would not expect any type of confrontation in a church, but perhaps some disapproving glances or stares -- nothing! Not that I wanted any "consideration" mostly we don't and I got what I hoped for, just two girls enjoying the concert!

Did I look good, did I pass, were they just being "nice" - at this point it is moot. We had a good time, I got to meet a couple of professional musicians, learned a few things about handbells and harps, and enjoyed some beautiful music. A nice day!!!

Go Forth Woman and BE!

Virginia

Hi Virginia!

I'm glad to hear you enjoyed the handbell concert. Being a concert, I'm sure that most of those attending were much more interested in hearing the performer than looking around and playing "spot the tranny"

Anyway your presentation is way too good for anyone to just automatically think you are anything other than what you appear to be.

-Connie

Glad you had fun. I assume the music was good.....


Absaroka

Connie, thanks for the compliment. I have one major goal when I go out and that is to not embarrass SL. I want her to be proud to be seen with Virginia and she assures me that if I am not "up to standards" she will let me know in no uncertain terms. After that, I feel I am our ambassador and I do not want to discredit us as crossdressers. Thirdly, Virginia is a lady and dresses as such. Of course that depends on the circumstances. I will wear a mini in a heart beat in the right place.

Love ya.

Absaroka,

Yes the two musicians were great! It is the first time I have heard hand bells and harp combined and I have to say it is oh, so relaxing! They just seem to jell so well together. The harpist has played in many big bands and has played all around the world, oh yeah he is good!!

The girl that played the hand bells is only one of five recognized professional handbell artist in the country and she is the only one that actually puts on concerts. She and SL have had a friendship that goes way back and as we visited with them after the concert, they were both very at ease with us and were more than willing to share information about their talents with us. As I said, it was magical.

Love,

Virginia

I'm glad you enjoyed it. It sounds like a really wonderful concert.

I'm curious. How does one become officially professionally recognized as a musician? It always seemed pretty informal to me. You play and people pay you. There are various professional organizations like the musicians union but I've never heard of someone being professionally recognized.

I'm sort of recognized. The other day in the gym a lady I had never met before recognized me and asked me if I had been playing in the concert in the park the day before.

Absaroka

As Virginia mentioned, no one at the concert gave her any second looks. Before and after the concert, when we were talking with my friend, the harpist and the harpist's wife (who also plays harp and played a harp duo during the concert), they all treated Virginia as the lady she is, and looked her straight in the eyes while talking. We expected nothing less from them, and we were not disappointed!

The handbell-and-harp duo is absolutely beautiful, and watching them perform is even moreso. In a typical handbell ensemble, 9 to 13 musicians perform on 3 to 5 octaves of bells. As a soloist, my friend performs alone on more than 3.5 octaves, or 42 bells. A visual as well as musical performer, the handbell soloist must combine the fluid grace of a dancer, the musicality of a virtuoso, and the precision of an athlete to perform on this demanding instrument. She is absolutely beautiful, as a person, a friend, and as a handbell artist.

Absaroka -

To answer your question, the 'professionally recognized' aspect can also be described as "full-time". According to the American Guild of English Handbell Ringers (AGEHR), my friend is one of only five full-time handbell directors in the US, and she is the only one of those five that also performs (solo, duo, or ensemble). That status makes her the only full-time handbell performing artist in the US, according to the AGEHR.

She is a handbell performer, director, teacher, clinician, composer, arranger, and publisher. Her goal is to bring the joy of handbell music - sacred and secular, classical, traditional and modern - to as broad an audience as possible; Taking music out of the Ivory Tower and putting it into the hands and hearts of the People; Making music fun again!

If you would like to know more about her, and her music, send me a PM.

*Hugs*

- SL

PS: Absaroka . . . So, were you playing in the concert in the park? Which instrument??

Hi, Donna - Thank you for providing a link to the handbell duo of Heather and David Keith. However, that is not the duo that Virginia and I were discussing.

At her request, I am not revealing my friend's identity in the open Forum. If anyone would like to know more about her and/or her concert schedule, send me a PM. I will say that she will be performing solo in the UK (England & Scotland) within the next month if any of our members there are interested.

*Hugs*

- SL

Well, it was the only duo I could find on youtube, so had to do.

SilverLady(SO) wrote:
At her request, I am not revealing my friend's identity in the open Forum. If anyone would like to know more about her and/or her concert schedule, send me a PM. I will say that she will be performing solo in the UK (England & Scotland) within the next month if any of our members there are interested.

Thanks for the offer SL, but I already know who it is. (and won't reveal her name either).

BTW, I don't want to sound like I'm boasting but I know from personal experience what it takes to play solo handbells having performed solos several times (in church only).

Connie