Oklahoma’s oldest community handbell ensemble
Thirty-five years of bronze and rhythm.
Five octaves of English handbells and chimes, rung by volunteers from across northeastern Oklahoma. We have played for the Tulsa Signature Symphony, News on 6, and every Christmas at the Performing Arts Center.
The 2026 holiday series
The Stories of Christmas
Christmas isn’t one story. It’s a few hundred small ones, written across nine centuries by people who never met and who mostly weren’t trying to write a Christmas carol at all.
Not one of them set out to become Christmas. Every one was adopted — rewritten, retranslated, set to a borrowed tune, carried along by whoever happened to be singing. Put them next to each other and they turn out to be telling the same one.
So we’ve arranged them in six pairs: an old song beside a newer one, a familiar one beside its strange original, and nothing in between for either to hide behind. None of them were finished when they were written. They kept going because people kept singing them.
This December is one more verse.
Come and hear what they say to each other.
350
Performances
Over the years
135
Bells and chimes
Individual instruments
106
Members
Past and present
437
Donors
Supporting our future
Concerts
Two seasons a year
TFR rings a Christmas series in December and a spring series in April and May, in churches and halls across northeastern Oklahoma. Each season is built around a program of its own, and every concert is free and open to anyone who wants to come.
Dates and venues for whatever is coming next are always on the concerts page, with maps and directions for each location.
Performance
Watch us in action
A 2023 performance of Masters In This Hall, a traditional English carol by William Morris, arranged by Matthew Compton (Evergreen Music, EGM103).
Recorded by the Tulsa Festival Ringers at Claremore United Methodist Church in Claremore, Oklahoma.
A history of excellence
Ringing Since 1991
The Tulsa Festival Ringers is Tulsa’s premier handbell ensemble. The group has been conducting concerts and events in northeastern Oklahoma since 1991 and is the oldest community handbell ensemble in the state.
The group has proudly performed with many local artists and channels, including the Tulsa Signature Symphony, News on 6 (KOTV), and the Tulsa Performing Arts Center, where they have been a regular at the “Brown Bag It” series. The ensemble also tours periodically and has performed at local, regional, national and international symposia.
Testimonials
What people say
“The Festival Ringers always put on a great concert. We love to catch them anytime we can. It’s great for the kids to see and hear some different instruments.”
Sharon Cable — Muskogee
“We’ve been going to the Brown Bag It performances for years. The Tulsa Festival Ringers are one of the highlights of our Christmas season!”
Antonio Johnson — Broken Arrow
“It’s such a joy to listen to TFR ring. They seem so happy when they are playing and that happiness just seems to carry over into the audience. We look forward to them every year.”
Lori Reed — Tulsa
Portraits
Photo gallery
Mailing list
Never miss a concert
A few emails a year with concert dates and the occasional bit of news. We are a volunteer ensemble, so it is never many.
Your address stays with us. We will never sell, rent or share it with anyone, for any purpose. Unsubscribe from any email, any time.