Tulsa Festival Ringers

About Tulsa Festival Ringers

The ensemble

In 1990, a group of handbell directors and ringers from the Tulsa area decided that they wanted to attend a national handbell symposium. Elizabeth Warriner was the director of that initial group and since they had to have a name, they called themselves the Tulsa Festival Ringers. Initially, their goal was to simply attend the one festival that they were interested in, and then disband.

However, to their surprise, they discovered that it was a lot of fun to ring in an advanced group, so they decided to keep rehearsing and performing. Elizabeth chose not to continue as the director, so the group persuaded William "Bill" Mathis, a well-known conductor/composer in the Tulsa area to lead the group.

Under Bill's leadership, the ensemble adopted a more rigorous approach to rehearsal and performances. They incorporated under Oklahoma law, adopted a set of by-laws, and held their first auditions. Obtaining non-profit status from the Federal Government in 1994 was an important step toward future operations. During Bill's tenure, TFR would produce many recordings for various handbell publishers. They would record in the sanctuary of Asbury UMC when they were still in their facility on Sheridan Rd in Tulsa.

Currently the group performs two concert seasons, one during Christmas and one every spring.

Pat Alexander

Pat Alexander is a retired Speech and Language Pathologist. She is married to Doug Alexander, a retired Civil Engineer. Together, they have two children: Abby Alexander Thralls and Raygn Alexander. Pat and Doug are also proud grandparents to Kate and Ellie Thralls. Pat began her bell ringing journey in the mid-1980s at Arrow Heights Baptist Church in Broken Arrow, and in 2001, she became a member of the Tulsa Festival Ringers.

Paula Barnes

Paula auditioned for Tulsa Festival Ringers in the Spring (April) of 2012 and began with the Fall 2012 season. Learning handbells as a child, she has been playing in churches that she's attended for over 50 years.

She teaches digital media safety through HeartMatters, a non-profit organization in Bartlesville, OK. Her husband, two sons, and five grandchildren are a delight in her life. Paula likes to travel, sew and tat, which is a very old lace making technique.

She enjoys participating in TFR because of the challenging music, the new skills and techniques learned while playing different types of bells, chimes, etc. and the opportunity to play in different positions. It has been so meaningful to develop friendships with the other members and directors. Paula admires the way the ensemble works together to perform beautiful music.

One of her most memorable moments in performing with TFR is playing at the church where she grew up, St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, Tulsa. It is a wonderful setting for bells with high ceilings, balcony surrounding three sides, and beautiful stained glass.