Support the ensemble
Help support the art of handbell ringing.
The Tulsa Festival Ringers is a volunteer ensemble. Nobody on that stage is paid to be there — they ring because they love it. What your gift pays for is everything around them: the bronze, the music, and the halls we ring in.
Where it goes
What your gift supports
The instruments
We ring 135 bells and chimes. Bronze needs polishing, handles and clappers wear out, and cases take a beating on the road. Maintaining a set this size is the single largest ongoing cost the ensemble carries.
The music
Every piece in a program is purchased. We share a licensed copy where possible to save costs, but some positions require a dedicated copy, and handbell arrangements are a specialist market. A single concert’s worth of new music represents a real line in the budget.
The concerts
Venues, transport, and the risers and tables that turn a sanctuary into a stage. Keeping our concerts open to everyone means the audience isn’t the one covering those costs.
Looking ahead
What we’re working towards
Beyond the running costs, two larger purchases are on the horizon. These are goals rather than separate funds — everything given to TFR goes into one pot, and these are what we are building that pot towards.
$65,000
The sixth and seventh octaves
Adding the sixth and seventh octaves of Malmark bells — the deep bass below our current range, and the small trebles above it — would take our five-octave set to a full seven. A great deal of the repertoire is written for seven octaves, and at the moment we simply cannot play it.
$8,000
A trailer to haul it all
A 7×14 dual-axle enclosed trailer. Bells, chimes, tables, pads, percussion and music travel to every concert in whatever vehicles the ringers can muster. The trailer is the smaller part of that figure; the rest is fitting it out so the bronze rides safely.
Make a donation
One-time or monthly, any amount. You’ll receive a tax receipt.
We fundraise through Zeffy, which charges nonprofits nothing — 100% of your donation reaches the ensemble. If the form doesn’t load, you can open it directly.