Members
Kevin McChesney – Director |
 Kevin, the founder of PPR, graduated with a degree in Composition and Theory from the University of Colorado. During his second church music director’s job after graduation, he was asked to direct their handbell choir. The ringers taught him a lot at the start, and he was taken with this amazing way to make music together. He saw an opportunity to jump into a market that was in great need of composers. Currently, Kevin composes and arranges music for handbells and is in great demand as a clinician for workshops and festivals. He is the handbell editor for Jeffers Handbell Supply. He also has a number of educational and music projects going for handbells. As far as he knows, he’s the only person who derives his full-time living in the handbell industry. Besides directing PPR (which is full-time in itself), he plays guitar, loves old movies, and reads a good deal. |
Laurie Cox |
 Laurie began ringing handbells in 1985 at her church under the direction of Roxanne Hammond. She has been a handbell and music director at St. Francis Episcopal and is now the handbell director at Grace Episcopal. She is one of the original members of PPR. She plays piano, organ, hammered dulcimer and has worked for Sherwin-Williams for 14 years in the District Office that handles HR for Southern Colorado. She has her pilots license and holds a general class amateur radio license. |
Ingrid Daniel |
 Way back in September of 1979, Ingrid Daniel rang a bell for the first time, and she was fascinated! Ever since then, whenever possible, she has rung bells, sometimes in more than one choir at a time. Currently she rings with two different bell choirs at two different churches, and is honored to now be a part of Pikes Peak Ringers, as well! When she is not playing bells, Ingrid teaches gifted and talented students in District 49, and when she is not teaching, she can be found singing in the church choir, chasing hot air balloons, riding rafts down rivers, and doing messy science experiments! |
Amy Drown |
 Amy is the newest PPR member, joining in August 2009, and one of the newest handbell ringers, having only begun playing in 2006. A lifelong musician, she saw PPR perform for the first time at a 2005 Christmas concert and was instantly hooked. When Jan Weiser started a new choir at First Presbyterian Church, Amy jumped at the chance to learn and has never looked back. Originally from Arizona, Amy loves her new life in Colorado and works in Media & Public Relations for Focus on the Family. She spends most of her spare time playing and giving lessons on her other favorite instrument, the bagpipes, and trying to learn how to grow a garden that contains more than desert cactus and rocks! |
Michelle Eads |
 Michelle began ringing in 1980 at her church in Houston, and was hooked! Ringing ever since then, she enjoys playing solos and in quartets in addition to full choirs. She joined Pikes Peak Ringers in 2002. She uses her left brain as a family physician, and loves spending time with her family including her two sons and Murphey, the golden retriever. |
Susan Hedgpeth – Assistant Director |
 Susan joined PPR in 2003. She learned of handbells in college, Southwest Baptist University, and was taught how to play in her church in MO in 1997. She is a pianist first and foremost, but also plays flute, and she’s learning to play bass and acoustic guitar. She directs two handbell choirs and is the assistant music director at her church. Susan is the full-time mother of four beautiful children, and she loves to do puzzles in her spare time, when she can find it. |
Amy Heitland |
 Amy joined PPR in 2000 and started ringing handbells through her youth handbell choir at her church. She is a pharmaceutical sales representative with Wyeth. She plays piano and loves to exercise and read in her spare time. |
Erik Hjelmstad |
 Erik began ringing in 1995 at First Lutheran Church, and he has played in quartets and done some solo work. He joined the Pikes Peak Ringers in 2002. He is director of the Rainbow Ringers, 1st-6th graders, at First Lutheran. He is a security engineer at IBM and spends as much of his spare time as possible with his three children, Kayla, Krista, and Ryan. |
Cathy Holiday |
 Cathy began playing handbells in 1991 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Madison, WI. After moving to Colorado Springs in 1994, she joined the Carillon Ringers of First Lutheran and joined PPR in 2001. She is a real-time closed captioner for the National Captioning Institute working from her home captioning the news and sporting events. Besides playing flute, trombone, bassoon and piano, she loves to scrapbook, cross-stitch, and take care of their Flatcoat Retriever, Oreo, her husband, Brian, and their toddler, Conner! |
Mark Horst |
 Mark began ringing handbells in 1979 with Faith Westwood United Methodist church in Omaha, Nebraska. In 1984 he moved to Colorado Springs and was one of the first ringers in the handbell choir at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church. Mark’s involvement with Pikes Peak Ringers began in 1999. Mark is a professional engineer and can be found working in the yard when he’s not ringing. He particularly enjoys the fact that handbells do not require tuning (other than remembering which hand is your right, which hand is your left and where your bell is.) |
Joan Kuehn |
 Joan Kuehn began ringing during the first season of PPR, left for a period of time, and rejoined PPR in 2000. She discovered handbells in 1980 in Stockton, CA, while taking a class at the community college. She is the Director of Music at First Lutheran Church where she directs the music program including 6 handbell choirs. If she’s not found “living” at First Lutheran, she enjoys skiing in the winter and golfing in the summer. |
Bonnie Linder |
 Bonnie has rung with Pikes Peak Ringers since its founding in 1991. She is Director of Music at Chapel of Our Saviour Episcopal Church. In 1978 at Massanetta Springs Music Conference she rang her first handbell and has been hooked since then. When she’s not ringing bells, she loves Sudoku, gardening, sewing, and reading. |
Tracy McChesney |
 Tracy started ringing in 1989 with a church choir directed by her future husband (Kevin). She has rung with various church and ensemble choirs and has rung with PPR the entire time with the exception of three years when she took a break. She is an Asic test operator at Atmel Corp and enjoys trying out new restaurants. |
Kate Myers |
 Kate was an original member in 1991 and took some time off during 2000-2006 and rejoined in 2006. She started ringing handbells in 1988 after a teacher talked her into trying it. She teaches band to fourth and fifth graders at five elementary schools in District 11 in Colorado Springs. She plays lots of other instruments, but never ask her to play the violin. She can be found knitting, quilting, sewing, and she loves genealogy. |
Luke Nabeta |
 Luke joined PPR in January 2005 and began ringing handbells in his church choir at Mesa Hills Bible Church in 1997. He also plays the mountain and hammered dulcimers, piano, and is learning to play the viola and the Shakuhachi, a Japanese flute. He directs his family’s handbell choir, Family Harmony. He works for the US Postal Service as a part-time carrier and his spare time is occupied with trying to finish college, various outdoor activities, and many different musical endeavors. |
Jan Weiser |
 Jan began ringing with PPR in 1992 at the beginning of the spring season. She learned how to play handbells at age 18 in a church bell choir that was totally made up of complete novices. She is director of the handbell program at First Presbyterian Church and directs three groups. She is employed as a school bus driver and is training to become a medical transcriptionist. She enjoys scrapbooking, camping, learning to quilt, and traveling. Thankfully, PPR is helping in that regard! |
Kimberly Wells-Deline |
 After first joining in the 1998-1999 season, Kimberly took a six-year sabbatical before rejoining in 2005. She first began ringing handbells with her church youth bell choir in which Kevin was her director. Besides handbells, she also played saxophone through school. Currently, Kimberly is a medical malpractice defense attorney and spends the rest of her time taking care of her lovely baby daughter. |
Shelley Williams |
 Shelley joined PPR in 1997. She first started playing handbells in ninth grade when her church received a complete set and they had a goal of going to the National Festival in Jekyll Island, GA. She also plays piano and flute and is currently a stay-at-home mom taking care of their handsome infant son. |
Sandy Wright |
 Sandy is one of the original PPR members and began playing handbells in 1984. She also plays piano and is the music director/teacher at Immanuel Lutheran Church and School. Besides directing her handbell and voice choirs, she loves to cross-stitch when she gets the time. |