A tremendous amount has happened with
BBR since our last newsletter over the summer, and because of that, we have not had as frequent communications over the past few months as we would like. To start with, we discovered in mid-August, that due to pandemic-related changes, we were not going to be able to return to our long term rehearsal space and home at First Church Boston for the fall. This sent us into a scramble to find a new long-term rental space in time to begin meeting in September, and this challenge was compounded by many potential locations being hesitant to bring in new tenants as the Delta-variant was starting to emerge. Fortunately, our Boston Handbell Festival partner and prior landlord, Old South Church in Boston, was able to find space for us and by the second half of September we were moved in and starting to rehearse for our winter program. Thank you so much, Old South Church!
That brings me to another challenge we have faced this fall, and that is the logistics around holding our first public concerts in over a year and a half. All of our venues have been great in working with us, but each one presents its own set of unique challenges and requirements, and these have been a constant set of moving targets as things change from one month to the next. However, despite all of that, we have five holiday concerts planned in four different locations in the greater Boston area, and tickets are now available
here.
Due to social distancing requirements many of our venues are at a greatly reduced capacity. This means that tickets are likely to sell out fast, so don’t wait too long to buy. We are also going to be largely paperless to reduce physical contact, so some things will look a little different this season, such as no physical tickets and digital programs at some venues.
And speaking of on-line, if you follow the link above, you will be taken to our brand-new
website! Over the past year, we have upgraded and enhanced our website as well as given it a visual refresh. Behind the scenes, we have also made it easier for us to incorporate new kinds of content and media. Our goal is for it to be an ever-improving source for all things
BBR into the future.
Finally, many of you may recall that we hosted a “Virtual Summer Ring” this year where we encouraged people to submit videos to be assembled into a combined mass piece. At this time we have received almost enough videos to complete all of the bell parts, and believe there are enough in process to finish out the set. As soon as we have the final video in hand, we will assemble them and post the result for all to see. Thanks to everyone who participated!
Thanks again to all of you for your support of
BBR, and we have still more things in the works that you will hear about soon, so stay tuned!
-Cade
Executive Director
Back Bay Ringers
