About Us
The Agape Ringers are an auditioned community handbell choir, founded in 1992 and currently under the baton of KC Congdon. Brought together by our love of handbell music, we strive to further the art of handbell ringing through our concerts, workshops, and recordings. While we take our music seriously, we also make sure we enjoy our time together making it! Looking back through the years brings great satisfaction, and we're excited to continue our tradition of Agape excellence in the years ahead!
1992 - 1995
1992 Founded by David L. Weck with 13 members
1992 Completed our first promotional recording for our friends at Hope Publishing Company
1993 Performed in Milwaukee, WI at our first national handbell event
1995 Taught our first workshop for the Handbell Musicians of America (HMA) - Area 8
1995 Showcase performance at the 16th Annual Directors' Seminar in St. Louis, MO
1995 The Agape Ringers became incorporated as a not-for-profit organization
1995 Performed as featured artists at Handbell Explo '95, Tempe, AZ
1996 - 2000
1996 Travelled through Wisconsin on our first out-of-state concert tour
1997 Concert tour to Minnesota with performance at the HMA Western National Festival in Kansas City, MO
1997 Purchased our low octave bronze bells G2-B2
1998 Purchased our 6th octave low chimes from Malmark
1999 Produced our first Agape "Sounds of the Season" holiday concert
2000 Our first international tour to attend the International Handbell Symposium in Birmingham, England
2001 - 2005
2002 Purchased a duplicate four octave set of Malmark Handbells
2002 Visited the Malmark factory and the Liberty Bell during our East Coast tour
2004 Purchased our 7th octave low chimes from Malmark
2004 West Coast tour through Washington, Montana, Idaho, and Oregon
2004 Featured performers & instructors at the HMA Area X Festival in Tacoma, WA
2005 Performed joint concerts with friends Jane Holstein, Joel Raney, and Orbert Davis
2005 Featured performers at the HMA National Seminar in Dallas, TX
2006 - 2010
2006 Headed south to Puerto Rico for our second overseas concert tour
2006 Performed at the National Convention of the American Guild of Organists
2007 Performed as opening artists at the Annual Seminar of the Fellowship of American Baptist Musicians in Green Lake, WI
2008 Appeared in the Rockford Symphony Orchestra's Holiday Pops concert
2009 Northeastern US tour through Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania, and Toronto, Canada.
2010 Headline Concert at the HMA Pinnacle event in Nashville, TN
2011 - 2015
2011 Performed & taught at the HMA Area 2 Festival in Kutztown, PA
2011 Purchased our bronze C2 bell through the generosity of an anonymous but much appreciated donor!
2011 Hosted our first "Friends of Agape" donor appreciation concert
2012 Produced our Agape Gold concert DVD
2012 Purchased our Equipment Truck
2013 Guest artists with the Elmhurst Symphony Orchestra
2013 20th Anniversary celebration concert with guest artists Embellish Handbell Ensemble
2014 Our first tour by Charter Bus to Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Mississippi
2016 - present
2017 Performed at the HMA Area 5 Festival in Covington, KY
2017 Joint concert with the Purdue University Handbell Choir in West Lafayette, IN
2018 Visited the Golden State on our four-concert California tour
2018 Sounds of the Season farewell concert & reception for David L. Weck
2019 KC Condon takes charge as our Artistic Director
2019 Performed at the Unity Temple in Oak Park, IL - a UNESCO World Heritage Site
2020 First ever Agape streaming concert for Sounds of the Season 2020
2021 Featured group at HMA National Seminar in Glendale, Arizona