A holiday favorite, the Thursday Belles, return to Memorial Chapel Sunday at 7 p.m. for their annual Community Carol Sing.
The Thursday Belles were formed in 1959 by the late Helen Henshaw, who first introduced English Handbells to the area. The 11 ringers, directed by Judy Brackett Moore, hail from all over the region and have increased their musical range from two octaves to four.
Accompanied by Elinore Farnum, organ, and Joan Nikolski, piano, the Belles invite audience members to join in by donning Santa hats and festive clothing. This year, the ladies have even gone high tech.
“We're going to have the lyrics projected via PowerPoint for the first time,” said ringer Norma Lovell. “Our carousel projector finally broke, forcing us to upgrade our technology.”
The group performs at area schools and nursing homes throughout the Christmas season and again in the spring. Handbell selections include “Were You There That Christmas Night?,” a Christmas medley, “Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer” and “Savior of the Nations Come,” using windchimes along with the English bells.
The 90-minute performance features dozens of holiday carols and culminates in the classic “Twelve Days of Christmas,” sung round-robin style, with the Memorial Chapel audience divided into 12 choral sections.
Henshaw was part of Schenectady's Thursday Musical Club, which performed its annual Holiday Concert Dec. 1 at Memorial Chapel. The choral group, founded in 1913 in the home of Mrs. Arthur W. (Elsie) Jones, gave its first performance on Jan. 22, 1914, in the ballroom of the Mohawk Golf Club of Schenectady. Since 1931, most performances have been in Union's Memorial Chapel.
The Thursday Belles have been performing at Union since their inception.
The event is free and open to the public.