Composer Conversations are 75-minute online sessions with two guest speakers in a moderated discussion. On November 18, hear from composers Karen Lakey Buckwalter and Nick Hanson, who will discuss a variety of topics, including their journey from the start of a piece to its publication, and their artistic motivation when starting a new composition. They will also share their experiences with how to approach publishers, and offer insight into the process once a piece is going to be published. There will be Q&A time with attendees.
There is no cost to attend, however, registration is required for link access. This series is limited to Handbell Musicians of America members. To join, follow this link.
Karen is a distinguished organist, pianist, and composer, is Associate Minister of Music at St. Matthew Lutheran Church, in Hanover, PA. She currently directs the handbell program, coordinates the Saturday contemporary worship and is privileged to play a 231 rank Austin organ (14,341 pipes), the 5th largest church organ in the world. Karen is a 1974 graduate of Westminster Choir College, where she earned her Bachelor of Music Education degree, and a 1977 graduate of The Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, where she studied organ with Mr. John Weaver and earned the prestigious Artists Diploma in Organ Performance. Internationally known in the field of handbell composition, she composed her first published work, Danza, in 1982. Known for her works such as Soliloquy for Bells, In the Bleak Midwinter, and Nocturne in A Minor, she now has over 100 handbell/choral compositions in print. Her passion is advancing musicality in all levels of ringing and she is especially known for her clear and concise conducting style. Karen is sought after as a handbell conductor/clinician for workshops and bell festivals throughout the US. Her works have been recorded in the United States and Japan and they are frequently selected at area and national handbell conferences throughout the country.
After receiving his BA in Music with concentration in handbell performance from Concordia University, Irvine, California, Nick began teaching at The Potomac School in McLean, Virginia, in 2006. At Potomac he teaches private handbell lessons and handbell classes to 4th–12th grade students in six handbell ensembles. He has also been the handbell director at Bush Hill Presbyterian Church in Alexandria, Virginia, for over 15 years. Nick is a sought-after faculty, clinician, and conductor for workshops and events throughout the world, having served in this role nationally in over 20 states, as well as Washington, DC, and internationally in England, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, and Japan. He was co-conductor for the Handbell Musicians of America (HMA) All-Star Choir in 2018; and has twice led HMA’s Distinctly Teen ensemble in 2015 and 2023. He is a published writer in the national handbell magazine Overtones, has composed and arranged over 100 pieces of handbell music, and is co-host of the podcast Two Tacos High: A Handbell Podcast.