Handbells have been a huge part of Ed Rollins’s life. He started playing in high school, played for four years at William Jewell College in Liberty, MO, and then, from there, he became an AGEHR member. While he loves ringing and directing, he found a deep desire to help Handbell Musicians of America grow and remain vital in the handbell world. His leadership in this organization includes Missouri State Treasurer, Missouri Chair, Area 8 Chair (on two occasions), Area 7/8 Representative to the National Board, and from 2011-2017 as the HMA President-Elect and President for the National Board of Directors. In 2020 (at the start of the pandemic) he was asked to act as Interim Executive Director for Handbell Musicians of America, which he did for almost two years. When a new ED was hired, Ed became the Business Manager for HMA, a position that he now holds. As clinician and conductor, Ed was AGEHR’s second ever coordinator for the Young Ringers Festival in Ames, Iowa in the early 1990’s, he has conducted multiple young ringer events around the country, and he has conducted for festival conferences in Area 1, Area 5, Area 6, Area 8, the advanced ringers track for National Seminar, and he was the HMA conductor for the International Symposium in Vancouver. He has taught classes in over 25 states.
In addition to his work for AGEHR, he co-founded the nationally recognized Columbia Handbell Ensemble back in 1989. This organization has run continuously since that time except for a Covid break. The group has been a featured choir for several area conferences, two national festival conferences and two National Seminars. This group has collaborated with an enormous number of musical organizations, most notably, the University of Missouri Concert Series, the Missouri Symphony, the Legion of Black Collegians, the Columbia Chorale, the Whiteman Air Force Base Christmas tree lighting, and the Odyssey Chamber Music Series.
When not working for handbells, Ed served as Associate Pastor for Music and Administration at First Baptist Church of Columbia, MO, where he served for 31 years. At the church, Ed directed the choirs, handbell program, and an instrumental ensemble. Administratively, he had oversight of budgets, personnel, facilities and a 7-million-dollar endowment. Aside from that, he created the worship order each week, he preached, performed weddings, and often led funerals. In his final ten years, he worked with another staff member to create liturgical art for worship. They were invited to lead classes on creating liturgical art. While at the church, he also founded the Odyssey Chamber Music Series, a staple of Missouri arts for 20 years.
Ed is married to Jess Wolfe, a teacher for the Columbia Public Schools program for gifted students (EEE). He has four stepchildren, Liam, Ophelia, Anya and Odin, and two years ago, Jess and Ed welcomed Iris Mae Wolfe Rollins into the clan. Along with the kids, there is one fluffy dog, George, three cats and a hamster. Never a dull moment.