Cheryl Townsend has been a ringer-member of The New England Ringers since 2014 and is excited to be NER’s next Music Director. 

In 2006 she was introduced to handbells at a music conference, which prompted her to start a handbell choir, the Faith Ringers, at The Union Congregational Church in Groton, MA where she has directed for the past 17 years. Cheryl will continue to serve as their Handbell Director.

Cheryl has been actively involved in music since she began piano lessons at 6 years old, played trumpet through high school and earned a Bachelor of Music at the Crane School of Music, SUNY Potsdam, NY. She has been teaching piano since 1985 and especially enjoys accompanying choral groups, soloists, and musical theater.

Cheryl is thrilled to continue the work of the directors before her, work collaboratively with the board outlining goals and creating a clear vision for the organization. She strives to create a welcoming culture based on trust and inclusion in everything she does.

Currently, she works at FranklinCovey as a Client Engagement Coordinator, which specializes in personal development and leadership training throughout the world. In her limited free time, Cheryl enjoys spending time with her family and friends, reading, and gardening.

Excellence in Handbell Ringing

New England Ringers is a community handbell ensemble of highly energetic musicians playing advanced levels of handbell literature. Offering exciting performances, NER amazes listeners and receives enthusiastic reviews from audience members of all ages. NER performances are a blend of lively and diverse musical moods and styles with repertoire spanning classical transcriptions, familiar favorites and original compositions. The outstanding music is matched by touches of entertaining humor and the artful visual presentation of the ensemble playing this unique instrument. One of the major goals of the ensemble is to introduce audiences to the incredible music that can be made on this impressive instrument. The New England Ringers strive to achieve a level of musicianship that brings the art of handbell ringing greater recognition and acceptance in the world of musical performance.