Stikepoint finishes tour at Coppertop

Strikepoint, one of the world’s top handbell ensembles, will perform at 6 p.m. Saturday, June 23, at First United Methodist Church, 230 E. Skyline Parkway in Duluth. This is the final performance of the ensemble’s 2012 summer tour, which has taken it across Iowa, South Dakota, Wisconsin, and Michigan. Admission is free, but a $10 donation is suggested.

A handbell ensemble is like a living piano, with each of eleven ringers responsible for up to nine notes. Audience members will see musical lines moving as chords move up from the bass, or when the highest bells join in on the melody.

The group, based at First United Methodist Church, has been touring annually since 1985, with an international tour every 2 or 3 years. Bill Alexander, a nationally known handbell clinician and conductor, leads the ensemble.

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