Laine Heltebridle has been ringing handbells for 40 years, and from the first moment he learned how to play — he’s been hooked. “It’s different than other musical things that I have ever done,” ...

Often, when the Metropolitan Bells come offstage after a concert, director Gary Bynum is approached by an audience member who is amazed at the range of material the handbell ensemble just performed.

From “Jingle Bells” to the street-corner bell ringers of the Salvation Army, the sound of the Christmas season is bells. But bell ringing has a rich history, integrated into daily and liturgical life ...