Director, Sharon Schmidt

Sharon Schmidt became director of Bells of the Rockies in the fall of 2024 and has been involved in the handbell world since the 1970s.  In 1992, she became a founding member of The Agape Ringers, an auditioned community handbell ensemble in the Chicago area. While in Illinois, Sharon directed multiple handbell ensembles at Gary United Methodist Church, as well as serving Handbell Musicians of America (HMA) in many capacities.

On the local level Sharon was a member of the Illinois Committee for nearly 30 years and was on the Area 8 Board for ten years.  At the national level, she was chair for 11 Distinctly Bronze events and was the Certification Program coordinator for five years.  Her handbell teaching experience includes numerous events in Area 8, events in Areas 1, 5, 7, and 10, multiple National Seminars, a National Festival, and an International Handbell Symposium. Sharon is also the substitute director for Rocky Mountain Ringers in Denver and owns a small business offering handbell maintenance and workshops.

In 2022, Sharon retired from her Illinois groups and moved with her husband, Gerry, from Naperville, IL to Lakewood, CO. An engineer by training, Sharon has built on her early piano, viola, and flute lessons by seeking musical education through her local community college, HMA National Seminars, HMA Conducting Masterclass, and participation in HMA certification programs in theory, handbell techniques, and conducting.
 
Sharon and Gerry enjoy the weather and vistas in Colorado, volunteering with Habitat for Humanity, and scuba diving all over the world.