“The Bells of Christmas” – Free Zoom presentation by Bradford Conner, Music & Choral Director at First Parish in Bedford

Some of the most significant moments in history have been defined by the presence of bells.  Besides the obvious connection with music, more than that, bells are part of everyday life.  They announce births.  They celebrate joyous events.  They call people to congregate.  They start revolutions.  “Let freedom ring!”  They announce the end of wars.  They summon workers in from the fields.  They indicate the time.  They call us to answer the door.  They tell us when our dinner is cooked.  They tell us what fun it is to ride in a one-horse open sleigh.  They toll for solemn events and for our deaths.  From the time we are born until the time we die, bells are everywhere.  They have inspired poetic masterpieces by Longfellow and Donne amongst others.  They even have the power to tell us when an angel gets its wings.  This presentation will explore the stories of bells and what makes them such an important part of our existence and our common experiences.  Does that “ring a bell”?

Brad Conner has been the Music & Choral Director at First Parish in Bedford for 17 years.   Brad has a vibrant enthusiasm for all genres of music from classical to contemporary to jazz to blues, to the Great American Songbook, to Broadway/film music, to classic rock … to all good music.  Brad has multiple degrees from West Virginia University including musicology, vocal and piano performance, and teaching.  During the COVID-ID lockdown, Brad used his time to work on piano works by Schubert and Beethoven.  As things have begun to open back up, he has happily started to resume his professional performing life as a conductor, pianist, singer and as lecturer at First Parish in Bedford, Beacon Hill Seminars, and the Cambridge Center for Adult Education.