Meet mach

RINGER | 2022

Greg began ringing 20 years ago with his church’s handbell choir. Greg is also a long-time member of the Madison Symphony percussion section, and enjoys the creative world that is percussion. He is married to fellow ringer, Melissa, and is proud of their two college-age kids. In his free time he enjoys cooking, woodworking projects, and modern architecture.

RINGER | 2022

Melissa joined spring of 2022, having had her first handbell experience as a church bell choir director 20 years ago. Melissa works at Covenant Presbyterian Church as the Minister of Music and Pastoral Care. She is married to fellow ringer, Greg, and together they have 2 children in college. Other interests include cooking, baking, gardening, and traveling.

RINGER & OFFICER | 2021

Heidi first began ringing in her church’s handbell choir in elementary school, and then picked it back up again. By day, she’s a Physician and Clinical Informaticist in the Department of Medicine at UW. Her other interests include gardening, fiber arts, and musical theater.

RINGER & PRESIDENT | 2018

Wes began ringing at 8 and hasn't stopped since; playing in youth choirs and the San Diego Harmony Ringers in undergrad. He jumped coasts to pursue a Ph.D. at UNC-Chapel Hill. When he wasn’t shooting lasers “for research”, he rang in church choirs and directed Youth bells. He is currently a Senior Scientific Editor with Elsevier.

RINGER | 2022

Marcie has played in or directed various handbell choirs over the years, first ringing at Lutherdale Summer camp. After a 14-year hiatus, she was thrilled to join MACH in 2022. Marcie is an accountant by day for WBD, Inc. When not working or making music, she loves to travel, hike, kayak, craft, play with her grandkids, and spend time with friends.

RINGER | 2002

Karen became fascinated with handbells at the age of 3 when she got to ring the smallest bell after a performance. At 10 she began to play in her church choir and continued until she went to the University of Illinois. She moved to Madison in 2001 and joined MACH in the spring of 2002. She teaches math at Madison East High School and travels each summer.

SECRETARY | 2017

Ashley has always been musical, playing a variety of instruments. Her introduction to handbells was in high school when her school briefly added a choir to win more points in Solo & Ensemble. When not ringing, she’s at work as the Director of Experience Strategy for InterVarsity, knitting, or hanging out with her husband, housemates, and pets.

RINGER | 1999

Rachel has rung with MACH since 1999. She is the daughter of two musicians, so it is no surprise that she has music in her blood. She began playing handbells in grade school and has been ringing ever since. When she’s not behind a bell table, Rachel coordinates the instructional technology for the undergraduate program in the UW-Madison Department of Chemistry and plays trombone in the Verona Area Concert Band.

RINGER | 2010

Caitlin encountered handbells as a child and it was love at first ring. She’s been blessed to ring at every level from junior church choir to national festival show choir. When not ringing, she can be found gardening, playing various instruments for worship at Our Redeemer, Madison, and creating ‘choir of one’ videos (@ChoirOfOne).

RINGER | 2017

Cara Happe first rang a handbell at 6 years old. Outside of MACH, she plays horn in the Verona Area Concert Band and is involved in music ministry at her church. When she’s not ringing, Cara likes taking walks with her husband Richard and their dogs: Bundy and Melba, square dancing, knitting, and crocheting- last year she used almost 20k yards of yarn!

RINGER & TREASURER | 2014

Kris first played handbells as a freshman at St. Olaf College as a way of being in music without singing or playing an instrument. When not ringing, she works as a biostatistician for one of the research groups at UW-Madison looking at eye diseases. She has been involved with Girl Scouts throughout her life and enjoys reading mysteries and doing puzzles.

RINGER | 1997

Kristi started ringing handbells in 1995 when her church bought a 5-octave set. She joined MACH in its inaugural year 2 years later. She is married to her high school sweetheart (a former MACH ringer), and they have 3 sons, 2 daughters-in-law and 4 very adorable grandchildren. She is a member of the Payroll team at Epic and enjoys reading, quilting, traveling and spending time with her family.

RINGER | 2008

Debi has been ringing for 40+ years in church and community choirs. While MACH is her “home team”, she also makes the 500-mile trip to ring with Bells In Motion, based in Springfield, IL. When not ringing, she enjoys biking, doing puzzles, operating the train and carousel at the Henry Vilas Zoo, and playing with her grand-puppies.

RINGER | 1997

Alice earned her B.S. and M.A. at the University of Nebraska. She taught Latin/Spanish, held various jobs at UNL, worked in editorial for Photochemistry/biology, and learned to ring. After 50 years in Nebraska, she moved to work at the Journal of Chemical Ed. just in time to become a founding ringer in MACH. In 2013, she retired from the Journal but not from MACH.

RINGER | 2013-2017, 2024

Kathie was introduced to handbells in middle school and went on to play in choirs in high school and college. She originally joined MACH in 2013, took a short break when her kid was born, and returned in 2024. Kathie is the Math PhD Program Manager at UW-Madison. Her hobbies include knitting, puzzles, and board games. 

RINGER | 2023

Jeffrey started ringing when he was in middle school with First Lutheran Church in Beaver Dam, WI. He rang for one season in High School with Encore! Handbells in Oshkosh, WI and after his college career at UW-Whitewater where he majored in Finance and Music, he really wanted to start ringing again and is now a proud member of MACH. Outside of bells, he teaches piano and substitute teaches with the Madison Metropolitan and Middleton-Cross Plains School Districts. Additionally, he likes to play the violin and trombone. Oh, and he loves to karaoke.