Meet Our Members
Denise Caliendo
Member since 2013
Max Dykla
Member since 2021
Maxwell Dykla of Chicago started playing handbells in 2nd grade. He graduated from VanderCook College of Music in 2014 and is currently teaching PreK-8th Grade Music in Logan Square. Maxwell also serves as Music Director & Accompanist for various school theatrical productions and amateur performance groups in Chicago and the surrounding suburbs.
Holly Evans
Member since 2019
was a four- year member of her college handbell choir, playing at mass and concerts, as well as on tour around the country, even on the Great Wall of China! She graduated from Notre Dame in 2017 in Applied Math and Economics and started work at NCSA as a data analyst. Holly moved to Chicago in 2018 and lives in Logan Square. In her free time, she likes to visit her family in Valpo, play board games, watch HS and college basketball, and keep the scorebook at Cubs games!
Meryl Franck
Member since 2021
Meryl has been playing in church handbell choirs for more than 20 years. During the pandemic, she learned to ring solos and duets for her home church. She is a retired church office manager. She and her husband very recently moved to Forest Park, returning to their home state after living in NY, NC, TX, CO, VA and MS. She is a graduate of the University of Illinois and the daughter of Welsh immigrants. Meryl has 2 adult children and 2 grandchildren.
Michele Harbeck Haley
Member since 2014
Michele was introduced to handbells when her mother started a choir at their church. She started and directed a handbell choir in West Chicago for 17 years. Michele is a church organist/pianist, plays flute and has served as a church choir director. She is the VP/CFO for National Covenant Properties. She is Mom to four grown children and grandmother to 3 energetic grandsons. In her free time, Michele loves to travel with her husband, David and spend time with their family.
Anne Kivikko
Member since 2016
Anne Kivikko of Lakewood is a retired band and orchestra teacher of 30 years and has been enjoying bell ringing for about 20 years. She is very involved in her church’s music ministry, as choir member, flute player and handbell director. She and her husband, Kevin, enjoy spending time with their grandchildren.
Kathy Murray
Member since 2011
Kathy lives in Elmhurst, is a retired Hospice nurse and has been ringing handbells for 30 years. Upon hearing bells for the first time in 1990, Kathy was instantly hooked. However, her church needed a bell choir director so Kathy decided to take the job! Having earned her BMU in piano performance, she became a “quick learner” of the art of ringing and has been ringing ever since. Outside of bells, Kathy enjoys time spent with family and friends as well as her new role as Grandma.
Matt McLeod
Member since 2021
Matt McLeod of Evanston started playing handbells in high school in Albuquerque. He continued the adventure while at Northwestern and met our director Andrea Handley getting drawn more into the art. He has played as part of several groups and ensembles and has directed a group for adults with disabilities. A former middle school math teacher, he now helps teachers improve instruction for all students and tries to keep up with his wife and three kids (17, 14, 9), all of whom are musicians as well.
Laura Olsen
Member since 2004
Laura Olsen of Barrington is owner of A Joyful Sound piano service, tuning and repairing pianos to support her music habit. She is Handbell Director at Barrington United Methodist Church and Lutheran Church of Atonement and plays flute and tin whistle in the Irish Pub band, The Ragged Rascals. Laura has 3 sons, a grandson, and a granddaughter.
Bill Ondratschek
Member since 2007
Bill attended North Park College in Chicago where he played in the concert band. Bill received a BA degree and taught elementary education for 9 years. He then served as corporate trainer and a CE course instructor in the restoration industry for 32 years before retiring. Bill started ringing handbells in 1999 and is also a member of the St. John Ringers. Coincidentally, he and his wife, Cheryl, share the same outside interests.
Cheryl Ondratschek
Member since 2005
lives in Winfield with her husband, Bill. Cheryl has a Bachelor of Music degree from North Park College in Chicago and was a music educator for 10 years before entering the business world. She has retired from a telemetry services company. Cheryl first began ringing handbells in 1999. She is currently handbell director at St. John Lutheran Church in Wheaton. When she is not playing or directing bells likes to garden, bike, and read.
Derrick Sanders
Member since 2015
Derrick has been playing handbells since 2003 when as a favor to a friend joined a California Community Church Handbell Choir. He enjoyed the experience so much he kept on playing. In 2012, he moved to Illinois for work and joined another local Community Church Handbell Choir. When not playing handbells, Derrick can be found Go-Karting, hanging out with friends, playing video games, and checking out the sites of the Chicago Area.
Cynthia Seputis
Member since 2014
Cynthia began trio ringing in 2001 before joining a handbell choir. A U of IL and Northwestern alum, Cynthia has taught general music at Carpenter Elementary in Park Ridge for 31 years and recently retired from teaching summer courses at VanderCook College of Music. When not ringing bells, she loves to play the banjo and hang out with her awesome family.
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