Kevin McChesney
Kevin McChesney graduated with highest honors from the University of Colorado at Boulder with a Bachelor of Music in Composition and Music Theory. A career composer and arranger of handbell music, Kevin has over 1000 handbell titles in print and is one of the very few musicians who has made handbells a full-time vocation.
Stemming from a lifelong passion for the classical guitar, Kevin is the founder of ClassyGuitarMusic.com, a web resource for original works, arrangements, and transcriptions for classical guitar.
His handbell career:
He was Music Director of the Pikes Peak Ringers, a virtuoso handbell choir based in Colorado Springs, for 30 years, and was also the Artistic Advisor for the Atlanta Concert Ringers for many years. His work with PPR included the premiere and thirteen further performances of his Concerto for Handbell Choir and Orchestra, and a recording with world-renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma.
Kevin is the handbell editor for Jeffers Handbell Supply and the RingingWord catalog. He is also co-founder of STEP, the Solo To Ensemble Project (sonologymusic.com). He has been in demand throughout the handbell world as a composer/arranger, workshop clinician, and festival conductor.
Kevin was Music Director of the National Honors Handbell Ensemble, an intensive performance opportunity for advanced teens, for their first five events. He has conducted at Carnegie Hall, Radio City Music Hall, Central Park, Disney World, and his music has been played on the Boston Pops stage. He has won numerous awards, including winning American Guild of English Handbell Ringers Composition Contests and Jeffers Composer of the Year.
As a continuation of his career-long focus on mentoring of handbell choirs, conductors, and composers/arrangers, Kevin now devotes considerable energy to bringing opportunities to other teachers, conductors, performers, and writers.
Kevin lives in Colorado Springs, CO, with his wife Tracy and their cats, Pearl and Aileen.