https://www.knoxareahandbellfestival.com/home daily 1.0 2025-08-14 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5aa72fc645776e102c6a5879/1520910557106-AHXBBCH9TN1DPKM7UKIS/KAHF9.jpg Home - Who we are Smoky Mountain Ring, formerly known as the Knox Area Handbell Festival, had its beginnings in 1996 and is held every year during the spring. Nationally known clinicians lead the festivals. The goal is to provide an educational event in a multi-choir environment. Handbell ringing can bring together, in a unique way, people of all ages, experiences, backgrounds, and interests into one cohesive, musical ensemble. Ringing provides an outlet and a common ground for people who otherwise would not have anything to bring them together. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5aa72fc645776e102c6a5879/1564033473850-VAV61VH2N4SXFZ0DLS8D/20190406_160316.jpg Home - Our Festival 2026 SMOKY MOUNTAIN RING LOCATION: Grace Lutheran Church, 9076 Middlebrook Pike Knoxville, TN 37923 DATES: April 17 - 18, 2026 CLINICIAN: Greig Ashurst COST: $175 per choir or $25 per ringer up to 6 ringers in an ensemble https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5aa72fc645776e102c6a5879/1520910977826-Q987Z8TY4L2DAG0IIG08/KAHF7.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5aa72fc645776e102c6a5879/564b2343-3db7-4c8d-a135-a74a9fe8320c/Untitled.jpg Home - Greig Ashurst Greig Ashurst is a highly accomplished music educator, conductor, clinician, and performer with a career spanning over four decades. His expertise encompasses music education, educational philosophy, technology, musical instrument design, and music performance. And, he has made significant contributions to the field of handbells. Born in Lafayette, Louisiana, Mr. Ashurst began his musical journey as a percussionist. He earned a Bachelor of Music Education from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and a Master of Music in Instrumental Conducting from the Meadows School of the Arts at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. Mr. Ashurst has held music educator positions at universities and public and private institutions in Louisiana, North Carolina, and Texas. He currently serves as the Director of Bands and Director of Technology at Cathedral-Carmel School in Lafayette, Louisiana. He is also the Youth Music and Instrumental Director at Asbury United Methodist Church in Lafayette. Throughout his career, Mr. Ashurst has received numerous accolades, including being named "Teacher of the Year" at both North Vermilion High School in Maurice, Louisiana (2009) and CW Stanford Middle School in Hillsborough, North Carolina (2003). As a clinician, Mr. Ashurst is in high demand, having taught at numerous state Music Educator Association clinics, clinics for the National Association for Music Education (NAfME), Handbell Ringers of Japan, the International Handbell Symposia, and the Handbell Musicians of America national festivals and seminars. Mr. Ashurst's conducting engagements have taken him to national and international events, including the International Handbell Symposium in Hamamatsu, Japan, and the Indiana and Louisiana All-State Handbell Ensembles. He has also conducted innumerable local and area honor bands, honor choirs, and handbell events. A pioneer in the world of handbells, Mr. Ashurst is particularly renowned for his work with mallets. He designed the Greig Ashurst Artist Series and the Greig Ashurst Legato Series Mallets, which have revolutionized the timbral landscape of contemporary handbell performance and music. He is also the author of a new book, Mastering Mallet Technique, published by Hope Publishing. Moreover, he designed two new instruments for Schulmerich Bells, LLC. The Glockenspiel by Schulmerich is the most authentic Glockenspiel on the market. It has the same range and transposition as an orchestral glockenspiel but is made using handbell castings instead of steel bars. The SMB (Silver Melody Bell Glockenspiel) is constructed using Schulmerich's Silver Melody Bell Castings. Ashurst's music has been published by GIA Publications, Hope Publishing, and From the Top Publishing. He is a board member for the Southwest Louisiana Band Directors' Association, chair of the All-State Handbell Ensemble for LMEA, and currently serves on the board of the International Handbell Committee as the president of the Handbell Musicians of America. Dedicated to music education, Mr. Ashurst is a strong advocate for the use of handbells in schools, believing them to be an ideal tool for teaching music at all age and skill levels. Greig Ashurst resides in Lafayette, Louisiana, with his wife, Lauren Montgomery Ashurst. 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