Patty Marquart first heard handbells when she attended a Choristers Guild Seminar in Colorado in the mid-1960s. A few years later, in 1968, as the director of music at the First United Methodist Church of Orange, California (along with her husband), she was asked to help start a handbell program with the church's new set of memorial handbells. As she took the bells from their individual plastic bags and put them inside their new cases (and, of course, rang each one), she was hooked.
During her years in handbells, Patty directed some of Area XII's most capable ensembles, both at the Methodist Church in Orange, and then later at Trinity United Presbyterian Church in Santa Ana, California. While most groups were competently handling quarter notes (with a few eighth notes thrown in here and there), Patty's groups wowed audiences at many Area XII conferences with a repertoire that included Leroy Anderson's Syncopated Clock and Handel's Overture to Messiah. It was at Patty's request that Dr. William Payn wrote two of his compositions, Prism of Light (named after her Trinity bell choir), and Nova, which is dedicated to Patty.
From her beginning as a handbell director with very little formal music education, Patty schooled herself by attending Choristers' Guild events, AGEHR events, and eventually completing music theory and piano courses at the Santa Ana Community College. Those who attended Area XII conferences in the 1970s and 80s always looked forward to a stellar performance from Patty's choirs, and they were not disappointed. Patty is a model for all directors who might begin their musical journey with little experience, but who have a desire to continue to learn and grow.
The Patty Marquart Scholarship assists one director in attending the AGEHR National Seminar, currently held each summer. The scholarship funds include registration fee and room at half the double occupancy rate, as well as any meals provided as part of the registration fee.
Applicants must:
- Reside within Area XII (California, Nevada, Hawaii, or Guam)
- Be attending his/her first National Seminar
- Be a member or associated with an organizational membership of AGEHR
- Currently be a director, or have contracted to be a handbell director within Area XII
Applications are accepted until May 1 prior to the next National Seminar. To be considered, download the application form, fill it out, and mail it to the current Area XII Past Chair (see address on application form).
