What The Raleigh Ringers does

The Raleigh Ringers is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, advanced community handbell choir founded in 1990 in Raleigh, North Carolina, that performs spiritual, secular, classical, and rock 'n' roll repertoire for live concert audiences. The ensemble consists of approximately 17 members (auditioned annually) supported by a documented alumni network of 90+ former ringers, and operates from a 2,400 square-foot headquarters/rehearsal facility at 2200 East Millbrook Road in Raleigh. Its core technical asset is the world's most extensive collection of handbells and bell-like instruments owned by a single performing group: 377 individual pieces spanning 35 octaves, including a 90-bell Malmark bronze set (G1–C9), five octaves of Whitechapel handbells, Malmark Choirchimes, Schulmerich Silver Melody Bells, rare J.C. Deagan brass bells (production ceased 1917), Deagan Organ Chimes, Petit & Fritsen bells, Cymbells, and Malmark aluminum bass bells.

The organization delivers its core service through two-hour live concert performances (25–30 annually from April through December) accompanied by "Meet and Greet" and "Instrumental Petting Zoo" sessions, performed across 39 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, Canada, England, and France. Revenue is generated through a hybrid nonprofit model combining concert performance fees, ticket sales ($5–$50 range), a tiered annual donation program ("Friends of The Raleigh Ringers," $25–$5,000+), corporate sponsorships, capital campaigns (current $150,000 "Miles of Music" truck campaign), educational program fees ($38–$475 per participant), online merchandise sales via Square, and grants from the City of Raleigh/Raleigh Arts Commission, U.S. SBA, Mary Duke Biddle Foundation, and Cannon Foundation. Educational product extensions include the annual Capital Area Handbell Festival (since 1990), Capital Area Spring Ring, the biennial Virtuoso advanced performer event, and the Millbrook Ringers and Atlantic Ringers 10-week semester programs. A music publishing arm—four series (Raleigh Ringers Series, Legacy Series, Virtuoso Series, Rockin' Raleigh Ringers Series) comprising 150+ commissioned/arranged works—is distributed through Jeffers Handbell Supply, Beckenhorst Press, and The Lorenz Corporation.

Name

The Raleigh Ringers

Legal name

The Raleigh Ringers

Website

https://rr.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Raleigh Ringers is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit community handbell choir founded in 1990 in Raleigh, NC, performing live concerts, educational festivals, and workshops nationwide using the world's most extensive handbell collection owned by a single ensemble.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Performing Arts Services

NAICS

Musical Groups and Artists (711130), Musical Groups and Artists (71113), Other Schools and Instruction (6116)

akta.pro primary industry

Group Music Classes & Ensembles (Band, Orchestra, Choir) (EDAMANAC)

Keywords

• Handbell choir performances
• Live concert entertainment
• Handbell music education
• Music publishing services
• Community performing arts

Headquarters

HQ city

Raleigh

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Concert Performance Fees: The group is hired for concerts and workshops from April through December. Concert performances are two hours in length (including 15 minute intermission) and include 'Meet and Greet' and 'Instrumental Petting Zoo' sessions. Booking is done through their website contact form.
2. Ticket Sales: Revenue from ticket sales at concerts. Prices vary by venue, ranging from free events to $50 per ticket for reserved seating at premium venues like Chautauqua Amphitheater.
3. Season Supporter Donations: Annual tax-deductible donation program called 'Friends of The Raleigh Ringers' with multiple giving levels ($25 to $5,000+) offering benefits such as complimentary tickets, preferred seating, donor suite access, and merchandise discounts.
4. Miles of Music Truck Campaign: Capital campaign for specific equipment needs ($150,000 goal for new touring truck). Includes individual donations with recognition tiers, corporate sponsorships, and pledge options.
5. Online Store: Sale of videos, CDs, apparel, and novelty items including signature tie-dyed gloves. Operated through Square e-commerce site.
6. Education Program Fees: Fees for educational events including Millbrook Ringers ($85 per person), Capital Area Handbell Festival ($50-60 per person), Virtuoso event ($475 per participant), and Spring Ring festival ($38-45 per ringer).
7. Grant Funding: Funding from City of Raleigh based on recommendations of the Raleigh Arts Commission. Additional grant funding from U.S. Small Business Administration, Mary Duke Biddle Foundation, and Cannon Foundation.
8. Festival Sponsorships: Corporate sponsors for events like Capital Area Handbell Festival with sponsorship packages including ads in season programs, social media recognition, and booth space.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

The Raleigh Ringers is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit community handbell ensemble that performs live concerts, delivers handbell music education programs (festivals, workshops, classes), publishes and licenses original handbell sheet music through partner publishers, and sells recordings and merchandise. The ensemble travels nationally with a collection of 377 handbells spanning 35 octaves.

Product overview

The Raleigh Ringers operates as a performing arts ensemble offering a portfolio of live concert performances, educational programs, and published music. The core offering consists of advanced handbell concert performances (two-hour shows with meet-and-greet sessions), supplemented by educational events including the Capital Area Handbell Festival, Capital Area Spring Ring, Virtuoso program, Atlantic Ringers, and Millbrook Ringers instructional groups. The organization also produces recordings (CDs/DVDs), publishes sheet music through The Raleigh Ringers Series, Legacy Series, Virtuoso Series, and Rockin' Raleigh Ringers Series via partner publishers, and operates a merchandise store. Additionally, the group conducts workshops and repertoire reading sessions, with the current Miles of Music campaign funding a new touring truck.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Atlantic Ringers: Educational ringing group for beginning/intermediate ringers focusing on refining handbell techniques with level 1-2 music
• Millbrook Ringers
• Capital Area Handbell Festival
• Capital Area Spring Ring
• Virtuoso

Products and services

• Handbell Concert Performances Live two-hour concert performances of advanced handbell music covering classical, sacred, secular, and rock 'n' roll repertoire, including post-show 'Meet and Greet' and 'Instrumental Petting Zoo' sessions. Targeted at general audiences and venue presenters.
• Capital Area Handbell Festival Annual fall festival for adult handbell ringers featuring massed ringing with a clinician, optional choir solos, a Friday workshop, and a public concert. Targeted at handbell musicians and choir directors.
• Capital Area Spring Ring Annual spring festival for beginning-level handbell ringers and intergenerational or youth choirs, with massed ringing, breakout classes led by members of The Raleigh Ringers, and a participant concert.
• Virtuoso Performance Event Biennial intensive three-and-a-half-day event for advanced handbell ringers, directed by Dr. William Payn, where participants perform alongside The Raleigh Ringers.
• Atlantic Ringers Educational Program 10-week semester for beginning/intermediate ringers, led by Director David Harris, focusing on technique refinement with level 1-2 music and concluding with a sharing concert.
• Millbrook Ringers Educational Program 10-week semester for intermediate/advanced ringers, led by Director David Harris, exploring level 3-5 handbell repertoire with an emphasis on musicality, culminating in a sharing concert.
• Handbell Techniques Workshops Three one-hour workshop sessions covering techniques such as Techniques A to Z, Treble/Bass Bell Techniques, Weaving 101, Solo & Ensemble Ringing, and Change Ringing.
• Repertoire Reading Sessions Twice-yearly reading sessions led by Director David Harris that allow ringers and directors to explore newly published handbell music.
• Merchandise and Recordings Store Online e-commerce store operated via Square offering videos, CDs, DVDs, apparel, signature tie-dyed gloves, and novelty items to consumers and fans.
• Published Handbell Music Series Catalog of more than 150 commissioned and arranged handbell works published through partner publishers, including The Raleigh Ringers Series, Legacy Series, Virtuoso Series, and rock/pop arrangements in The Rockin' Raleigh Ringers Series.

Quantifiable outcome

• Performed for more than 20,000 audience members annually
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature10 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Malmark Inc.flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerMalmark Inc. lent The Raleigh Ringers their initial five-octave set of bells when the group formed in 1990 and has continued support. They are a major corporate sponsor ($10,000-$19,999 tier) for the Miles of Music Truck Campaign. Malmark manufactures the group's primary handbells and continues as a key partner.
• Jeffers Handbell SupplycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJeffers Handbell Supply works with The Raleigh Ringers on demonstration recordings and publishes The Raleigh Ringers Series of advanced handbell music. They created a link to order festival music for events.
• Beckenhorst PresscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBeckenhorst Press works with The Raleigh Ringers on demonstration recordings and publishes The Legacy Series and Virtuoso Series for the ensemble.
• The Lorenz CorporationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Lorenz Corporation has worked with The Raleigh Ringers on demonstration recordings.
• Raleigh Arts CommissioncoreOthersThe Raleigh Ringers is funded in part by the City of Raleigh based on recommendations of the Raleigh Arts Commission. They received a Medal of Arts award from the commission.
• Fred GramannflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerFred Gramann serves as Honorary Associate Director of The Raleigh Ringers. He is internationally known as a composer, conductor, educator and handbell clinician. He retired in 2022 after 46 years as Director of Music at The American Church in Paris. He has composed numerous works for the ensemble.
• Dr. William A. PaynflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. William Payn serves as Artistic Consultant. He recently retired as former Chair of the Department of Music, Professor of Music, and Director of Choral Studies at Bucknell University. He has written several works especially for The Raleigh Ringers and leads the Virtuoso event.
• Hart MorrisflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerHart Morris serves as Composer Laureate. He is a composer and retired minister of music from Tulsa, Oklahoma who has arranged most of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra pieces and many other favorites for the ensemble.
• Keith BurtcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKeith Burt serves as Composer in Residence. He has been transcribing and arranging rock music for The Raleigh Ringers for over 15 years including More than a Feeling, Kashmir, Back in Black, and Dust in the Wind.
• Goldstein & Guilliams PLCminorOthersBrian Taylor Goldstein provides legal services for The Raleigh Ringers.
• North Carolina Presenters ConsortiumminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThe Raleigh Ringers is a member of the North Carolina Presenters Consortium.
• Handbell Musicians of AmericacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Raleigh Ringers is a member and David Harris serves on the HMA National Board of Directors. The group has performed at numerous HMA events and festivals.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves1 record

Direct peers

• Chicago Bronze: Chicago-area professional handbell ensemble performing advanced repertoire with national reach. Comparable operating model — auditioned ensemble, touring concerts, and educational programming.
• Sonos Handbell Ensemble: Bay Area-based professional handbell ensemble that tours and commissions repertoire. Direct competitor for concert bookings, festival appearances, and visibility within the Handbell Musicians of America community.
• High Sierra Ringers: California-based advanced community handbell ensemble with a touring and educational mission. Directly comparable ensemble structure, repertoire ambition, and reliance on handbell community engagement.

Broad incumbents

• Chanticleer: Grammy-winning male vocal ensemble operating as a nonprofit touring concert organization. Comparable business model (concerts, education, recordings) but in vocal rather than handbell performance; competes for similar presenter and donor mindshare.
• Canadian Brass: Internationally touring brass quintet with concerts, recordings, and educational programs. Comparable small-ensemble nonprofit concert business model and presenter-network economics.
• Cantus: Nonprofit touring male vocal ensemble with a national concert calendar and educational programming. Comparable small-ensemble nonprofit touring model and reliance on presenter network, though different repertoire domain.

Regional players

• The King's Singers: British-based vocal ensemble with global touring, recordings, and educational outreach. Comparable small-ensemble concert nonprofit model and repertoire-publishing activities, but operates primarily outside the U.S. market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/RaleighRingers
• Facebookfacebook.com/theraleighringers
• Instagraminstagram.com/theraleighringers
• Xx.com/raleighringers
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-raleigh-ringers-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Raleigh Ringers