Upcoming Featured Events
Unforgettable Experience! Arsis Handbell Ensemble (Estonia) on tour in the U.S.A!
Join us for a truly unique musical experience as Estonia’s top handbell ensemble brings their shimmering sound From Bach to Pärt across the America. this July! Arsis will perform in Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Louisville, Alton, Chicago, Akron, and Hershey, with a special concert at Pinnacle 2025 – the premier U.S. handbell festival – on July 11 in Wichita, KS. Expect dazzling arrangements of classical favorites (Bach, Chopin, Mendelssohn, Tchaikovsky) and powerful works by Estonian masters, including Arvo Pärt, whose 90th birthday we celebrate in 2025.
Attending Arsis Handbell Ensemble (Estonia) concert is a once-in-a-lifetime experience that you will never forget.
Don’t miss this rare opportunity to hear one of Europe’s most celebrated handbell groups live on stage!
Arsis Handbell Ensemble (Estonia)
About Arsis Hansbell Ensemble (Estonia)
Founded in 1993, the Arsis Handbell Ensemble is one of Europe’s leading handbell groups, renowned for its virtuosity, artistry, and distinctive sound. When the ensemble began, it consisted of the only 12 handbell musicians not just in Estonia, but in the entire Baltic and Scandinavian region. Today, Arsis has grown significantly. It operates two handbell schools in Tallinn and Tartu, several concert ensembles, and owns one of the world’s most impressive handbell collections — all crafted at the Malmark Bellcraftsmen factory in the USA. Based in Estonia, the Arsis concert ensemble is made up of talented graduates from its handbell schools, chosen through national competition. This 12-member ensemble has performed hundreds of concerts across Europe, the United States, and beyond, and has earned top honors at international music festivals, including the Grand Prix in Bratislava and First Prize at the Muse International Music Competition.
Aivar Mäe – artistic director of the Arsis Handbell Ensemble
The ensemble is led by conductor Aivar Mäe, a prominent figure in Estonian cultural life, who has directed Arsis since its inception. Mäe has also served as the artistic director of international choir festivals and has led choral and handbell music seminars in the United States and Finland. He has previously held the position of general manager at Eesti Kontsert (Estonia’s national concert institute) and the Estonian National Opera, and he currently serves as the general manager of the Vanemuine Theatre.
Aivar Mäe has received the Annual Prize of the Endowment for Music of the Cultural Endowment of Estonia (1997, 1998, 2002), the Fifth Class of the Order of the White Star (2003) and in 2012 he was awarded the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Culture Award for heralding Estonia abroad.
Arsis U.S.A Tour 2025
Arsis' U.S.A tour will take place July 5–18, 2025, with performances in Baltimore (MD), Pittsburgh (PA), Louisville (KY), Alton (IL), Chicago (IL), Akron (OH), and Hershey (PA).
The highlight of the tour is Arsis’ featured concert at Pinnacle 2025—the premier handbell music event in the United States of America—hosted by the Handbell Musicians of America, on July 11 at the Mary Jane Teall Theater in Wichita, Kansas. The concert program, From Bach to Pärt, features timeless classical masterpieces (Bach, Chopin, Mendelssohn, Tchaikovsky) alongside evocative works by Estonian composers, including Heino Eller, Tõnu Kõrvits, and especially Arvo Pärt, whose 90th birthday will be celebrated in 2025. Many arrangements have been created by Estonian composers and arrangers, offering audiences a fresh and expressive handbell experience rooted in Estonia’s rich musical tradition.
Tour sponsors :
Estonian American National Council, Estonian Cultural Endowment,
AS Tallink Group, Giga Ehitus OÜ.
Special thanks :
Malmark Bellcraftsmen
for their support through a handbell loan.
Tour organizer:
Tiina Boucher, Manager of Arsis Handbell Ensembles