Meet Our Ensemble
Jim Rossetti, Music & Artistic Director
Jim is the founder and Music & Artistic Director of Ring Pittsburgh.
Jim Rossetti has a Bachelor of Music Education degree from West Virginia University and a Master in Music Education from Duquesne University. He is also a veteran of 3 Handbell Conducting Masterclasses with Dr. William Payn, where Jim was awarded the highest level of handbell conducting by the Handbell Musicians of America and is an accredited handbell conducting instructor. Jim’s work with handbells goes back nearly 30 years. He and his wife established two handbell choirs (Jim conducted) at St. Bernadette Parish in Monroeville, PA. Jim and his wife later founded the handbell program at St. Alexis Parish in Wexford, PA. In 2016 Jim started a handbell program at St. Teresa of Avila in Ross Twp. while at the same time establishing one of the few community handbell choirs in the Pittsburgh area, Ring Pittsburgh. Jim also served the Handbell Musicians of America Area 2 (PA, NY, NJ) as an elected Board member and Area Chair, where he chaired the 2011 Area Festival Conference. Jim has taught numerous handbell workshops, including classes on ringing techniques, conducting and rehearsal techniques at Area Festivals and has conducted handbell workshops in the Catholic Dioceses of Pittsburgh and Cleveland. Jim has also been honored to conduct massed ringing events at the 2011 Festival Conference, the Sewickley Area Handbell Festival, North Hills Handbell Festival and twice at the Zanesville Area Handbell Festival.
Lisa Swift , President
Susan Michel, Vice President
Susan Michel, Vice President
Lisa picked up her first handbell during the summer of 2005, immediately became hooked and joined a church choir. Her love of music has been a constant in her life since childhood, and she played clarinet for 9 of those years. She holds a Bachelor's Degree in Computer Information Systems from Robert Morris University and is currently a full-time Senior Compliance Analyst. A born and bred Pittsburgher, she resides in Cranberry Township with her husband and son, and enjoys photography, traveling, live music, and celebrating life with family and friends.
Susan Michel, Vice President
Susan Michel, Vice President
Susan Michel, Vice President
Susan Michel's love of handbells began more than 8 years ago at St. Richard Parish in Gibsonia, PA. This rich and fulfilling experience led her to audition for Ring Pittsburgh. She loves the constant challenge of learning a wide array of musical compositions and playing in different parts of the handbell choir. Susan also enjoys crosswords, Pirates baseball and pilates. She resides in Gibsonia with her husband and two sons. Susan is a Business Systems Manager at Bayer in Indianola, PA.
Patty Miller, Treasurer
Mary Anne Kilburg , Secretary
Mary Anne Kilburg , Secretary
Patty began playing hand bells in her church bell choirs and was immediately hooked. She has a lengthy musical background, having played saxophone since 4th grade. Patty loves the challenge of performing advanced, multi-dimensional music with Ring Pittsburgh. A graduate of Xavier University with accounting and information systems degrees, she is now a retired CPA spending time with her husband John, volunteering at various organizations, traveling to see their three adult daughters, enjoying their three granddaughters, jogging and refereeing soccer and girls’ lacrosse.
Mary Anne Kilburg , Secretary
Mary Anne Kilburg , Secretary
Mary Anne Kilburg , Secretary
Mary Anne has been ringing handbells since 2004 when she joined her church handbell choir as a beginner. After first hearing a children's handbell choir at her cousin's funeral a few years prior, Mary Anne was fascinated with the instrument and knew she wanted to learn it someday. She grew up in a musical family, learned to play the piano and participated in local performing arts. A Pittsburgh native living in McCandless Township, Mary Anne and her husband have three adult children and one high-schooler.
Carol Soohy
Mary Rita Rossetti
Mary Rita Rossetti
Carol was introduced to the beauty of handbell ringing in 2010. She is a former preschool teacher with a Bachelor's degree in Special Education. She is employed part-time at a local YMCA and enjoys providing day care for her grandchildren. Born and raised in the Pittsburgh area, her home is in Zelienople, PA with her husband Michael.
Mary Rita Rossetti
Mary Rita Rossetti
Mary Rita Rossetti
Mary Rita has served the Diocese of Pittsburgh for over 30 years both as an organist and as Director of Music Ministries. She has played handbells for 25 years and, along with her husband, Jim, has developed handbell programs at both St. Bernadette and St. Alexis Parishes. She holds a BA in Music Education from West Virginia University, and has continued with graduate studies in organ and liturgical music at Duquesne University. Mary Rita and Jim reside in Economy Borough. They are blessed with two married children and five beautiful grandchildren
Yumi. H. Fisher
Mary Rita Rossetti
Yumi. H. Fisher
Yumi is originally from Japan and has been ringing in various handbell groups in the Asia-Pacific area since 1990. She is the current director of the Archangel Gabriel School Handbell Choir and former director of the St. Malachy School Handbell Choir. She dedicates herself to educating future generations and enjoys teaching the art of music and handbells to young children.
Donis Petnuch
Kelly Thompson
Yumi. H. Fisher
Donis began ringing handbells four years ago with St. Teresa of Avila Parish before joining Ring Pittsburgh in 2018. She is thrilled to be ringing with this talented group of handbell musicians. Donis holds Bachelors Degrees from Wesminster College and the University of Pittsburgh and works as a microbiologist with UPMC. When she’s not spending time with her husband and three adult children and their spouses, Donis enjoys gardening, cooking, biking, and traveling.
Kelly Thompson
Kelly Thompson
Kelly Thompson
Kelly began ringing handbells when she was in the 6th grade and hasn't stopped since then. She spent years as a ringer before taking on the role of director of the Good Shepherd Handbell Choir in Braddock, PA in 2015. Kelly is a graduate of Seton Hill University, where she was also part of the handbell choir, and graduated with her Bachelor's in English Literature. She is currently a high school English teacher in Clairton, PA. When not juggling handbells, she enjoys watching movies, reading, or playing board games with friends.
Erik Roth
Kelly Thompson
Kelly Thompson
Erik Roth has been ringing handbells for over twenty years. He earned a BA in Music from the University of Pittsburgh, where he was a founding member of the University Handbell Ensemble. Since then, Erik has rung with and directed bell choirs at churches in eastern PA and in Pittsburgh. He currently directs the bell choir at St. John's Lutheran Church of Highland, where he also is part of the Beacon on the Hill musical theater group and a singing quartet called "Sing Boldly". Erik works in IT at a teleradiology company and lives in Ross Township with his wife, Louise.
Lynne Lightfoot
Michelle Salgado
Michelle Salgado
Lynne is a music teacher, currently teaching piano at the Judah Project at Eastminster Church in East Liberty. She also substitutes at Pittsburgh Urban Christian School and has taught at Spectrum Charter School. She fell in love with ringing handbells almost 20 years ago, has been part of a number of church Handbell choirs in the Pittsburgh area, and has attended many local and national festivals. Lynne is married to Michael, and they have four adult children, most of whom also rang handbells.
Michelle Salgado
Michelle Salgado
Michelle Salgado
Coming Soon!
Gio Salgado
Michelle Salgado
Tracy Burgoon
Coming Soon!
Tracy Burgoon
Tracy Burgoon
Tracy Burgoon
Coming Soon!
