A Brief History of Bay Bells

Bay Bells was formed in 1986 by Cheryl Baker, reviving the name after an East Bay ensemble by the same name disbanded. The former Bay Bells Ensemble was directed by Sanford Dole from 1982-1985, and several of those members later became the nucleus of Oakland-based Sonos Handbell Ensemble, which formed in 1989. The new Bay Bells consisted of all new members and rehearsed first in Fremont, then at other locations in the South Bay and Peninsula, and now rehearses in Palo Alto, drawing its members from as far north as San Francisco and as far south as Morgan Hill. Bay Bells incorporated as a nonprofit musical ensemble in 2001. In June of 2004, Bay Bells acquired their very own five-octave set of Malmark bells.