|
|
|
Ms. Moklebust began her musical career as a public school instrumental music instructor in South Dakota. She is an active percussionist, and has performed as principal or section percussionist with several professional bands and orchestras throughout the upper Midwest. Cathy has played in and conducted church and community handbell ensembles in South Dakota, Minnesota, and Iowa. She has worked for the past 20 years in the music retail and publishing industry, and currently operates a music editing and engraving service with her husband. Cathy earned both her B.A. (Music/Percussion, 1982) and M.Ed. (Teacher Education/Music, 1988) at South Dakota State University, in her hometown of Brookings, SD. Her handbell education began in 1970 with the Towers Handbell Choir of First Lutheran Church in Brookings, under the direction of Mrs. Barbara Berntson. Ms. Moklebust and her husband David reside in rural Eagle Grove, Iowa, on her husband’s 115 year old family farm.
Cathy Moklebust with Barbara Berntson, Aug. 23, 2008, at Barbara's 90th birthday party at Vangen Lutheran Church, Mission Hill, SD
Copyright © 2008 Cathy A. Moklebust. Last revised 07/08/2010 Created using Microsoft® FrontPage® 2002
|
Cathy Moklebust (b. 1958) has developed and
directed handbell music programs since 1983, and has played bells since
childhood. With her dynamic, positive approach and skilled conducting, she is in national demand as a
handbell clinician and festival conductor. As one of today's most popular
handbell music composers, she has numerous published compositions and
arrangements to her credit, many of them reaching bestseller status. She
has been commissioned to write music for festivals and other events, as
well as for many individual handbell ensembles, including six for the Raleigh Ringers.
Cathy has been the recipient of the Donald E. Allured Composition Award, the
2005 “Composer of the Year” award from Jeffers Handbell Supply, and has won an
ASCAP Writer’s Award every year since 2001. In 2007 she was a guest conductor
for the National Residential Ringing Week
at Kingston University, Kingston-upon-Thames, UK.