Stephanie Wiltse

Director,

Embellish

and Campana

SuLin Kotowicz

Director, Bellistic!

Russell Cooper

Russell's been ringing for 25 years, and now 14 years with Embellish.  Sometimes he sings or plays trombone.  He's married to Amy (15 years).  Their daughter, going on 4 years, is now a big sister to a little brother who is experiencing all the joys of the first year.  Mommy and Daddy are tired.

Russell is fan of a cappella, drum corps, photography, rollercoasters (210 and counting), and Facebook.  You too can be a fan of Embellish on Facebook.

Linda Coppard

Linda’s 9th year with Embellish.  Lacking other musical talent, Linda compensates by striking up conversations with total strangers and jumping out of airplanes. While she enjoys her job as a Human Resources guru at Lacks Enterprises, Linda dreams of winning the lottery - allowing her to enjoy a magnificent wine bar and a few other “essentials”.  Linda’s car showcases multiple dog nose smears, and you may encounter a bit of brown, gold or black fur on her clothing.    Linda enjoys fishing on Lake MI with her boyfriend, Bill – and cuddling up with her 3 large dogs Mosley, Ginger, and Maddie. Oh, and Bill too!

Kathy Hadley

Kathy is thrilled to be returning for her seventh season with Embellish. She has loved handbells since hearing them in college, and finally began ringing in 1988. Handbells are her only musical outlet, as she wouldn't inflict her trumpet or French horn on anyone! She has rung with several church and community ensembles in addition to Embellish. Kathy treasures the variety of experiences handbells have offered, including ringing at a Phoenix Suns basketball game, a small church in Australia, a college auditorium in Maine, and Pinnacle 2010 in Nashville, TN. Kathy works for DornerWorks Ltd., where she writes embedded software so you don't have to.  She and her husband (John) have one son (Scott, 11), two cats and one crested gecko. When she is not working, ringing, helping with Scott's Boy Scout troop, or driving Scott somewhere, Kathy enjoys vacations with her family and reading.

Julie Hayes

Julie is celebrating her thirtieth year playing handbells, and her eighth season in Embellish.  She earned her B.A. in music and psychology from Alma College (Go, Scots!) and her Certificate in Massage Therapy from the Kalamazoo Center for the Healing Arts.  In addition to being a CMT, Julie teaches part-time at the Institute for Massage Education at KCHA.  She is married to Jim and is grateful for his tag-team parenting skills in helping raise their seven-year-old son, Declan.  Two additional boys – a chocolate lab and a tuxedo kitty – round out the family and provide a surplus of Facebook fodder.  When not in the classroom or therapy room, Julie can be found blogging about her experience parenting a micro-preemie, riding horses, playing her trombone, testing Pinterest recipes and ideas, and indulging her healthy addiction to tea.

Lauri Hoff

Lauri is in her eighth year with Embellish and enjoys sharing the ringing experience with her sister, Lisa Sandee.  She works for Perrigo Company in Allegan as a Global Trade Compliance Analyst, working with importing and exporting pharmaceutical, nutritional, and healthcare products.  Lauri lives with her husband Bryan, baby girl Palmer, and her shih-tzu doggies Hunter and Fisher in a nice house with never ending DIY projects.  In her spare time (drastically limited since having a baby!), Lauri enjoys playing handbells with all of the wonderful Embellishers, taking quick snoozers, keeping up on and cleaning out her DVR (many shows from Discovery, History, and NatGeo), playing golf and volleyball, and water-skiing.  She also enjoys recreational reading and playing puzzle games on her iPhone.

Stacy Holtsclaw

Stacy is looking forward to her third year with Embellish and loves being part of such a phenomenal ensemble. She began playing handbells while at Aquinas College, where she received a B.A. in Vocal Performance and also studied piano and trombone.  Stacy and her husband Brian have a five-year-old daughter, Samantha, and two cats, Zander and Oz.  Along with being a stay-at-home mom, Stacy sings with the Bach Chorale of Grand Rapids and at Holy Spirit Parish, and is currently enrolled at GRCC pursuing a degree in Radiologic Technology. In her free time she enjoys hanging out with her daughter, spending time with family and friends, a good book, exercising, and a nice glass of wine (or two). 

Laura Jen

Laura is in her seventeenth season with Embellish.  She enjoys being involved in music at her church where she plays organ, piano, and flute, and directs the handbell choir.  Laura and her husband, Casey, live in Kentwood.  They have 3 children - Nathan, Tim, and Becky. Nathan is living and working in St. Joseph, MI.  Tim and Becky are both studying at Calvin College this year, leaving Laura with an "empty nest".   In her spare time she enjoys hobbies such as walking with friends, reading, cardmaking, scrapbooking, and baking. 

SuLin Kotowicz

SuLin is happy to return for her seventh year ringing with Embellish.  She has been ringing handbells for ten years and also plays piano and sings in her church choir.  She is a Landscape Architect and works for OCBA in Grand Rapids.  SuLin is the President-elect (round two) of the Michigan Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects, resulting in a fair amount of travel, which she loves.  SuLin and her husband, Brian, reside with three fabulous cats, Dante, Boomer, and Monelli.  In her spare time, she enjoys being with family and friends, reading, cooking (an aspiring "foodie") and eating good food.  She's always happy to give a local restaurant recommendation.

Melissa Reiffer

This is Melissa's 11th season ringing in Embellish. Her love of music started early when she started taking violin lessons at the age of 3.  She has been active in music since then, playing in various orchestras and also singing in several different choirs. Melissa was introduced to handbells at her church at age 13 and has been ringing ever since. Melissa and her husband, Jason, are the proud parents of Nathan (3) and Kayla (1).  Their family also includes their dog, Scout, and 2 cats, Cosmo and Capri.  Melissa is a stay at home mom to Nathan and Kayla, a job that she absolutely loves. When she has a few rare moments to herself, Melissa enjoys scrapbooking, crafting, posting pictures of her kids on Facebook, shopping by herself and drinking Starbucks coffee.

Cindy’s journey with handbells began at about 8 years old, listening to the church choir practice as she colored under a nearby table.  After 13 years of ringing in the very same choir, Cindy is excited to take on a new challenge in her first season with the Embellish family.  Through the years, Cindy has grown musically through both high school and Hope College choral groups.  Since graduating, she now works full time as the Virus Lab Manager at Walters Gardens Inc, where she strives to keep perennial plants healthy and virus free. In her free time, she enjoys reading, hanging out with friends, Dutch Dancing in the Tulip Time Festival, watching Glee, and snuggling with her two cats Mito and Jax.

Lisa Sandee

Lisa is entering her 10th year in Embellish and has been ringing for 25 years.  When she is not ringing bells, she works at The Principal Financial Group as a licensed Account Executive for the Retirement and Investor Services Division. In her spare time, she enjoys family time, the sun, singing, golfing, and shoe collecting (100 pair and counting). She also has a very small “crush" (infatuation) with Barry Manilow. She enjoys musicals and wishes that real life could be lived by spontaneously busting out into song and dance.  In May of 2004, she married her husband, Brent a high-school teacher, football, and wrestling coach, who knows nothing about handbells. They have an adorable 10 year old, diabetic, daisy dog named Blitz who is higher maintenance than their two sons.  Braxton, almost 3, is a future Detroit Tiger, since there is more money to be made in baseball than in handbells.  Brogan, 4 months, has not yet decided what he wants to be when he grows up.  Lisa's sister, Lauri, rings with the group as well.

Lisa Vandertol

Lisa is returning for her 13th season with Embellish. She currently works as a Maternal/Child Nurse and Childbirth Educator at the Mecosta County Health Department. She is married with three children, ages 13, 10, and 2. In her rare spare time, Lisa serves as the Coordinator of GEMS Girls Club in Big Rapids. She enjoys spending time with her family, cheering for her kids at sporting events, playing piano, singing, and has most recently taken on the challenge of learning to play the cello.

Dennis Willemsen

Dennis is returning for his 5th year with Embellish. While he spends most of his time ringing the big bass bells, he is also responsible for getting the “ton” of bells and equipment to each performance as the resident trailer hauler. Dennis currently works as an Operations Manager for Gordon Food Service, where he has been employed the past 27 years. He enjoys playing various sports and his passion for playing has turned into coaching his two sons’ baseball and basketball teams.

Heather Willemsen

Heather is thrilled to be ringing in her fifth year with Embellish.  She was raised in a family who loved music and focused her time on the piano and singing in various choirs.  She was introduced to handbells through her church 20 some years ago and was addicted from the start.  Heather lives in Byron Center with her husband Dennis (the guy playing all those BIG bells) and their two sons, Jacob (13) and Isaac (11).  While her main focus is caring for her sons, she also works part-time as an Office Assistant for both an Independent and a National Sales Director within the Mary Kay organization.  In her spare time she enjoys taking long walks with her hubby, reading, and cheering (rather loudly) at her sons’ many ball games.