The Bartlesville Bells is a new performing group, consisting of 14 accomplished handbell players from the Bartlesville and Tulsa area.  Their performance for OKM will be their debut concert, with others already scheduled for fall and Christmas.  The Bartlesville Bells is sponsored by the Bartlesville Musical Research Society, a Federated Music Club, which has been a part of the Green Country music scene since 1908.  MRS is dedicated to encouraging and supporting music performance and education for all ages and genres of music.  Besides sponsoring the Bells, the organization presents monthly concerts and also awards close to $20,000 in scholarships and “camperships” to Bartlesville high school musicians each year.  For more information go to musicalresearch.org. 

Majoleine Gravley, Bartlesville Bells director – Marjoleine Gravley retired from the Bartlesville, OK Public Schools in May 2008, after sixteen years of service as high school and middle school choral director.  She also taught seven years in Michigan and Ohio prior to moving to Oklahoma.  She co-founded the Bartlesville Treble Choir and was its Artistic Director for 10 years.  Gravley also served as the Artistic Director of the Tulsa Children’s Chorus for 2 years.  Over the years, her choirs have received numerous District and State honors and awards.  Her choirs performed at the Oklahoma Music Educators Association conferences in 1997, 2003 and 2006.  Her choirs sere also invited to perform at Carnegie hall in New York city.  Gravley has served as a choral, handbell and recorder clinician at the national, regional and state levels.  She was also the choral clinician for Circle the State with Song in NE Oklahoma.  Gravley has been active as a Lutheran Church musician for 56 years, serving churches in Ohio, Oklahoma and Indiana.  She was the Assistant Conductor and Accompanist of the Bartlesville Choral Society for several years.  She directed the Westron Wynde Earlye Music Consort (OK) for six years.  Marjoleine has been the Music Director/Orchestra/Conductor/Accompanist for several Children’s Musical Theater of Bartlesville productions.

The Ad-Lib Singers is a nonprofit musical group located in Bartlesville. The choral group, consisting of men and women, have served the community by entertaining at local medical care facilities and businesses since 1994. The group has performed at the OKM Music Festival for the past 24 years. Their concerts are free, as all operational funding is through tax-deductible, charitable donations.

Lorelei Kaiser Barton received her first harp as a Christmas present at age 10, having already studied the piano since age 5 and viola for 2 years. Her harp studies began with Ona Shreiner of Akron, Pa. and Jane Kauffman Brye of Lancaster, Pa. Even though she had aspirations of becoming a professional singer and began her college studies as a vocal performance major, she soon had new inspiration in the harp through her harp instructor, Suzann Davids, causing her to change her major to Harp Performance. Since Suzanne Davids, her only other teacher of influence was the late centenarian, Alice Chalifoux, formerly of the Cleveland Orchestra, Oberlin College, Cleveland Institute of Music, and master teacher of the Salzedo Harp Colony.

Ms. Barton is the former creator and  Artistic Director of the Midwest Harp Academy,  a non-profit organization with the emphasis on promoting the education and enthusiasm of the harp.  Upon her resignation, the festival moved from Tulsa to Chicagoland . 

Ms. Barton has played for weddings, receptions, recitals in solo and chamber music since residing in Tulsa for the past 38 years, narrowing her career field in harp performing, coaching, and teaching. She and her husband, Sam, a construction consultant, have 3 wonderful grown kids: Seth, wife Patricia and their granddaughters Danielle and Natalie, (Seth is an Industrial Estimator); Kara a Social Worker/counselor at The Tulsa Boys Home, and Jared a past Chef/Instructor, now catering manager for The Vault and its associated other restaurants in downtown Tulsa.