Percussion

Carlene Ruesenberg

Carlene Ruesenberg (handbell choir) has been playing handbells since 2004, and directing and teaching since 2011. She is currently the director of the Memorial Bell Choir at South Congregational Church in Concord, NH. Prior to that, she was the director of the Senior and Junior Handbell Choirs at the Lee Church Congregational. As a ringer, she has been a member of the Merrimack Valley Ringers in Chelmsford, MA since 2014. Before joining MVR, she spent six years as a founding member of the Granite State Ringers. She served as Chair of Area 1 of Handbell Musicians of America, and organized its biennial Festival Conference in 2022. She was selected to ring in the All Stars Choir at the HMA National Seminar in 2017 and 2021, and

Jared Steer

Jared Steer (percussion) is an active performer/educator based in central NH. He received a BA in Music Performance from Plymouth State College. There he studied drum set and percussion with Tim Gilmore, Eric C. Hughes and Craig Fahey. After receiving his degree he continued studies with Rakalam Bob Moses, Bob Gullotti, Jeff Ballard, Dave Dicenso, Steve Michaud, Thierry Arpino, Jerry Leake and Greg Hutchinson. In 2017 he went back to PSU to take classes toward obtaining a music education degree. Jared either currently or has held faculty positions at the Manchester Community Music School, Holderness School, New Hampton School, Fryeburg Academy, Tilton School, Interlakes School District, and Sant Bani School. He facilitates drum workshops from school and community events. He performs and records regionally as well as nationally with a

Lindsey Schust

Lindsey Schust (percussion and composition) graduated cum laude with a B.A. in Music from Brandeis University and an M.A. in Music Composition from Tufts University. Since then she has studied with African and Afro-Caribbean master drummers from Mali, Nigeria, Guinea, Senegal, Ghana, Trinidad, Haiti, and Cuba, as well as composition with award-winning composers David Rakowski, Yehudi Wyner, and John McDonald. In 2006 Lindsey won the Global Rhythm songwriting competition for her Afro-Cuban song “Café Con Leche” and in 2009 was nominated for a Just Plain Folks Independent Music Award for Best Caribbean Song for her piece “Mama Lele.”

Grace Schust

Grace Schust (Songweavers drumming ensemble, percussion) earned her B.F.A. summa cum laude from Colby Sawyer College and has since studied with Babatunde Olatunji, Abdoul Doumbia, Momady Kaita, Mohamed Kalifa Kamera, Papus Diabate, and Issa Coulibaly. She is the director and founder of Arts Bridge the World, which leads percussion workshops for team-building in the workplace and building self-esteem for at-risk children. Grace has performed with Voices of the Heart, Concord Chorale, Dartmouth World Music Percussion Ensemble, Portsmouth Percussive Arts Festival, Brandeis University, Harvard University, and Boston University. She has held faculty positions at Proctor Academy, Colby-Sawyer College, Brandeis University, and Plymouth State University, and has had roles with the Spaulding Youth Center, NH Association for the Blind, VSA Arts, Lutheran Social Service, and corporate workshops.