“Music is who I am”
Bell helps lead Kentucky Bach Choir
HARRODSBURG
“Piano was always the basis for everything,” says Vicki Bell, a Blue Grass Energy consumer-member, whose interest in music blossomed at an early age. Bell shares a childhood story her mother, Betty Peavler, remembers: Rambunctious, 3-year-old Bell couldn’t sit still in her church dress while the rest of the family got ready for Sunday morning services. Peavler figured out if she sat young Bell at the piano, she’d press the keys and create music to entertain herself until the entire family was ready. Bell recalls, “Even as a little girl, I really loved touching pianos and hearing notes.”
By age 7, Bell was taking piano lessons. “For me, there was no going back from that,” she says. “I never wanted to quit.” Bell also learned to play the clarinet, later joining the high school band. After graduation, she attended the University of Kentucky, earning three degrees, culminating with a doctorate in music theory. Bell joined the faculty at Asbury University, where she taught courses and directed a choir. She retired in 2023 after 30 years.
Bell and Stephen Bolster are co-artistic directors of the Kentucky Bach Choir. They are shown at a December concert in Lexington. Photo: Matt Wells
As an educator, Bell says, “Sharing what you know, what you’ve experienced, with students is just the best because you know you’re creating the next generation of musicians.” But Bell wasn’t finished sharing her musical expertise in the classroom; she continues teaching part-time at Asbury, and recently began a new position as co-director—alongside Stephen Bolster—of the Kentucky Bach Choir. The choir performs the music of Johann Sebastian Bach to inspire and educate audiences. Bell says live performances “foster a dynamic connection with both fellow performers and listeners.” Upcoming presentations include this month’s annual Bach Marathon, celebrating Bach’s life and musical legacy while showcasing performers of all ages and experience levels. In April, the Kentucky Bach Choir will perform a program featuring four movements from the St. Matthew Passion.
Perhaps those childhood Sundays—when Bell sat plinking the keys on the family piano before church—were a prelude to her work as church organist for multiple congregations over many years.
“The real impact on my life and my perception of my life was when I realized that music is not what I do,” she says. “Music is who I am.”
UPCOMING PERFORMANCES
March 28: Bach Marathon at St. Raphael’s Episcopal Church, 1891 Parkers Mill Road, Lexington. Time TBD; performance schedule posted early March. Free and open to the public. Sponsored by the Kentucky Bach Choir and the Lexington Guild of Organists.
April 12: Kentucky Bach Choir will perform at 7 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church, 174 North Mill St., Lexington. Purchase tickets online or at the door.
For more information, visit www.kentuckybachchoir.org or Kentucky Bach Choir on Facebook.
