The Dorothy Shaw Bell Choir was founded in 1964 to be a part of The Littlest Wiseman, a play pageant of the Nativity, presented annually as a gift to the community by the F. Howard and Mary D. Walsh family. The choir is named in honor of the late Dorothy Stott Shaw, wife of the play’s author, Dr. Lloyd Shaw, and author of the poems in the play.
The choir has appeared in many major cathedrals, concert halls and on television throughout the world. The following is a chronological list of tours. Only a few venues that are more recognizable are listed.
Tour History
1. Colorado Springs, Colorado – 1966
2. Galveston Texas – 1973
3. Bella Vista, Arkansas – 1974
4. Colorado Springs, Colorado – 1975
5. Berea, Kentucky - (Berea College Winter Dance School Performance) – 1976
6. Florida (Disney World Performance) – 1977
7. San Antonio, Texas – 1978
8. Brazil (San Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Brasilia, Belem, Recife) – (Network Television Performance) – 1978
9. Hobbs, New Mexico – 1979
10. England - (Canterbury Cathedral Performance) – 1979
11. San Francisco, California - (Golden Gate Baptist Seminary Performance) - 1980
12. Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Hawaii - (Tokyo concert attended by Prince Mikasa of Japan) - 1980
13. Houston, Texas - (Rice University Performance) - 1981
14. Colorado Springs, Colorado - (United States Air Force Academy Performance) - 1981
15. Germany, Austria, and Switzerland - 1981
16. Washington, D.C. - (Kennedy Center Performance) - 1982
17. Brownwood, Texas - 1982
18. Nassau, Bahamas - (Christ Church Cathedral and Governor's Mansion Performances) - 1982
19. Italy, Switzerland & Germany - (Audience with Pope John Paul II in Vatican City) - 1982
20. New York, NY - (Carnegie Hall Performance)
21. San Antonio, Texas - (Queen's escort at Fiesta) - 1983
22. Tyler, Texas - 1983
23. Ireland and England - (National Concert Hall of Ireland, Network TV and Westminister Abbey Performances) - 1983
24. Various towns, Illinois - 1984
25. New Orleans, Louisiana - (World's Fair Performance) - 1984
26. Portugal and Spain - 1984
27. Cleveland, Ohio - 1985
28. San Francisco, California - (American Guild of English Handbell Ringer's Director's Convention featured choir) - 1985
29. France, Belgium, Luxembourg, & Germany - (Mayor's Christmas Eve Service for the city of Paris Performance) - 1985
30. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - (Schulmerich Handbell Factory Performance) - 1986
31. Australia and New Zealand - (Carols by Candlelight Performance for audience of 30,000) - 1986
32. Mobile, Alabama - 1987
33. Florida - (Epcot Center and The Magic Kingdom Perforamnces) - 1987
34. Colinial America Christmas - (White House, Colonial Williamsburg, and Washington Cathedral Performances) - 1987
35. Vancouver & Victoria, British Columbia and Seattle, Washington – 1988
36. Los Angeles, California – (American Guild of English Handbell Ringers Area VII Festival featured choir) – 1988
37. Scotland, Wales and England – (St. Paul’s Cathedral, London Performance) – 1988
38. Louisville, Kentucky – (Southern Baptist Theological Seminary Performance) – 1989
39. Boston, Massachusetts – (Christ Church Cambridge Performance) - 1989
40. Germany, Switzerland, Liechtenstein & Austria – 1989
41. Atlanta, Georgia – 1990
42. Colorado Springs, Colorado – (Colorado College and First Presbyterian Church Performances) – 1990
43. Spain & Portugal – 1990
44. Phoenix & Scottsdale, Arizona – 1991
45. Spokane, Washington & Coeur d’Alene, Idaho – 1991
46. England & Ireland – 1991
47. Mobile, Alabama – 1992
48. Charleston, South Carolina – 1992
49. Victoria & Vancouver, British Colombia , Seattle, Washington & Portland, Oregon – 1992
50. Honolulu, Oahu, The Hawaiian Islands – 1993
51. San Antonio, Texas – 1993
52. Scotland, England & Wales – 1993
53. Hershey, Pennsylvania – 1994
54. Vermont & New Hampshire – 1994
55. New Orleans, Louisiana and The Mississippi Queen Christmas River Cruise – 1994
56. Washington, D.C. & Virginia – 1995
57. Colorado Springs, Colorado – 1995
58. New Orleans, Louisiana and The American Queen Christmas River Cruise – 1995
59. San Francisco, California – 1996
60. Atlanta, Georgia – 1996
61. Germany, Luxembourg & Belgium - 1996
62. Kansas City, Missouri – 1997
63. Ireland – (Arbour Hill Prison Chapel, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, and University of Limerick Concert Hall New Year’s Eve Concert) – 1997
64. Saginaw, Michigan – 1998
65. Boston, Massachusetts – 1998
66. New York & New Jersey – 1999
67. Houston, Texas 2000
68. Atlanta, Georgia; Orlando, Florida; and Mobile, Alabama – (Epcot Center Performance) – 2000
69. Kansas City, Kansas and Chillicothe, Missouri – (Chillicothe Arts Council Series Performance) – 2001
70. San Francisco and Napa California – 2001
71. Colorado Springs, Colorado – 2002
72. Victoria & Vancouver, British Colombia, and Seattle, Washington – 2003
73. New York, New York – (Carnegie Hall Performance) – 2004
74. Houston, Texas – 2005
75. Houston, Texas – 2006
76. Ireland – 2007
77. Houston, Texas – 2007
78. Corpus Christi, Texas – 2008
79. Houston, Texas – 2008
80. Washington, D.C. – 2009
81. Mobile, Alabama & New Orleans, Louisiana – 2010
82. San Francisco, California – 2011
83. Indianapolis, Indiana & Chicago, Illinois – 2012
84. Boston, Massachusetts – 2013
85. England, Wales, & Scotland – 2014
86. Czech Republic & Austria – 2015
87. Colorado Springs, Pueblo, & Denver. Colorado - 2016
88. Charleston, South Carolina, Savannah, Georgia, & Orlando, Florida - 2017
89. Branson, Missouri, Nashville & Memphis, Tennessee - 2018
90. Fort Worth, Houston, & San Antonio, Texas - 2019
