Profiles

Brenda Austin is an internationally sought-after conductor and clinician known for her dynamic and energetic approach to connecting musicians through handbells. She joined Hope Publishing Company in Carol Stream, Illinois, as an editor in 2019 and was named Music Director of Embellish Handbells in 2023. Embellish was one of the premier ensembles to perform at Handbell Musicians of America’s Pinnacle in 2025. Austin has served as Artistic Director of the Detroit Handbell Ensemble since 2016.

Austin has served as Director of Music at First United Methodist Church in Eaton Rapids, Michigan, since 2003. She holds degrees in vocal performance from Western Michigan University and a Master of Music in Choral Conducting from the University of Missouri–Kansas City. She studied with Craig Arnold, Steve Zegree, and Eph Ehly.

A sought-after handbell clinician, Austin has conducted and taught at numerous festivals and workshops, including Handbell Musicians of America’s Distinctly Bronze West, National Seminar, and area festivals. She has also had more than 115 titles for handbells and sacred choral music published since 2015.