KATHRYN
JURADO

A musician with over 30 years of performance experience, 20 years of non-profit volunteer work, and lifelong church music ministry service, Kathryn Jurado has quickly gained prominence in the handbell community. Currently, she is Vice President and Event Coordinator, as well as one of the music directors of Magic of Bronze, the community handbell ensemble in the Orlando area, which was one of the featured choirs at the 2020 HMA National Seminar, and also finished a term as Associate Director of Suncoast Bronze Ringers, a community handbell ensemble based in the Tampa area. After serving a second 2-year term as Treasurer of Handbell Musicians of America, Area 4, Kathryn was nominated and elected to the Position of President-Elect of the national organization, Handbell Musicians of America. Kathryn most recently held the position as director of the Lake Magdalene Ringers at Lake Magdalene United Methodist Church in Tampa and is now serving at Hyde Park United Methodist Church. She is a Province Officer with Sigma Alpha Iota, International Music Fraternity, and has been an educator for over a decade with Hillsborough County Public Schools, the 7th largest school district in the nation.

Kathryn had the privilege of being the clinician for Reaching for Bronze 2022 (now known as Crescendo) at Distinctly Bronze East alongside Brian Childers in New Bern, North Carolina. She was also one of the participants in HMA’s Conducting Masterclass under Dr. William Payn in 2021 and again in 2023. In June of 2024, she was the handbell clinician for the Florida Chapter of the Fellowship of Worship Artists’ Worship Arts Week in Fruitland Park, Florida.

Kathryn is also excited to share that she will be the clinician for the Area 3, Handbell Musicians of America’s Youth Festival in November of 2024 and the director of Handbell Musicians of America’s College Ring-In in January of 2025!

Recently Kathryn has rung at both Distinctly Bronze East and West events, has been selected for the National Seminar All-Star Choirs since 2018, and was honored to have been chosen for Virtuoso 2019, 2022, and 2024 with the Raleigh Ringers and Zenith 2023 and 2024 with Matthew Compton and Alex Guebert, both being auditioned bronze-level ringing events.

Born in Puerto Rico, Kathryn started her music studies at a young age. By age 15, she was playing the oboe with The Florida Orchestra and began free-lancing in the Tampa Bay area. Some of these performances have been with Opera Tampa under the late Anton Coppola, the Venice Symphony, The Tampa Bay Symphony, The Villages Philharmonic, La La Land Live, as well as with musicians such as Ray Charles, the Irish Tenors, and pop superstars Hanson. Kathryn attended the University of South Florida and received a Bachelor of Music Studies degree with concentrations in education and performance. ​

While working in Hillsborough County Public Schools, Kathryn has led many ensembles in singing, handbells, percussion, and modern band. She had the privilege of directing the Hillsborough All-County Handbell Ensemble four times and has had many students selected for the All-State Elementary Choir and Orff Ensembles. During her work with Handbell Musicians of America, Area 4, she has been a faculty member for state festivals, the Area 4 National Seminar Scholarship Coordinator, and the Event Coordinator for Bronze Under the Sun 2021. Kathryn has served as the Treasurer, President, and most recently the Vice President of Ritual for the Sigma Alpha Iota Tampa Alumnae Chapter, where she was awarded the Rose of Honor in 2021. She has also held the position of President-Elect and President of the Hillsborough County Elementary Music Educators Council.

 Wishing to continue to pursue her dreams of teaching at the collegiate level, Kathryn has completed the first year of a master’s degree, once again at the University of South Florida, in Music Performance with a graduate assistantship in the oboe studio. She is excited to be offering the first-ever Handbell Ensemble at the University of South Florida in the fall of 2024! Kathryn currently lives in Seffner, Florida with her son, Daniel, and her husband and fellow handbell ringer and director, William J. Murphy and their 4 cats, Zack, Loki, Bella, and Millie.