Minutes of Sacred Harp Singings

Saturday, September 30

The thirty-first session of the New England Sacred Harp Convention was called to order at 9:30 a.m. by Chairman Kelly House leading 52t. Louis Hughes offered the opening prayer. Kelly House welcomed everyone to the first session of the New England Convention held in Rhode Island.

Officers: Chairman—Kelly House; Vice Chairman—Charles Cofone; Secretary—Pace Willisson; Arranging Committee—Charles Cofone, Lynne deBenedette, Karen Freund, Bill Holt, Inga Knets, Jenna Strizak and Kelsey Wessels.

Leaders: Charles Cofone 35; Pace Willisson 66; Kelsey Wessels 171; Jenna Strizak 87; Lynne deBenedette 82t; Ed Smith 362; Jessica Holland 168; Sheila Kelley 344; Justin Squizzero 215; Liz Cantrell 59; Kelsey Sunderland 72b; George Pomfret 299; Sheldon Finlay 112; Robert Stoddard 472; Laura Timmerman 371; Terry Ryan 287; Dana Borrelli 186; Bob Parr 297; Edwin Macadam 538; Jesse Pearlman Karlsberg 430; Joanne DeVoe 31t; Nathan Rees 436; Ron Bornick 178.

RECESS

Paula Picton brought the class to order leading 34b. Leaders: Linda Shea 330t; John Szymanski 49b; Benjamin Bath 270; Anne Kazlauskas 218; Larry Gordon 163b; J. Michael Hull 143; Eric Hildebrant 551; Victoria Bolles 288; Aldo Ceresa 272; Sheila Girling Macadam 142; Pat Temple 195; Michael Thompson 34t; Bill Holt 217; Meaghan Sheehan 383; Peter Amidon 163t; Joanne Bowman 280; Dean Jens 114; Cindy Bean 107.

RECESS

Bill Holt brought the class to order leading 148. Leaders: Mary Alice Amidon 209; Carrone Bryant 147t; Erica Hinton 29b; John Boanergos Redman 137; Sally House 503; Inga Knets 439; Scott Luscombe 532; John Holbrook 480; Susan Jaster 485; L.H. Spencer 245; Amy Finlay 440; Ishmael Stefanov 372; John Plunkett 329; Rachel Speer 123b; Margaret Bornick 312b; A. Gabriel Kastelle 73t; Tom Padwa 133; Mary Wright 121; Louis Hughes 448t; Crystal Burnham 159; Richard Schmeidler 254. The lunch blessing was offered by Henry Johnson.

LUNCH

The afternoon session was brought to order by Charles Cofone leading 335. Leaders: Jerry Enright 370; Linda Thomas 345b; Matthew Wojcik, Rosie Wojcik, and Marian Wojcik 442; Karen Ivey 384; Matt Hinton 42; Tim Eriksen 236; Reba Windom 192; Henry Johnson 425; Bobbie Goodell 540; David Ivey 528; Elene Stovall 542; Charles Taylor 29t; Karen Freund 30b; Bruce Randall 182; Kathy Hull 354b; Ted Stokes 377; Judy Caudle 411; Bill Dunn 410t; Mirjana Lausevic 37b; Walter Olson 274t; Elizabeth Stokes 102; Chris Holley 146; Laura Noble 276; Robert Dove 313b; Peter Amidon 306; Celia Devine 106; Ed Smith 189; Sheila Kelley 278t.

Kelly House led 31b as the closing song. Tim Eriksen offered the closing prayer, and the class was dismissed.

Sunday, October 1

The Sunday session was called to order at 9:30 a.m. by Chairman Kelly House leading 32t. The opening prayer was offered by Jenna Strizak.

Leaders: Charles Cofone 66; Pace Willisson 510; Bill Holt 65; Joanne Bowman 312b; Justin Squizzero 39t; Dana Borrelli 76b; Aldo Ceresa 214; Tom Padwa 515; Inga Knets 172; Sheldon Finlay 217; Robert Stoddard 193; Karen Freund and Jerry Enright 300; Bruce Randall 315; Ted Stokes 298; Pat Temple 473; Jesse Pearlman Karlsberg 542; Kelsey Sunderland 216; Bob Parr 475; Liz Cantrell 56b; Laura Timmerman 564; John Holbrook 339; Sally House 540; Duncan Vinson 296; Rachel Speer 89; Gabriel Kastelle 500.

RECESS

Linda Shea brought the class to order leading 171. Leaders: Larry Gordon 168; Kelsey Wessels 29t; Anne Kazlauskas 196; Scott Luscombe 481; Kitty Kagay 477; John Plunkett 492; Peter Irvine and Alexandra Irvine 445; Paul Gauthier 378b; Amy Finlay 203; Jerry Enright 77t; Dan Hertzler 102; Kate Richardson 271t; Bobbie Goodell 472; David Bliss 84; Erica Hinton 72b; Kelly House 270; Mary Wright 180; Nathan Rees 495; Margaret Bornick 162.

RECESS

Lynne deBenedette brought the class to order leading 99. Leaders: Anne Johnson 29b; Ron Bornick 334; Kathy Hull 145t; Louis Hughes 348b; Kathy Collett 245; Carrone Bryant 163b; Eliza Cavanaugh 274t; Michael Hull 380; Laura Conrad 128; Brian Collett 218.

Jerry Enright, Tim Eriksen and Pat Falcon conducted the memorial lesson and led 267 in memory of the following deceased: Elsie Beasley, Teddy Creel, Bill Green, and John Hyde—Alabama; Sophie Kulchuk and Eleanor Loft—Connecticut; Regina Bolduc Wilkey—Florida; Sgt. Phil Dodson and Bobby Jackson—Georgia; Mark Seiler—Maine; Rose Durham, Beatrice Hamel, Dolores Hamel, Myle Holles, Faye Kaynor, Regena Pigeon, Gene Reid, and Marguerit Travers—Massachusetts; Betty Falcon—Nebraska; John Stoddard—North Carolina; Alan Karlsberg—New Hampshire; Carol Schaecter—New Jersey; Marie Burt, Patrick Giles, Marian Ryan, Everett Silvia, Lucy Simpson, and Carl Yurkerwich—New York; Elsie Duman—Pennsylvania; Hector Berube, Luther Blount, Jill Cofone, and Dennis Schuster—Rhode Island; Maryruth Cannon—Tennessee; Margret MacArthur—Vermont; Russell Green.

Pat Falcon read the names of the sick and shut-ins and Tim Eriksen led 229 in their honor: Herby Bailey, Oliver Accetta, Marcia Tucker, Alice Blanchard, Edmund Wojcik, Mario Reda, Paula Roberts, Donna and Joe Rease and family, Lisa Wexler, Marion Zimmerman, Marilyn Karr, Sharon Nygren, Clare Ellis, Virginia Luscombe, Frances Stahl, Don Mello, Stephanie Sanford, Maggie Worthing, Thomas Shuford, Teresa Van Hoy, Josie Kinkaid, Kat Kinkaid, Madge McQueen, Phyllis Green and family, and Alan Morris. Tim Eriksen closed the memorial with prayer.

Leaders: Allison Schofield 345b; Ken Mattsson 474. Laura Timmerman offered the lunch blessing.

LUNCH

The afternoon session was brought to order by Aldo Ceresa leading 105. Leaders: Jenna Strizak 426b; Karen Ivey 209; Henry Johnson 418; Judy Caudle 225b; David Ivey 422; Reba Windom 269; Michael Thompson 424; Elene Stovall 142; Tim Eriksen 328; Paula Picton 430; Matt Hinton 448t; Linda Thomas 131b; Linda Shea 400; Steven Jens 146; Elizabeth Stokes 183; Chris Holles 277; Joanne DeVoe 327; Terry Ryan 228; Bill Dunn 27; Dean Jens 377; Crystal Burnham and Laura Borrelli 455; Benjamin Bath 504; L.H. Spencer 260; Cindy Bean 48t; Mirjana Lausevic 318; Richard Schmeidler 543; Stephen Marini 250.

A business session was called to hear the committee reports and to make announcements.

The Secretary reported that 174 people from 16 states plus Canada and England had registered, and that 104 leaders had led 184 songs.

The Treasurer reported that expenses had been met and that the excess would be passed on to next year’s convention.

The Resolutions Committee thanked all who had helped make the convention possible, along with Dana Borrelli and Matt and Erica Hinton, who organized a screening of Awake, My Soul, on Saturday evening.

The officers of the convention led 62 as the closing song. Eliza Cavanaugh offered the closing prayer, and the class was dismissed.

Chairman—Kelly House; Vice Chairman—Charles Cofone; Secretary—Pace Willisson

NOTE: The 2007 New England Convention will be held in Connecticut on Friday, October 5, and Saturday, October 6.