Minutes of Sacred Harp Singings

Saturday, January 23

The 12th annual Keystone Sacred Harp Convention was held on the fourth Sunday and Saturday before in January at the Broad Street Ministry in downtown Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The class was called to order by Ted Stokes and Joyce Homan leading 101t. G.C. Waldrep offered the opening prayer.

Officers and committees of the convention were the following: Chairmen—Ted Stokes and Joyce Homan; Vice Chairman—Tom Tucker; Treasurer—Doron Henkin; Secretary—Becky Wright; Arranging Committee—Dean Jens, Sarah Whites-Koditschek, Heather Batson, and Nora Dunn.

Leaders: Tom Tucker 42; Doron Henkin 377; Becky Wright 345b; Dean Jens 480; Sarah Whites-Koditschek 59; Dan Coppock 34b; Oliver Kindig-Stokes 57; Mel Novner 148; Elizabeth Stokes 278t; Nancy Tkacs 479; Heather Batson 472; Grace McKenzie-Smith 209; Sue Hanson 384; Molly Sayvetz 501; Cindy Wasson 372; Sam Kleinman 106; Lynne Hoyt 535; Walter Smith 178; Anna Mays 573; Anne Krikorian 58; Doron Henkin 276.

RECESS

Kevin Griffin Moreno called the class to order leading 30b. Leaders: Leon Pulsinelle 377; Chloe Maher 532; Marian McKenzie 254; Lamar Matthew 344; Nancy Mandel 95; Joel Miller 37b; Barbara Hohenstein 131t; Gerry Hoffman 142; Rachel Hall 71; Ryan P. Young 141; Barbara Swetman 203; Ames Bielenberg 153; Zoe Clay 455.

RECESS

Oliver Kindig-Stokes called the class to order leading 79. Leaders: Myles Dakan 320; Erin Kelly 545; Aldo Ceresa 146; Lucy O’Leary 436; Charlie McKenzie-Smith 324; John del Re 486; Lorah Hopkins 503; John Holbrook 354t; Hal Kunkel 313t; Lauren Bock 93; G.C. Waldrep 269; Suzan Greenberg 504; Julian Damashek 200; Ruth Wampler and Hollie Long 491; Brian How 183. G.C. Waldrep offered the lunch blessing.

LUNCH

Ted Stokes opened the afternoon session leading 32t. Leaders: Fiona Nugent 346; Guy Bankes 327; Marie Julia Street 551; Nora Dunn 500; Diane Mennella 218; Elene Stovall 182; Jesse Pearlman Karlsberg 428; Kelly Macklin 369; John Merritt 312b; Kelsey Sunderland 440; Chris Holley 268; Deidra Montgomery 196; John Alexander 163b; Lynne deBenedette 216; Peter Golden 121; Philippa Stoddard 564; Tom Clay 547; Anna Hendrick 112; Carl Baron 159; Leyland del Re 208; Laura Densmore 101b; Willis McCumber 506; Mary Gowins 454; Kevin Griffin Moreno 448t; Liz Cantrell 441; Terry Ryan 477; Yael Tarshish 86.

RECESS

Tom Tucker called the class to order leading 81t. Leaders: Daniel Hunter 123 (t? b?); Charlotte Ehrman 365; Caitlin Caulfield 442; Kathy Manning 215; Zachary Bullock 73t; Bethany Towne 108b; Sheila Nugent 430; Jim Glaser 352; Claire Simon 143; Laura Keeler 448b; Steve Hoyt 323b; Rachel Speer 77t; David Graff 163t; Elizabeth Stoddard 411; Tim Culbertson 235; Jennie Brown 228; Mairi Quodomine 426b; Sarah Allard 111b; Chuck McCallum 135; Leland Kusmer 245; Lamar Matthew 569b; Tom Clay and Zoe Clay 274t.

G.C. Waldrep closed the session with prayer, and the class was dismissed.

Sunday, January 24

The Sunday session of the Keystone Sacred Harp Convention was called to order by Ted Stokes leading 129. John Merritt offered the opening prayer.

Leaders: Tom Tucker 270; Heather Batson 300; Nora Dunn 353; Becky Wright 39t; Guy Bankes 497; Suzan Greenberg 481; Jim Glaser 322; Leyland del Re 468; Ames Bielenberg 84; Barbara Hohenstein 68t; Doron Henkin 53; Rachel Hall 38b; John Alexander 122; Bethany Towne 177; Zachary Bullock 101t; Kendahl Goldwater-Feldman 102; Charlotte Ehrman 157; Brian How 313b; Kelly Macklin 187; John Holbrook 38t; Hossein Aleyasin and Naomi Kaye 82t; Steve Hoyt 68b; Sarah Whites-Koditschek 176b; Chloe Maher 189; Ben Cocchiaro 131b.

RECESS

Gabriel Kastelle called the class to order leading 85. Leaders: Elizabeth Stokes 123 (t? b?); Leland Kusmer 376; Dwayne Grant, Ina Shea, and Joyce Homan 45t; Tim Culbertson 522; Mairi Quodomine 422; James Nugent, Fiona Nugent, Anna Bowen, Sara Bowen, and Sarah Jesup 354b; Laura Keeler 340; Liz Cantrell 318; Kevin Griffin Moreno 227; Daniel Hunter 397; Jesse Pearlman Karlsberg 380; Sheila Nugent 325; Chris Holley 283.

Cindy Wasson, Susan Munch and John Merritt conducted the memorial lesson. Cindy Wasson spoke for the sick and shut-ins. Susan Munch spoke about Pennsylvania singer Nancy Katzen, and they led 472 in memory of Nancy Katzen and in honor of the following: George Seiler, Victoria Bolles, Mary Elizabeth Brennan, Michael Homan, George Loft, John Kniesly, Nadine Dyskant-Miller, Elaine Kerns, and Kim Moreno.

John Merritt spoke for the deceased and led 499 in memory of the following: Nancy Katzen, Harry Castrantas, Ben Menta, Kathlene Joo and Mary Ferguson—Pennsylvania; Richard Altman, Bob Guida, Louis Ryan, Robert Kaufmann, Deitrich Werner, and Kathryn Warren—New York; Marsha Headrick—Mississippi; Steve Isenberg—Michigan; Sylvia Taxy and Ernie Hollander—California; Gus Hess—Arkansas; Marguerite Yung—Connecticut; Grace McKernan—Arizona; Sky Houser—Nebraska; Daniel Macklin—Virginia; Moses Jiggetts; Jimmie Denney—Georgia; John Penn—North Dakota; Sandra Goss—Massachusetts. Steve Hoyt closed the memorial with prayer.

Leaders: Dean Jens 110; Erin Kelly 399b; Ryan P. Young 294; Kathy Manning 200; Diane Mennella 76b; Leon Pulsinelle 213t; Abby Minor and Hal Kunkel 72b. Dan Coppock offered the blessing for the noon meal.

LUNCH

Daniel Hunter called the afternoon session to order leading 127. Leaders: Peter Golden 222; Sue Hanson 299; Nancy Mandel 89; Lucy O’Leary 377; Gabriel Kastelle 269; Rachel Speer 298; Caitlin Caulfield 506; Susan Bingham 542; Hal Kunkel 304; Elizabeth Stoddard 191; Jennie Brown 536; John Merritt 137; Elene Stovall 411; Carly Goss 260; Lauren Bock 396; Julian Damashek 192; Barbara Swetman 168; Aldo Ceresa 50t; Lynne deBenedette 77t; Myles Dakan 474; Cindy Wasson 70b; Gerry Hoffman 492; Philippa Stoddard 171; John del Re 460; Deidra Montgomery 558; Mark Kharas and Myles Dakan 512; Anne Krikorian 176t.

RECESS

Dan Coppock called the class to order leading 40. Leaders: Yael Tarshish 31t; Julian Bender 117; Kelsey Sunderland 421; Fiona Nugent 59; Terry Ryan 358; Chuck McCallum 56b; James Nugent 455; Laura Densmore 201; Sam Kleinman 410t; Willis McCumber 224; Mary Gowins 128; Mel Novner 344; Lynne Hoyt 175; Dan Coppock 198; Anna Mays 348t; Elizabeth Stokes 328; Oliver Kindig-Stokes 181; Elene Stovall and Kelly Macklin 392; Susan Bingham and Leon Pulsinelle 34b; Diane Mennella and Aldo Ceresa 33t; Kevin Griffin Moreno and Deidra Montgomery 217; Zachary Bullock and Hal Kunkel 105.

A business meeting was held wherein past and present chairs of the Keystone Convention still residing in Pennsylvania, Doron Henkin, Laura Densmore, Ina Shea, Elizabeth Stokes, Ted Stokes, and Joyce Homan, expressed their gratitude to all who have supported this Convention, and announced the following: That the Keystone Convention shall convene again in 2011 on the 4th Sunday in January and the Saturday before; that Tom Tucker is nominated as chairman of the 2011 Convention, which is expected to be in the Lancaster, Pennsylvania, area; that we and Tom Tucker, our next chairman, shall, in the upcoming year, work to establish a nominating committee that would include past and present chairs residing in Pennsylvania, and, in reflection of our growing community, additional members from Pennsylvania singings not currently represented by the past and present chairs and who wish to participate. This nominating committee would discuss and then present similar resolutions for the Keystone Convention in 2011and thereafter.

Ted Stokes and Joyce Homan led 62 as the closing song. Dan Coppock offered the closing prayer, and the class was dismissed.

Chairmen—Ted Stokes and Joyce Homan; Vice Chairman—Tom Tucker; Secretary—Becky Wright