Minutes of Sacred Harp Singings

Saturday, March 13

The 12th annual Western Massachusetts Sacred Harp Convention was called to order by Jesse Pearlman Karlsberg leading 47t. John Plunkett offered the opening prayer.

Leaders: Julian Damashek 48t; Christine Geisler Andrews 176b; Kelsey Sunderland 82t; Deidra Montgomery 32t; Cheri Hardy 99; Larry Bingham 63; Mary Andrews 457; Magdalena Gryszko 155; Charles Taylor 505; Susan Loucks 480; Rosemary Yntema 36b; Ed Smith 532; Gosia Perycz 200; Susan Mampre 228; Debby Moody 504; John Redman 236; Andy Johnston 294; Carole Dempsey 168; Jan-Erik Steel 89; Ron Trial 84; Joanne DeVoe 31t.

The following officers were elected or appointed to serve: Chairman—Jesse Pearlman Karlsberg; Vice Chairman—Julian Damashek; Secretary—Christine Geisler Andrews; Memorial Committee—George Seiler and Aldo Ceresa; Finance Committee—John Holbrook.

RECESS

Kendahl Goldwater-Feldman called the class back to order leading 74b.

Leaders: Emma Rose Brown 101t; Timothy Cummings 86; Jack Byerly 421; Sally Langendorf 108b; Yael Tarshish, Anna Tarshish, and Suzan Greenberg 377; Brian Collett 143; Kamila Dembinska and Lauren Bock 499; Laura Borrelli 131b; Dan Hertzler 171; Terry Ryan 319; Anne Krikorian 154; John Holbrook 475; Charles Cofone 35; Liz Cantrell 434; Sarah Whites-Koditschek 299; Bob Borcherding 56b; Mary Jo Shafer 503; Bill Holt 224; John Szymansky 47b; Rachel Hall 191; Dan Adams 179.

RECESS

Kelsey Wessels called the class back together leading 335. Leaders: Sheldon Finlay 112; Lori Bowman Graber and Joanne Bowman 318; Ruth Wampler 489; D.J. Hatfield 436; Anne Missavage 157; Erik Schwab 367; Alma Kucharska 203; Ian Ludders 298; Liz Meitzler 67; James Baumgartner 217; Katherine Collett 300; Leonard Spencer 320; Benjamin Bath 428; Marta Wnukiewicz 230; Shelby Sampson 474; Ames Bielenberg 315; Dean Jens 564; Claire Chapin 273; Willis McCumber 142; Gerry Hoffman 546; Libby Brownell 547; Michael Kaye 198. Matt Hinton offered the blessing for the noon meal.

LUNCH

Joanne Fuller brought the class to order for the afternoon session leading 111b. Leaders: Rachel Speer 56t; Blazej Matusiak 276; Kiri Miller 430; Aldo Ceresa 550; Cathy Tucker 192; Andy Lebrun 53; Erica Hinton 391; Mel Novner 40; Michael Walker 447; Laura Clawson 442; Henry Johnson 435; Justyna Orlikowska 29t; George Seiler 473; Kelly House 77t; Danny Arms 304; Becky Wright 522; Oliver Kindig-Stokes 153; John Plunkett 189; Leland Kusmer 396; Barbara Swetman 481; Justin Levi 197; Martha Henderson 65; Matt Hinton and Peter Irvine 448t; Dana Borrelli 159; Lucy O’Leary 411; George Pomfret 556; Ian Smiley 288; Al McCready, Jeri Wieringa, and Charles Biada 347.

RECESS

Eliza Cavanaugh led 73t to call the class back to order. Leaders: Joanna Lampert 530; Sam Kleinman 312b; Ian Quinn 284; Katie White 209; Pete Sutherland 163b; Myles Dakan 284; Jean Seiler 66; Peter Amidon, Mary Alice Amidon, Sam Amidon, Beth Orton, and Nancy Orton 48b; Laura Keeler 448b; Lilah Anderson and Ben Bath 105; Solomon Ossa 332; Brian How 183; Tom Padwa 551; Lynne deBenedette 445; John Ostwald 28b; Cindy Bean 107; Peter Golden 33b.

Jesse Pearlman Karlsberg led 46 to close the session. Liz Cantrell offered the closing prayer, and the class was dismissed.

Sunday, March 14

The Sunday session of the Western Massachusetts Sacred Harp Convention was called to order by Jesse Pearlman Karlsberg and Julian Damashek leading 82t. The morning prayer was offered by John Plunkett.

Leaders: Christine Geisler Andrews and Mary Andrews 73t; Linda Shea 371; Andrew Magee 215; Maggie Shar 276; Sheila Kelley 38b; Jim Bean 168; Caitlin Caulfield 506; Corey Walters 182; Eli Hetko 229; Rosalie Elkinton 101t; Robert Stoddard 542; Abby Minor 72b; Guy Bankes 444; Inga Knets 172; Leon Pulsinelle 299; Susan Willett 274t; Allison Schofield 76b; Zachary Marcus 271t; Anna Maria Irvine 70b; Bradd Libby 163t; Crystal Burnham 129; Chris Noren 268; Alice Maggio 410t.

RECESS

Mary Gowins called the class back to order leading 37b. Leaders: Jeremy Galvagni 148; Laura Timmerman 111t; Bill Dunn 345b; Elizabeth Stoddard 534; Natalie Jablonski 328; Chris Holley 278t; Jenny Wright 347; Jeff Colby 335; Philippa Stoddard 411; Emily Hancock and Chrisiant Bracken 500; Owen Schmidt 457; Ines Lüttgen, Somen Goodman, and Masti Mayrand 327; Bobbie Goodell 174; Paul Gauthier 505; Jerusha Wheeler 196; Anna Kazlauskas 125; Mary Seem 282; Molly Merrett 445; Anne Krikorian and Laura Keeler 348t; Liora O’Donnell Goldensher 375.

RECESS

Amy Finlay and Erin Finlay brought the class back together leading 300.

Leaders: Kshama Ananthapura 270; Peter Irvine and Sue Dierks 318; Tim Eriksen 269; Dan Adams 290; Nathan Rees 439; Cathy Tucker 350; Jennie Brown and Emma Rose Brown 192; Ames Bielenberg and Leland Kusmer 245; Marta Wnukiewicz and Kamila Dembinska 178; Bob Mills 228.

George Seiler and Aldo Ceresa conducted the memorial lesson. Aldo Ceresa spoke about the following sick and shut-ins and led 34t in their honor: Jim Leonard, Frank Evans, Marina Winquist, Ruth Daniel, Barton Slatko, Pearl Kaye, Darlene Simpson-Brown, Nadine Dyskant-Miller, Charlie Depuw, Linda Bedard, Sarah Burley, Bill Miller-Coulter, Karen Keller, Dorothy Starlin, Josie Capaldi, Ginny Coombs, Sandra Ogren, David McCumber, and April Corl.

George Seiler spoke about the blessings of the hollow square in times of grief and read the names of the following deceased: Alexander Mark Johnson—Arkansas; Eve Barbian, Maria Herold and Sister Elizabeth—California; Beverly Lathrop—Connecticut; Jimmy Denney—Georgia; Bettina Ortiz—Illinois; Ann Kucera and Peter Shiras—Maine; Severine Langelan—Maryland; Ken Baughman, Victoria A. Bolles, Linda Burk, Tom Cavanaugh, Ken Finch, Bethany Greaney, Matt Holland, Tracy Mellillo, Richard Morse, Julian Peeka-Smith, Kay Wood, and Tim Young—Massachusetts; Cindy Kissee—Minnesota; Winnie Wright—New Hampshire; Richard Altman, Randall Castleman, Phyllis Glick, Bob Guida, George Loft, Flora Rosenberg, Louis Ryan, and Katherine Ann Warren—New York; John Penn—North Dakota; Nancy Katzen—Pennsylvania; Jobey Calo and Joseph Garlick, Sr.—Rhode Island; Venson Arms, Reginald Francklyn, and Phyllis Francklyn—South Carolina; Jeff Galper and Christopher Sutherland—Vermont; Carol Porter—Virginia; Kay Martyn—Ontario; Louise Read—unknown. George Seiler led 146 in memory of the departed. John Plunkett closed the memorial lesson with a prayer.

Leaders: Elizabeth Stoddard and Robert Stoddard 52b; John Plunkett 466; Jean Seiler 378t; Kelly House and Eliza Cavanaugh 475; Martha Henderson 455; Joanna Lampert and Justin Levi 564; Peter Golden and Dan Hertzler 201; Mel Novner and Sam Kleinman 85. Blazej Matusiak offered the blessing for the noon meal.

LUNCH

Laura Borrelli and Lucy O’Leary led 39t to call the class back to order for the afternoon session. Leaders: Becky Wright and Myles Dakan 419; Gerry Hoffman, Brian How, and Katie White 377; Lisa Palumbo 288; Jan-Erik Steel and Magdalena Gryszko 162; Ian Quinn and Al McCready 66; Philippa Stoddard and Oliver Kindig-Stokes 216; Rachel Speer and Solomon Ossa 203; Chris Holley and Emily Hancock 112; Willis McCumber and Ian Ludders 383; Yael Tarshish, Anna Tarshish, Suzan Greenberg, and Kelsey Sunderland 472; Terry Ryan, Dean Jens, and Michael Kaye 430; Lynne deBenedette, Mary Seem, and Owen Schmidt 183; Nathan Rees and Danny Arms 218; Michael Walker and Shelby Sampson 193; Carole Dempsey and Ines Lüttgen 306; Erik Schwab 351; Matt Hinton, Erica Hinton, and Alma Kucharska 365; Zachary Marcus and Ruth Wampler 408; Libby Brownell, Andy Lebrun, and John Ostwald 454; Natalie Jablonski and Liz Cantrell 267; Sarah Whites-Koditschek and Abby Minor 176t; Bobbie Goodell and Barbara Swetman 540; Guy Bankes and Rachel Hall 123b; Sally Langdendorf and Susan Willett 503; John Redman and Joan Frankel 284.

Jesse Pearlman Karlsberg opened a business meeting. Michael Walker, Erica Hinton, and Blazej Matusiak submitted the Resolutions Committee Report. They thanked all the singers, and especially, God, and resolved to meet again next year. There was rousing applause for the food committee, especially Cheri Hardy.

RECESS

Kate Richardson brought the class back to order leading 47t. Leaders: Paul Gauthier and Lydia Vernon-Jones 499; Lauren Bock, Mark Karlsberg, Linda Pearlman Karlsberg, and Jenna Pearlman Karlsberg 208; Allison Schofield and Blazej Matusiak 277; Joanne Fuller, Mary Skidmore, and Claudia Smigelski 159; Henry Johnson 570; Eli Hetko and Alice Maggio 48t; Justyna Orlikowska and Gosia Perycz 47b; Jim Bean and Cindy Bean 474; Anna Elliot and Linda Shea 448t; Clare Chapin and Jerusha Wheeler 344; Jesse Pearlman Karlsberg, Aldo Ceresa, Nathan Rees, Julian Damashek, Henry Johnson, and Oliver Kindig-Stokes 186.

Jesse Pearlman Karlsberg opened the final business meeting. John Holbrook submitted the Finance Committee report, stating that all expenses had been met. Christine Geisler Andrews submitted the Secretary’s Report, announcing that 218 songs had been led and that 392 people had registered from nineteen states and four foreign countries. The business meeting was concluded.

Jesse Pearlman Karlsberg, Julian Damashek, and Christine Geisler Andrews led 62 as the closing song. John Plunkett offered the closing prayer, and the class was dismissed.

Chairman—Jesse Pearlman Karlsberg; Vice Chairman—Julian Damashek; Secretary—Christine Geisler Andrews