Minutes of Sacred Harp Singings

Saturday, September 22

The first Poland Sacred Harp Convention was held the fourth Sunday and Saturday before in September on the campus of the University of Warsaw in Warsaw, Poland. Justyna Orlikowska and Gosia Perycz called the class to order leading 59. Blazej Matusiak and Magdalena Gryszko offered the opening prayer. Justyna Orlikowska and Gosia Perycz welcomed the guests.

Leaders: Dominika Jedrzejczak and Marta Wnukiewicz 101t; Kuba Choinski 49t; Blazej Matusiak 171; Steve Helwig 74b; Jacek Borkowicz 63; Magdalena Gryszko 312b; Zofia Przyrowska 163t; Barbara Steinitz 267; Olgierd Orlikowski 70b; Ewan Paterson 277; Mike Morrisroe 56b; Eamonn O’Neill 203.

RECESS

Gosia Perycz called the class back to order leading 82t. Leaders: Richard Schmeidler 120; Eva Striebeck 58; Dara Desmond 480; Sarah West 498; Edwin Macadam 288; Kathy Williams 276; Julie Botnick 87; Eimear O’Donovan 445; Jean Seiler 217; Anna Zóltek 47b; Hannah Land 392; Colleen Jones 503; Louise Holland 434; Bryan Seale 268; Shelby Sampson 192; Nick Hall 183.

RECESS

Justyna Orlikowska called the class back to order leading 106. Leaders: Aaron Kahn 168; Steve Biggs 178; John O’Flynn 335; Jo Pendleton 452; Judy Caudle 564; Judy Whiting 384; Zilpha Kitchens Cornett 143; Jan-Erik Steel 89; Kate Kirwan 38t; Leah Hearne 430; Mary Wright 546; Cherilyn Neilson 159; Les Sontag 107; Fynn Titford-Mock 298; Melissa Kelley 532; Karen Ivey 182; Tollie Lee 348b.

LUNCH

Steve Helwig called the class back to order leading 32t. Leaders: Patricia Temple 34b; Chris Brown 362; Sadhbh O’Flynn 388; Lauren Bock 343; Niamh O’Sullivan 460; Michael Walker 475; Allison Steel 542; Rachel Jordan 474; David Ivey 86; Tim Eriksen, Marta Wnukiewicz, and Marta Zapedowska 282 (dedicated by Tim for his wife Magdalena Zapedowska Eriksen and her sister); Terry Barber 53; Jesse Karlsberg 196; Patti Sontag 313b; Dan Brittain 193; Alma Moledys 504; Magdalena Gryszko and Jean Seiler 122; Judy Caudle 176t; Eva Striebeck 300; Melissa Kelley 216; Steve Helwig 228; Louise Holland 49b; Les Sontag 205; Zilpha Kitchens Cornett 358; Eimear O’Donovan and Daire O’Sullivan 209.

RECESS

Zofia Przyrowska called the class back to order leading 551. Leaders: Jo Pendleton 317; Richard Schmeidler 155; Sheila Girling Macadam, Edwin Macadam, and Keith Macdonald 299; Sarah West 370; Kathy Williams 180; Fynn Titford-Mock and Cath Saunt 354t; John O’Flynn 146; Ewan Paterson 457; Chris Brown and Judy Whiting 28b; Kuba Choinski 535; Tollie Lee 565; Lisa O’Grady and Colin Higgins 38b; Aaron Kahn and Eimear O’Donovan 455; Justyna Orlikowska and Olgierd Orlikowski 328; Hannah Land 318 (dedicated for Cath Tyler); Rachel Jordan and Nick Hall 189; David Ivey, Karen Ivey, and Mike Morrisroe 371; Lauren Bock, Jesse Karlsberg, and Bryan Seale 377; Shelby Sampson and Dan Brittain 472; Allison Steel, Jan-Erik Steel, and Calum Steel 274t.

Announcements were made. Justyna Orlikowska and Gosia Perycz led 473 as the closing song. Cath Saunt offered the closing prayer, and the class was dismissed.

Sunday, September 23

The Sunday session of the first Poland Sacred Harp Convention was called to order by Justyna Orlikowska and Gosia Perycz leading 101t. Blazej Matusiak offered the morning prayer.

Leaders: Marta Wnukiewicz 31t; Kuba Choinski 36b; Blazej Matusiak 276; Zofia Przyrowska 224; Bryan Seale 271t; Keith Macdonald 159; Michael Walker and Ulrike Tietjen 131b; Sadhbh O’Flynn 481; Eimear O’Donovan 144; Mary Wright 121; Kate Kirwan 210; Aaron Kahn 410t; Niamh O’Sullivan and Bryan Seale 148; Julie Botnick 112; Terry Barber 32b; Patricia Temple 373; Colleen Jones 163b; Alma Moledys and Basia Moledys 49t; Zilpha Cornett 354b; Daire O’Sullivan 65; Richard Schmeidler 543; Eamonn O’Neill 332.

RECESS

Magdalena Gryszko called the class back to order by leading 106. Leaders: Nick Hall 547; Steve Biggs 497; Patti Sontag and Les Sontag 496; Dan Brittain 375; Leah Hearne 448t; John O’Flynn 122; Rachel Jordan 501; Dara Desmond and Michael Morrisroe 134; Ewan Paterson 282; Jesse Karlsberg 208; Chris Brown 441; Lisa O’Grady, Corina Frische, and Magdalena Osthaus 114; Tim Eriksen 69b; Jo Pendleton 100.

Judy Caudle and David Ivey conducted the memorial lesson.

Judy Caudle spoke and led 347 in memory of the following deceased: Benedicta Francisco—Brazil; Jay Booker—Canada; Jutta Pflugmacher, Thomas Tietjet—Germany; Ita Clenaghan, Mark Ferguson—Ireland; Hanna Malinowska, Romek Malinowski, Mikel Pisarenko, Ludwik Wioslawski—Poland; Gladys and Reginald Girling—Scotland; Peter Schoonjans—Sweden; Gordon Corrick, Brenda Grimshaw, Philip Higgins, Lillian Mann, Tristan Mirabaud, Harold Newell, Vic Newman, Joe Reynolds, Malcom Roberdson—United Kingdom; and from United States: Harrison Creel, Marie Ivey, Travis Keeton, Furn Kitchens—Alabama; Gregory Barber, Florence Packmann, Barbara Severson Meyer, Floyd Paul Meyer, Jr.—California; Alice Fahrbach—Michigan; Joan Fritz—Minnesota; Julietta Haynes—Tennessee.

David Ivey spoke for the sick and shut-ins and led 67 for the following: Tony Parkinson, Cath Tyler, Virginia Glass, Bea Gilmore, Jeff Sheppard, Shelbie Sheppard, Chris Sugden, George Wheeler, Alan Jackson, Victor Griffin, Geraldine O’Neill, Konrad Tarnopolski, Mary Gardner, Charles Kitchens, Niall Henderson, Karen Rollins, Lois H. Kahn-Fever, Mark Hall Amitin, Maciej Gryszko, Ken Baddley, Sylwek Jedrzejczak, Dolores Rinecker, Catherine Seale, Don Walker, Charlotte Walker, Craig, and Mama Brown. Blazej Matusiak closed the memorial lesson with prayer.

Leaders: Tollie Lee and Olga Wlodarczyk 30t; Louise Holland 43; Karen Ivey 309; Melissa Kelley 425; Lauren Bock and Michael Walker 57.

LUNCH

Steve Helwig called the class back to order leading 85. Leaders: Eva Striebeck and Harald Gründer 360; Magdalena Gryszko, Jan-Erik Steel, Ewan Paterson, Sarah West, Bryan Seale, Eva Striebeck, Julie Botnick, Bogna Rózyczka, Ala Durej, Ula Durej, Lukasz Zóltek, and Kasia Buncler 335; Sheila Girling Macadam 365; Fynn Titford-Mock 179; Jacek Borkowicz 236; Allison Steel and Calum Steel 564; Michael Morrisroe 505; Kathy Williams 351; Cath Saunt 38b; Dan Brittain 353; Jean Seiler 273; Dara Desmond 344; Edwin Macadam 528; Hannah Land, Sadhbh O’Flynn, and Eamonn O’Neill 507; Tim Eriksen 562; Shelby Sampson 479; Gosia Perycz and Blazej Matusiak 66; Leah Hearne 504; David Ivey, Gosia Perycz, Justyna Orlikowska, and Kuba Choinski 56t.

RECESS

Gosia Perycz called the class back to order leading 29t. Leaders: Olgierd Orlikowski 181; Judy Whiting and Chris Brown 323t; Justyna Orlikowska 77t; Kuba Choinski 49b (dedicated by all Polish Sacred Harp singers to Virginia Douglas, who presented them with a Sacred Harp singing book on the occasion of the 1st Poland Sacred Harp singing Convention); Mary Wright 314; Niamh O’Sullivan and Daire O’Sullivan 102; Sarah West 447; Hannah Land and Olga Wlodarczyk 268; Michael Walker 306; Steve Helwig 411; Julie Botnick 499; Bryan Seale and Eamonn O’Neill 348t; Pat Temple and Jesse Karlsberg 232 (dedicated to Aldo Ceresa); Kate Kirwan 168; Zofia Przyrowska 198; Alma Moledys 274t; Judy Caudle 345b; Terry Barber 492; Colleen Jones 535; Louise Holland 37b; Lauren Bock, Anna Jurkiewicz, Joanna Urban, and Agnieszka Osuch 29b; Jacek Borkowicz 270; Tim Eriksen, Judy Caudle, David Ivey, Karen Ivey, Dan Brittain, Chris Brown, and Jesse Karlsberg 419.

The class held a business session. The Treasurer reported that all expenses were met. The Secretary reported that the number of registered attendees was 122, representing the following countries: USA, England, Scotland, Ireland, Germany, France, Israel, Belarus, Czech Republic, and Poland.

Justyna Orlikowska, Gosia Perycz, Steve Helwig, and Kuba Choinski led 146 as the closing song. Cath Saunt offered the closing prayer, and the class was dismissed.

Co-Chairs—Justyna Orlikowska and Gosia Perycz; Secretaries—Dominika Jedrzejczak and Marta Wnukiewicz