Minutes of Sacred Harp Singings

Saturday, March 9

The 15th annual Western Massachusetts Sacred Harp Singing Convention was called to order by Emma Rose Brown, who led 72b. Álvaro Duarte offered the opening prayer and read from Genesis, Chapter 8, Verses 20-21.

The following officers were elected or appointed to serve: Chairman—Emma Rose Brown; Vice Chairman—Molly Merret; Secretary—Michael Nord; Arranging Committee—Allison Steel and Linda Shea; Finance Officer—John Holbrook; Memorial Committee—Peter Irvine and Christine Andrews.

Leaders: Molly Merret 33b; Michael Nord 131b; Joanne Fuller 176t; Christine Andrews 65; Linda Shea and Jeremy Galvagni 168; John Holbrook 38t; Sally Langendorf 176b; Faiz Wareh 38b; David Stowe 84; Mary Andrews and Anna Bowen 209; Ann Pearce 504; Earl J. Kipp 532; Ines Lüttgen 197; Cora Wareh 284; Maura Burns 66; Ben Sachs-Hamilton 479; Pete Sutherland 122; Chris Johnson-Robertson 270; Richard Schmeidler 474; Laura Keeler 328; Bob Parr 430; Sinead O’Mahoney 189.

RECESS

Deidra Montgomery called the class to order by leading 47t. Leaders: Laura Timmerman 228; Katherine Glatter 87; Jan-Erik Steele 99; Alex Lough and Ben Zucker 335; Joanna Lampert 336; Harry Scott 315; Paula Picton and Ben Bath 192; Guy Bankes 287; Erik-Dardan Ymeraga and Molly Bledsoe 59; Álvaro Witt Duarte 36b; Robert Stoddard 313t; Sasha Hsuczyk, Maggie Shar, and Molly Merret 129; L.H. Spencer 250; Sam Kleinman 324; Pat Callahan and Andal Sundaramurthy 290; Bill Dunn 49b; Charles Cofone 35; Allison Steel and all the singers from Bennington College 56t.

RECESS

The session was called to order by Sheila Kelley leading 106. Leaders: Bill Holt 171; Tom Malone 283; Terry Ryan 218; Kshama Ananthapura 217; Troad 448b; Alice Maggio 448t; Rebecca Hawking 288; Johno Landsman 312b; Neely Bruce 64; Mary Ann Morrison 547; Christopher Giannitti 268; Al McCready 269; Alexa Villaume and Sam Mayer 457; D.J. Hatfield 318; Kate Richardson 429; Lamar Matthew 344; Duncan Vinson 452; Paul Gauthier 505; Larry Bingham 47b; Sarah Pilzer 142. Matthew Wojcik offered the blessing before the noon meal.

LUNCH

Kelsey Wessels called the class to order for the afternoon leading 274t. Leaders: Jesse Pearlman Karlsberg 411; Sadhbh O’Flynn 522; Justyna Orlikowska and Tim Eriksen 182; Jennie Brown 187; Kevin Griffin Moreno and Carly Goss 196; Eva Striebeck 110; Lauren Bock and Eileen Willie 40; Kama Dembinska 272; Alexa Gilmore 424; Rachel Hall and Myles Louis Dakan 74t; Mary Gowins 564; Nora Miller 379; Patrick DeDauw and Sunny Doyle 300; Jean Seiler 299; Peter Golden 378t; Mel Novner 441; Katy Kanfer 274b; Becky Wright and Jessica Keyes 426b; Rachel Speer and Dean Jens 475; Bethany Towne 202; Daniel Hunter and Willis McCumber 377; Yael Tarshish and Susan Greenberg 203; Peter Irvine 480; Emily Hancock 500.

RECESS

This last session of the day was called to order by Matthew Léger-Small leading 89. Leaders: Caitlin Caulfield and Gwen Gethner 148; Peter Amidon 146; Kamilah Tisdale and Angharad Davis 472; Ed Smith and Ron Woodland 163b; Rowan Lupton 42; Laura Clawson 542; Andy Jonathan S. Johnston 101t; Matthew Wojcik 384; Barbara Swetman and Tarik Wareh 124; Claire Moore-Cantwell 178; Kelly Taylor 111b; Dan Hertzler and Ian Smiley 454; Edith Berger 319; Natalie Jablonski 60; Naomi Kaye 210; Jim Bean and Cindy Bean 107; Cheri Hardy 179; Christina Wallin and Erin Johnson-Hill 399b; Leon Pulsinelle and Aaron Weiss 434; Sam Backer 155; Jerusha Wheeler 348t; Liz Cantrell 391.

Emma Rose Brown led 282. Álvaro Duarte offered a prayer, and the class was dismissed.

Sunday, March 10

The Sunday session of the Western Massachusetts Convention was called to order by Emma Rose Brown leading 59. The morning prayer was offered by Tim Eriksen.

Leaders: Molly Merrett 47t; Michael Nord 50t; Amy Validaris 69t; Tarik Wareh 347; Sinead O’Mahoney 442; Rowan Lupton 183; Emily Hale-Sills 280; Corey Walters 86; Bob Mills 90; Emily Hancock 556; Phil Dupont 186; Sunny Doyle 313b; Sam Kleinman 134; Guy Bankes 444; Sheila Kelley 318; Alice Maggio 481; Terry Ryan 198; Kate Richardson 371.

RECESS

The second session was called to order by Jeremy Galvagni leading 81t. Leaders: John Holbrook 523; Corinne Ducey 215; Laura Clawson and Lynne deBenedette 383; Barbara Swetman 91; Ian Ludders 468; Liz Cantrell 538; Andy Johnathan S. Johnston 175; Al McCready 339; Chris Holley and Kathe Pilibosian 283; Molly Bledsoe 135; Dean Jens 174; Edith Berger 455; Laura Timmerman 387; Lydia Vernon-Jones 180; Robert Stoddard and Elizabeth Stoddard 286; Harold Booth 254; Jenny Wright and Willis McCumber 503.

RECESS

The third session was called to order by Maura Burns leading 128. Leaders: Jean Seiler and Kshama Ananthapura 200; Rachel Speer 298; Katy Kanfer and Bethany Towne 177; Mary Desneiges Stockland 105; Faiz Wareh 231; James Baumgarter and Nathan Bergmann-Deen 344; Bobbie Goodell 549; L.H. Spencer 260; Patrick DeDauw 89; Troad and Ines Lüttgen 168; Joseph Dunn 85; Ben Zucker 223.

Peter Irvine conducted the memorial lesson, speaking of singing as a conversation across the hollow square and across time and space, between those present and those past. He led 348b in memory of the following departed: Lisa Mazzola—Florida; John Drechsler—North Carolina; Marion Finnegan, Kayla Popp, Evlin Delabar, Thomas Keil, Jack O’Riley, Libby Slosek, Julie Holbrook, Mike Wells, Marion O’Donnell, Samantha J. Cornell, Rev. Wallen Bean, Carol Holley, and Poppy Gregory—Massachusetts; Judy Goodell Rock and Danya Klie—Maine; Joseph Ost—Kansas; Lorraine Downing, John S. Pratt, Maureen Wahla, James Hill, Harry Doyle, and Terry Sam—Canada; Robert Wert—Indiana; Jack O’Flynn, Tommy Hassett, Niall Henderson, Finbarr Kennedy, Mark Ferguson—Ireland; Nancy Wyllie—Pennsylvania; Matthew Gregg, Helen Ringlee, Audrey Wiscera, and Hannah Yusba—New York; Patricia Ortiz—Ecuador; Patricia Aldrich—Rhode Island; E.J. Emerson, Georg Luck, and Doris Welch—Maryland; Ginny Wood—Alaska; Marya Huseby, John Kochalka, and Jerry Smiley—Vermont; Myrtle Ann Beasley—Alabama; Joyce King—California; Randy McKim—Colorado; Violet Setford—United Kingdom; Spike Junior and Midge Lynn—Connecticut; Eli Rowney, Minna Rowney, Jane Paul, and Ken Camp—No state listed.

Christine Andrews spoke and led 472 for the following sick and shut-ins: Paul Setford, Sue Setford, Rob Loomis, Judy Young, Alice Blanchard, Irene Trembly, Sylvia Kriebel, Svetlana Okusal, Rita Sibbison, Patty Fortin, Bill Fortin, Janet Shea, Cath Tyler, Jose Diaz, Barbara Morcom, Terrence Morcom, and Bess Fitzgerald. Tim Eriksen closed the memorial lesson with prayer.

Leaders: Allison Steel and Jan-Erik Steel 499; Peter Golden 39t; Jessica Keyes 212. Matthew Wojcik offered a blessing before the noon meal.

LUNCH

Sally Langendorf led 72b to bring the class to order. Leaders: Dan Hertzler 550; Deidra Montgomery 456; Lauren Bock and Jesse Pearlman-Karlsberg 216; Jennie Brown, Emma Rose Brown, and the Brown family 192; Kevin Griffin Moreno 220; Sadhbh O’Flynn and Eimear O’Donovan 222; Paula Picton and Dan Hunter 345t; Kelsey Wessels and Alexa Gilmore 68b; Pat Callahan and Andal Sundaramurthy 294; Kama Dembinska and Justyna Orlikowska 112; Tim Eriksen and Kelly House 236; Natalie Jablonski and Erik Dardan-Ymeraga 30b; Alex Lough 271t; Alvaro Witt Duarte and Eva Striebeck 276; Nora Miller, Becky Wright, and Rachel Hall 506; Thomas Ward 230; Mary Gowins and Matthew Leger-Small 551; Ian Smiley 433; Sam Backer 410t; Jim Bean and Cindy Bean 300; Cheri Hardy 77t.

RECESS

Maggie Shar and Sasha Hsuczyk called the class to order. Leaders: Rick Johnston 310; Mira Korber 35; Jerusha Wheeler 333; Yael Tarshish 440; Suzan Greenberg 71; Mel Novner 153; Erin Johnson-Hill and Angharad Davis 82t; Richard Schmeidler 146; Kitty Kagay and Anna Maria Irvine 460; Libby Brownell 162; Leon Pulsinelle 453; Christina Wallin and David Stowe; Ben Sachs-Hamilton 56b; Myles Louis Dakan 511; Aaron Weiss 30t; Kelly Taylor 142; Gwen Gethner 203; Caitlin Caulfield and Mary Andrews 547; Amy Armstrong 330b; Ron Woodland 31t.

A business meeting was called to order to hear the reports. John Holbrook of the Finance Committee announced that expenses for the convention had been met. Michael Nord submitted the Secretary’s Report announcing that 210 songs were led by 165 leaders. Additionally, 440 people from thirteen states and five countries had registered for the convention, the highest number of registered participants for the Western Massachusetts convention to date. Sasha Hsuczyk and Willis McCumber submitted the Resolutions Committee report, thanking God, all the officers, committee persons, and everyone who helped make the convention a success. The Committee resolved to reconvene on the second Sunday and Saturday before in March, 2014. The business meeting concluded.

Emma Rose Brown, Molly Merrett, and Michael Nord led 62 as the closing song. Tim Eriksen offered the closing prayer.

Chairman—Emma Rose Brown; Vice Chairman—Molly Merret; Secretary—Michael Nord