Minutes of Sacred Harp Singings

Saturday, March 8

The 16th annual Western Massachusetts Sacred Harp Singing Convention was called to order by Molly Merrett leading 81t. Matthew Leger-Small offered the opening prayer.

The following officers were elected or appointed to serve: Chairman—Molly Merrett; Vice Chairman—Sasha Hsuczyk; Secretary—Maggie Shar; Arranging Committee—Eliza Cavanaugh and Linda Shea; Finance Officer—Jeremy Galvani; Memorial Committee—John Holbrook and Cheri Hardy.

Leaders: Sasha Hsuczyk 324; Maggie Shar 33b; Don Harold, Corinne Ducey, and Wendy Sibbison 63; Sheila Kelley 38t; Leon Pulsinelle 358; Cheri Hardy 198; Kelly Taylor 217; Jeremy Galvani 101t; Jenny Wright 106; Daniel Harvester 179; Kitty Kagay 192; Matthew Leger-Small 480; Laura Timmerman 340; Eli Hetko 108b; John Davis 270; Gwen Gethner 112; Mary Skidmore 448t; Emily Hale Sills 271t; Corey Walters 442; Bill Holt 352; Michael Kaye 146.

RECESS

Mary Andrews called the class to order by leading 32t. Leaders: Maura Burns 180; Rebecca Hawkins 335; Joanne Fuller 121; Richard Schmeidler 490; Andal Sundaramurthy 500; Pete Sutherland 378 (t? b?); Anghara Davis 114; George Sigut 178; Bobbie Goodell 549; Leland Kusmer 102; Oona Coy 230; David Dilorenzo 290; Myles Louis Dakan 183; Polly Carden 49b; Kenan Serenbetz 72b; Laura Hodges 491; Willis McCumber 47t; Guy Bankes 315; Mimi Wright 267; Tom Padwa 569b.

RECESS

Sally Langendorf called the class to order by leading 87. Leaders: Amy Finlay 300; Elizabeth Stoddard 124; Matthew Wojcik 250; Ines Luttgen 228; Graham DeZarn 404; Sunny Doyle 65; Eric Beecher 399b; Jeremy Galvani 68b; Ann Pearce 504; Suzan Greenberg 48b; Thomas Ward 89; Anne Kazlauskas 365; Laura Keeler 172; Bob Parr 304; Amandeep Gill 187; Troad and Derby Line Group 47b. Laura Timmerman offered the blessing before the noon meal.

LUNCH

Kate Richardson called the class to order for the afternoon leading 171. Leaders: Peter Irvine 186; Rachel Speer 54; Paula Picton 336; Alexa Gilmore 82t; Daniel Hunter 486; Laura Clawson 542; Ben Bath 396; Stephanie Fida 372; David Wright 392; Tim Eriksen 144; Bethany Towne 138t; David Brodeur 528; Ben Copenhaver 441; Allison Steel 216; Becky Wright 377; J.R. Hardman 191; Kevin Griffin Moreno 558; Justin Levi 170; Dominika Jedrzeyczak 547; Timothy Morton 143; Chris Holley and Kathe Pilibosian 201.

RECESS

This last session of the day was called to order by Kelsey Wessels leading 274t. Leaders: Nora Miller 573; Dean Jens 536; Jessica Keyes 227; Eric Xu 214; Kathy Collett 84; Jesse Krikorian 326; Dara Weiss 339; Eli Petzold 277; Charles Coine 35; D.J. Hatfield 460; Brian Collett 479; Magdalena Eriksen 200; Joanne DeVoe 31t; Jean Seiler 273; Alvaro Witt Duarte 94; Andrew Magee 512; Anya Skibbe 344; Charles Taylor 456; Jesse Polhemus 388; Emma Swartz 328; Ed Smith 362; Harold Booth 254.

Molly Merrett led 30b. Matthew Leger-Small offered a prayer, and the class was dismissed.

Sunday, March 9

The Sunday session of the Western Massachusetts Convention was called to order by Molly Merrett leading 99. The morning prayer was offered by Tim Eriksen.

Leaders: Sasha Hsuczyk 29t; Maggie Shar 276; Deidra Montgomery 176b; Peter Golden 33t; Lydia Vernon-Jones 415; Pat Callahan 286; Eric Sandberg 59; Laura Borrelli 142; Mary Stockland 189; James Baumgartner 319; Nicole Singer 53; Naomi Kaye 207; Ron Woodland 186; Liz Cantrell 325; Ian Ludders 133; Terry Ryan 218; Emily Hancock 474; Bobbie Goodell 566; Cindy Bean 163t.

RECESS

The second session was called to order by Leland Kusmer leading 58. Leaders: Michael Nord 28t; Christina Wallin 26; Katy Brown 369; Jim Bean 178; Ben Sachs-Hamilton 472; Dara Weiss 39t; Emily Matterson 209; Mel Novner 318; Erik Dardan Ymerage 376; Larry Bingham 63; Devereux Fuller 159; Elsa Phemayotin 29b; Sophie Soloway 294; Mike Richards 313b; Jeremy Galvani 37b; Molly Bledsoe 298; Mary Skidmore 383; Thomas Ward 448b; Leonard Spencer 320.

RECESS

The third session was called to order by Ed Smith leading 111b. Leaders: Kelly Taylor 105; Timothy Morton 394; Jenny Wright and Willis McCumber 475; Anya Skibbie 39b; Bill Dunn 300; Myles Louis Dakan and Becky Wright 423; Amandeep Gill and Stephanie Fida 419; Eric Xu 272; Corinne Ducey 564; Leon Pulsinelle 398; Guy Bankes and Anna 182; Kate Richardson 371; Rachel Speer and Dean Jens 532.

John Holbrook spoke and led 354t for the following sick and shut-ins: Kshama Annanthapura, Carole Timmerman, Katherine Glatter, Christine Andews, Peggy Poulin, Ilene Goldstein, Bill Riley, Ruth Hooke, Gina Shar, Dorothy Cernak, Ashley Vogel, Tony Barrand, Betsy Guenther, Lloyd Caldwell, Evelyn Harris, Nellie Mae White, Ruth Daniels, Paul, Jill Accetta, Bill Tendy, Florence Jacobsen, Adrienne Robertson, Sue Nord, Larry Manahan, Elizabeth Chester, Barb Ames, Nathan Robicheau, Zareen Jacobson, Chris Palermo, Terry Griffith, Jack Kagay, David McCumber, Patty Fortin, Colin Lissandrello, Loraine Bayer, and David Patterson.

Cheri Hardy conducted the memorial lesson, speaking of singing as a way to comfort those left behind through music and community. She led 87 in memory of the following departed: Rita Sibbison, William J. Halchuk, William Hutchinson, Olive Woodland, Kathy Kane, Jack Jacobsen, Robert Klaes, Christine Kirk, Rob Loomis, Bill Fortin, Evan Harlan, and John Stick—Massachusetts; Pete Domachuk—New South Wales; Rob Doran—Connecticut; Fran Accetta, Dan Butler, and Evelyn Steinruck—Pennsylvania; Barbara Morcom, Terrance Morcom, Eileen Grasso, and Charlie Downey—New Jersey; Beth Phinney, Lucy Young, Kasha Carrington, Donna Chase, and Lilliane Dean—Vermont; Dr. Sherwin Noland; Cheryl Stroud, Somen Goodman, and Helene Blackburn—Quebec; Bronwyn Chester—Montreal; Beatrix Chester—Toronto; Diane Mennella, Jose Esteban Munoz, Harvey Fisher, Shirley Fisher, Pete Seeger, Robert Conant, Peter Gray, Charles Waide, and Jerome Mills—New York; Deon Chester—Australia; John Van Sorosin—Maine; Madge Sander—Michigan; Bob McQullen and Marina Winquist—New Hampshire; James Mattson and Sara Fritz—Virginia; Liam Michael—Montana; Barbara Holt Littlejohn and Paul Giguere—Florida; Pat Watts and Jeph Bright—United Kingdom; Kuniko Mah Say—Japan; Carroll Lunsford, Dean McNeil, and Chris Edwards—California; Jeff Sheppard, Shelbie Sheppard, and Bud Oliver—Alabama; Sally Coy—Georgia; Eva Kastrup—Denmark; Charles Goldsmith and Phil Davis—Washington, D.C.; Grace Borrelli—Rhode Island; Yan Cydeiko—Poland. Tim Eriksen closed the memorial lesson with prayer.

Leaders: Tim Eriksen and Magdalena Eriksen 236; Emily Hale Sills 378b; Elizabeth Stoddard 283. Laura Timmerman offered a blessing before the noon meal.

LUNCH

Eliza Cavanaugh led 89 to bring the class to order. Leaders: Kelly House 269; D.J. Hatfield 340; Jean Seiler 492; Nora Miller and Kevin Griffin Moreno 411; Robert Stoddard 456; Ben Copenhaver 426t; Jessica Keyes 157; Ian Quinn 488; Linda Shea 306; David Brodeur 40; Kelsey Wessels 278b; Alvaro Witt Duarte 464; Alexa Gilmore 424; Eli Hetko 229; Suzan Greenberg 148; Matthew Wojcik 436; Dominika Jedrzeyczak 86; David Wright 522; Montreal Singers 117; Al McCready 270; Laura Hodges 417; Peter Irvine and Anna Maria Irvine 76b; Dan Hertzler 505; Kiri Miller 112.

RECESS

Emma Swartz and Elsa Phemayotin led 312b to bring the class to order. Leaders: Sally Langendorf and Amy Valladares 138b; Amy Finlay 168; Kara Morin 228; George Sigut 268; Laura Clawson 224; Matt Corks 535; Amy Valladares 445; Ines Luttgen 506; Sunny Oyle 38b; Allison Steel 345b; Michael Kaye 480; Andal Sundaramurthy 546; Mary Andrews 344.

A business meeting was called to order to hear the reports. Jeremy Galvani of the Finance Committee announced that expenses for the convention had been met. Maggie Shar submitted the Secretary’s Report announcing that 198 songs were led by 155 leaders. Additionally, 400 people from eighteen states and three countries had registered for the convention. Peter Irvine 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, 2015. The business meeting concluded.

Molly Merrett, Sasha Hsuczyk, Maggie Shar, and Jeremy Galvani led 62 as the closing song. Tim Eriksen offered the closing prayer.

Chairman—Molly Merrett; Vice Chairman—Sasha Hsuczyk; Secretary—Maggie Shar