Minutes of Sacred Harp Singings

Saturday, October 4

The 39th session of the New England Convention was called to order by Barb Ames and Corrone Bryant leading 77b. Alvaro Witt Duarte offered the opening prayer.

Bill Holt lead 52t and presided over a business meeting, during which the following officers were elected or appointed to serve: Chairman—Christopher Noren; Vice Chairman—Patricia Callahan; Treasurer—Alvaro Witt Duarte; Secretaries—Karen Noren and Rebecca Robertson; Arranging Committee—Elizabeth Stoddard and Emma Rose Brown.

Leaders: Christopher Noren 32t; Patricia Callahan 421; Karen Noren and Rebecca Robertson 49t; Emma Rose Brown 40; Elizabeth Stoddard 275t; George Pomfret 171; Susan Loucks 504; Bruce Randall 297; Sylvia Martin 65; John Travers 155; Celia Wolf Devine 362; Roger Garberg 84; Christina Wallin 276; Mike Richards 299; Susan Jaster 157; Jeremy Galvagni 300; Eli Petzold 162; Ron Trial 168; Liz Cantrell 456; Ken Mattson 474; Susan Hanson 384; Willis McCumber 409; Deborah Marsh 47t.

RECESS

The class was called back together by Christine Andrews leading 312b. Leaders: Robert Dove 107; Molly Brewer 277; Jesse Polhemus 298; Traci Naylor 383; Mason Shefa 68t; Katy Brown 540; Ishmael Stefanov-Wagner 193; Alvaro Witt Duarte 242; Andal Sundaramurthy 546; Bob Parr 304; Paula Picton 373; Erik-Dardan Ymeraga 296; Molly Merrett 378b; Scott Luscombe 332; Angharad Davis 447; Ben Sachs-Hamilton 472; Kelsey Wessels 274t; Cora Wareh 212; Mary Skidmore 133; Gabriel Kastelle 531; Gwen Gethner 567; Deborah Marsh 131b; David Bliss 473. Christopher Noren led 369, and the dinner blessing was offered by Ross Varney, Pastor of Belleville Congregational Church.

LUNCH

Emily Hancock brought the class back to order by leading 82t. Leaders: Sally Langendorf 511; Tarik Wareh 548; Alexa Gilmore 424; Dan Hertzler 426b; Lisa Bulawsky 209; Philippa Stoddard 564; Faiz Wareh 327; Stanley Smith 273; Linda Shea 306; Leonard Spencer 250; David Brodeur 460; Cornelia Stanton 87; Tom Ostwald 268; Frances Bliss 272; Jean Seiler 142; Neely Bruce 254; Joanne Fuller 500; Paul Gauthier 505; Lynne deBenedette 442; Ian Quinn 377; Peter Golden 376; Ines Lüttgen 132; Tim Eriksen 31t; Kitty Kagay 34t; Terry Ryan 550.

RECESS

The class was called back to order by Sophie Soloway leading 294. Leaders: Bobbie Goodell 91; Ben Zucker 223; Wendy Sibbison and Christine Andrews 445; Brian C. Harris 117; Anne Kazlauskas 280; Molly Bledsoe 475; Aldo Ceresa 182; Cheri Hardy, Sasha Hsuczyk, and Michael Nord 77t; Robert Stoddard 458; Laura Hodges 112; Nathan Bergmann-Deen and Will Fesperman 56b; George Sigut 72b; Pattie Wareh 36b; Elise Cavicchi 74b; Jeremy Wagner and Eric Beecher 448t; Myles Louis Dakan 322; Anna Kellar 111b; Debbie Bliss 547.

Announcements were made. Stanley Smith thanked the class for their hospitality. Christopher Noren and Dotsie Noren Millbrandt led 566. Tim Eriksen dismissed the class with prayer.

Sunday, October 5

The Sunday session of the New England Convention was called to order by Christopher Noren leading 34b. The opening prayer was offered by Dan Hertzler.

Leaders: Patricia Callahan 35; Elizabeth Stoddard 39t; Alvaro Witt Duarte 172; Ishmael Stefanov-Wagner 183; Masti-Denise Mayrand 82t; Tom Malone and Ari Malone 283; Jim Bean 178; Emily Hale Sills 87; George Pomfret 327; Ines Lüttgen 151; Ben Fink 99; Traci Naylor 106; Tarik Wareh 556; Anna Kellar 270; George Sigut 122; Donna Carlson 496; Molly Merrett 73t; Robert Dove 163b; Emily Hancock 474; Terry Ryan 344; Cora Wareh 503; Paul Gauthier 542; Anya Skibbe 313b; John Holbrook 354t.

RECESS

Faiz Wareh called the class back to order by leading 81t. Leaders: Bobbie Goodell 174; Brian C. Harris 345b; Sophie Soloway 532; Liora O’Donnell Goldensher 534; Alvaro Witt Duarte 486; Ian Quinn 400; Emma Rose Brown 432; Peter Golden 146; Anne Kazlauskas 497; Leonard Spencer 245; Philippa Stoddard 392; Maura Burns 196; Corrone Bryant 52b.

Martha Wyman Rogers directed the memorial lesson, leading 159 in memory of the following: Lila Cullinan—Illinois; Laird Baldwin, Sara Fritz—Virginia; Lee Hawkins, John Foley—Massachusetts; Carolyn Harris—Michigan; Somen Goodman—Quebec; John Van Sorosin, Dick McCrae—Maine; Stratford Caldecott—U.K.; Robert Joyce—Minnesota; Dick Pendergast—Rhode Island; Shelbie Sheppard, Bill Aplin, Stanly Edwards—Alabama; Mayer Shevin, Bill Tendy—New York; Pete Domachuk—New South Wales, Australia; Sharon Kellam—North Carolina; Tenley Jones—Washington, D.C.; Harry Thompson, Shelby Nunn, Beth Phinney, Lucy Young, Eva Behrens—Vermont.

Stanley Smith led 145b for the following sick and homebound: Rose Warnock, Katherine Glatter, Joanne Haskell Katz, Shauna Strattonmeier, Bob McGuigan, Freddy Degiusto, Tammi Ziola, Carol Sherbeck, Maria Luisa Mendoza, Edith Owen, Deborah Atherton, Martha Waide, Margaret Davis, David Strother, and Toni Strother. Stanley Smith concluded the memorial service with prayer.

Leaders: Jesse Polhemus 512; Sasha Hsuczyk 29b; Eliana Witt and Alvaro Witt Duarte 69t; Mary Skidmore 148; Erik-Dardan Ymeraga 326. Christopher Noren led 369, and the dinner blessing was offered by Liz Cantrell.

LUNCH

Angharad Davis called the class back to order leading 29t. Leaders: Cheri Hardy 306; Robert Stoddard 203; Laura Hodges 455; Bill Holt 269; Liz Cantrell 411; Ben Bath 442; Paula Picton 430; Bruce Randall 352; Michael Nord 298; Cornelia Stanton 318; Ian Ludders 502; Aldo Ceresa 309; Pattie Wareh 228; Stanley Smith 224; Gwen Gethner 546; Laura Timmerman 535; David Brodeur 222; Bob Parr 391; Jenny Wright 547; Susan Jaster 71; Scott Luscombe 481; Sheila Kelley 38b; Mike Richards 234.

RECESS

The class was called back together by Ines Lüttgen leading 100. Leaders: Christopher Noren and John Martin, “Newburyport” (Stephen Jenks); Dan Hertzler 153; Anne Flight and Ines Lüttgen 388; Jennie Brown 192; Susan Loucks 480; Willis McCumber 271t; Faiz Wareh 351; Anya Skibbe 63; Lynne deBenedette 300; Tarik Wareh, Pattie Wareh, Cora Wareh, and Faiz Wareh 58; Nathan Bergmann-Deen 399b; Sophie Soloway 216; James Baumgartner 217; Robert Stoddard, Elizabeth Stoddard, and Philippa Stoddard 522; Emily Hancock 500; Kiri Miller 112; Willis McCumber and Jenny Wright 396; Jean Seiler 315; Christopher Noren 288 (by request).

Announcements were made, including the 40th session of the New England Sacred Harp Convention to be held in Rhode Island in 2015. Treasurer Alvaro Witt Duarte reported that all convention expenses had been met. The Secretaries reported that there were 206 total registrants, with 186 songs led by 118 leaders over two days. Convention attendees came from fourteen US states, Canada, and the U.K. US states represented included: Alabama, California, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Vermont.

Chairman Christopher Noren thanked the Convention officers and committee members for their service as follows: Arranging Committee—Elizabeth Stoddard and Emma Rose Brown; Housing Officer—George Pomfret; Food Committee—Jan Juntunen and Barton Slatko; Keying coordinator—Robert Stoddard, and all who keyed; Mary Jo Shafer and Charles Cofone for publicity; all who prepared food and offered prayers; and Stanley Smith for teaching the Friday evening singing school.

Christopher Noren, Patricia Callahan, Karen Noren, Rebecca Robertson, and Alvaro Witt Duarte led 347, and the class took the parting hand. Alvaro Witt Duarte offered the closing prayer.

Chairman—Christopher Noren; Vice Chairman—Patricia Callahan; Secretaries—Karen Noren and Rebecca Robertson