Minutes of Sacred Harp Singings

Saturday, May 25

The 6th annual Germany Sacred Harp Convention was held in the St. Pauli Kirche in Bremen, Germany. Ulrike Tietjen called the class to order by leading 59, and then welcomed everyone. The opening prayer was offered by Peter Kocher.

Leaders: Eva Striebeck 37b; Jasmina Graf 330b; Ulla Schlobohm 531; Eckehard Neugebauer 354t; Maria Neumann 114; Sahi Mensah and Fynn Titford-Mock 535; Sonja Funke 56b; Magdalena Osthaus 72t; Derek Buckland 429; Corinna Frische 50t; Marcos Sullivan 426t; Inga Huebner 37t; Dominik Fraune and Tobias Saalmann 448t; Geoff Grainger 313b; Claudia Jansen 312b; Nathan Bowler 164; Chloë Spreadborough 123b.

RECESS

Daniel Wippermann called the class back to order by leading 49b. Leaders: Paul Kolenbrander 183; Chris Brown 392; Anna Eggers 129; Phani Kiledar 198; Juniper Hill 269; Walburga Ruhl 487; Gerben Vos 150; Ellen Kennedy 315; Johannes Sauer 393; Julian Jakob and Tina Cramer 146; Hanka Faerber 481; Hyke Sakaras 551; Lea Hartwig 38b; Kimberly Helbing and Aldo Ceresa 49t; Melanie Tönnies 186; Tobias Kanngießer 455; Anne Lendle and Joanna Bennett 299.

RECESS

Elisabeth Schallwig called the class back to order by leading 106. Leaders: Peter Kocher 542; Stefan Swat 372; Emma Rock 564; Oskar Kvasnes 89; Laura Eisen 272; George Simms 406; Cäcilia Mann 358; Kerry Cullinan 569t; Marco Wessnigk 338; Tobias Saalmann 287; Caro Stamm-Reusch 112; Edwin Macadam 444; Christopher Schuller 318. A blessing for lunch was given by Richard Mayers.

LUNCH

Magdalena Osthaus called the class back to order by leading 128. Leaders: Richard Mayers 77t; Joanne Fuller 500; Thom Fahrbach 232; Mary Skidmore 419; Erika Wilson 275t; Jean Seiler and Álvaro Witt-Duarte 472; Colleen Jones 528; Sheila Girling Macadam 377; Betsy Jeronen 534; Fynn Titford-Mock 250; Judy Whiting 208; Álvaro Witt-Duarte 142; Maria Cramer 548; Aldo Ceresa 218; Camilla Marie Widholm 200; Robin Banerji 440; Carolyn Deacy 456; Matt Wells 547; Catherine Roberts 203; Jacob Kinderman 236; Laurie Burk 344.

RECESS

Dominik Fraune and Maria Neumann called the class back to order by leading 457. Leaders: Joanna Bennett 67; Constantin Dorsch 26; Elisabeth Schallwig 131t; Gerben Vos 28t; Geoff Grainger 452; Magdalena Osthaus 411; Daniel Wippermann 271t; Chloë Spreadborough 274t; Oskar Kvasnes 147b; Johannes Sauer 206; Eva Striebeck 501; Kerry Cullinan 368; Juniper Hill 245; Derek Buckland 48b; Nathan Bowler 504; Melanie Tönnies 210; Tina Cramer 365. Ulrike Tietjen led 521 as the closing song. Peter Kocher dismissed the class with prayer.

Sunday, May 26

The Sunday session of the Germany Sacred Harp Convention was called to order by Ulrike Tietjen leading 171. The opening prayer was offered by Caro Stamm-Reusch. Leaders: Paul Kolenbrander 68b; Corinna Frische 39t; Marco Wessnigk 52t; Sonja Funke 278t; Marcos Sullivan 288; Colleen Jones and Marvin Wortman 163b; Jasmina Graf 423; Claudia Jansen 30t; Eckehard Neugebauer 565; Chris Brown 138b; Julian Jakob and Joanna Bennett 30b; Nina Riegler 516; Maria Neumann-Fraune 102; Ursula Diderich and Stefan Swat 48t; Inga Huebner 268; Daniel Wippermann 569b; Ulla Schlobohm 472.

RECESS

Stefan Swat called the class back to order by leading 122. Leaders: Derek Buckland 77b; Elisabeth Schallwig 428; Dominik Fraune 445; Jantina van Oostrum and Sheila Girling Macadam 535; Laurie Burk 42; Emma Graveson and Eva Striebeck 277; Matt Wells 276; Leif Simoerson 195; Joanne Fuller 309; Tobias Saalmann 38t; George Simms 477; Cäcilia Mann 408; Caro Stamm-Reusch 436; Peter Kocher and Tobias Kanngießer 168.

RECESS

Marco Wessnigk called the class back to order by leading 85. Leaders: Christopher Schuller 474; Hanka Faerber 209; Laura Eisen 442.

Derek Buckland spoke on behalf of the sick and housebound, and led 129 for the following: John Hopkinson, Louis Hughes, Curtis Owen, Olivia Powell, Kevin Powell, Charlene Wallace, Dave Richardson, Melanie Hauff, Carol Aitken, David Sillito, Liliana Sillito, Corrone Bryant, Ruthie Bryant, Cornelia van den Doel, Judy Mincey, Peter Grant, Roy McGregor, Earl Beatty, Nilda Beatty, Chris Holley, Dan Fahrbach, Ulrike Windmeier, Sandy Noreen, Marielle Minutella, Fynn Titford-Mock, Philippa Ghent, Franz-Josef Fraune, James Hegerty, Christian Saupe-Wüst, Don Walker, and Charlotte Walker.

Kerry Cullinan conducted the memorial lesson and read the following names: Bill Steel, Carolyn Williams, Susan Carr, Eugene Forbes, Darrell Swarens, Don Donette, C.C. McCegney, Tücgen Bohlen, Concetta Branson, Rob Patten, William Girling, Paul Luther Wilson, Mary Ellen Schrock, Michael Kaye, Elizabeth Rechenberg, Allan Jones, Gregor Bosch, Heather Simms, Kathleen Forrest, Günther Eisen, Guedy Gaston, Karl Walbrecht, Vincent Charles, James Sullivan, Nikolaj Pahl, Marlene Spector Levine, Richard Levine, Doug Webb, Rodney Willard, Barbara Willard, Walt Colteryahn, Pat Colteryahn, Markus Becker, Margret Tiemann Möller, Helmut Bakenhus, Andrea de Luca, Nancy Grant, Charlie Kennison, and Victor Griffin. He then led 369.

Leaders: Betsy Jeronen 499; Richard Mayers 455; Carolyn Deacy 224; Aldo Ceresa 390. Álvaro Witt-Duarte offered grace before lunch.

LUNCH

Matt Wells called the class back to order by leading 32t. Leaders: Emma Rock 522; Gerben Vos 377; Thom Fahrbach 216; Maria Cramer 447; Judy Whiting 492; Álvaro Witt Duarte 417; Erika Wilson 480; Camilla Marie Widholm 536; Robin Banerji 328; Mary Skidmore 227; Jean Seiler 217; Eva Striebeck 142; Catherine Roberts 506; Sheila Girling Macadam 189; Joanna Bennett 228; Tina Cramer 187; Edward Macadam 280; Phani Kiledar and Caro Stamm-Reusch 528; Juniper Hill 86; Walburga Ruhl 229.

RECESS

Geoff Grainger called the class back to order by leading 178. Leaders: Janna Itter and Marcos Sullivan 273; Colleen Jones and Sahi Mensah 290; Jacob Kinderman 481; Hyke Sakaras 107; Kerry Cullinan 449; Kimberly Helbing and Álvaro Witt Duarte 49b; Saskia Füssel and Elisabeth Schallwig 47b; Johannes Kunst and Gerben Vos 300; Johannes Sauer 503; Vera Schmidt and Melanie Tönnies 505; Oskar Kvasnes 88b; Jale Güs and Jasmina Graf 333; singers from the United Kingdom 350; singers from USA and Canada 192; singers from Norway and the Netherlands 201; singers from München, Nürnberg and Würzburg 146; singers from Köln, Rheinland, and Mittelhessen 143; singers from Hamburg and Berlin 162; singers from Bremen 145t.

Ulrike Tietjen made closing announcements, during which she thanked all those involved in organizing the weekend and gave special thanks to the many singers, who had travelled for the singing. Paul Kolenbrander gave the Secretary’s report and stated that one hundred seventy-five songs had been sung in total (including the closing song) by ninety-nine registered singers. Eight countries were represented: Canada, Germany, Ireland, The Netherlands, Norway, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States of America (which were represented by seven states: California, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington, DC).

Ulrike Tietjen gave the Treasurer’s report on behalf of Tobias Saalmann, during which she stated that all expenses had been met, and thanked everyone for their generosity. Ulrike Tietjen led 62 as the closing song. The closing prayer was offered by Peter Kocher.

Chairman—Ulrike Tietjen; Treasurer—Tobias Saalmann; Secretaries—Paul Kolenbrander and Thomas Krebs