Minutes of Sacred Harp Singings

Saturday, September 14

The 24th session of the United Kingdom Sacred Harp Convention was held at the Trinity Centre, Bristol, United Kingdom, on the third Sunday and Saturday before in September. Steve Brett called the class to order leading 82t. Jan Geerts offered the opening prayer.

Leaders: Helen Brown 313t; Matthew Parkinson 33b; Alec Williams 143; Sarah West 29t; Barry Parsons 331; Joe Vickers 399b; Leilai Immel-Parkinson 111b; Samuel Turner 124; Greg Carson 178; Lim Shu Ning 266; Michael Stone 47t; Pete Eiseman-Renyard 121; Amy Cutts 76b; Steve Biggs 49b; Tom Sprackland 34b; Stacy Hackner 142; Bridget McVennon-Morgan 75; Johannes Sauer 512; Corrin Bramley 276.

RECESS

Joe Vickers called the class back to order by leading 312b. Leaders: Emily Spademan 477; Iain Paxon 441; Ailish McMahon 127; Lizzie Dye 504; Mick Verrier 209; Teresa Maguire 176b; Inga Huebner 302; Joyce Smith 322; Aaron Kahn 438; Fred Langridge 86; Dave Townsend 112; Susanne Rolli 300; Chris Parris 455; Samuel Turner 323t; Marcos Sullivan 122; Laurie Burk 372; Richard Schmeidler 254; Dermot Peel 183; Judy Whiting 150. Joss Tait gave thanks for the midday meal.

LUNCH

The afternoon session was called to order by Barry Parsons leading 87. Leaders: Kevin Kennedy 316; Melanie Tönnies 210; Kerry Cullinan 571; John Seaton 63; Caro Stamm-Reusch 500; Nancy Novotny 377; Chris Affolter 436; Matt Wells 547; Jan Geerts 83t; Sinead Hanrahan 292; Katie Ahern 442; Paul Robinson 497; Thom Fahrbach 564; Joan Nagy 148; Steven Levine 350; Amanda Parkes 192; Darlene Dalton 448t; Michael Walker 213t; Sheila Girling Macadam 383; David Wright 189; Ewa Lichnerowicz 68t; Joshua Lant 165.

RECESS

Vicki Elliott called the class back to order by leading 37b. Leaders: Derek Buckland 32b; Aislinn Ahern 270; William Cleary 439; Niamh Madigan 362; Mandy Townsend 318; Ross Harbison 538; Susannah Gill 565; Mary Hodgkins 277; Rebecca Over 460; Nick Hall 454; Hyke Sakaras 162; Steve Fletcher 163t; Sam Carter 73t; Jill Thompson 299; Emily Verrier 89; Seth Dickens 569b; Machna Novak 535; Chris Brown 296; Rachel Wemyss 56t. Steve Brett led 378t as the closing song. Alec Williams offered the closing prayer.

Sunday, September 15

The Sunday session of the United Kingdom Sacred Harp Convention was called to order by Steve Brett leading 171. William Cleary offered the opening prayer. Leaders: Helen Brown 187; Matthew Parkinson 29t; Alec Williams 71; Kate Kirwan 283; Mike Upton 448b; Brenda Harvey 159; Vicki Elliott 349; George Simms 28b; Eimear O’Donovan 100; Catherine Roberts 432; Edwin Macadam 352; Hannah Land 198; Helen Peake 228; Calum Woods 234; Nigel Bowley 47b; Samuel Turner 72b; Jacoba Bruneel 85; Ian West 492; Rachel Jordan 391.

RECESS

Teresa Maguire called the class back to order by leading 35. Leaders: Constance Des Marais 474; Toby Goss 390; Nancy Novotny 527; Duane Nasis 172; Caro Stamm-Reusch 367; Laurie Burk 347; Richard Mayers 245.

The Memorial Lesson was conducted by Calum Woods and Karen Turner. Calum Woods spoke for the sick and housebound, and read the following list of names: Velton Chafin, Ottis Sides, Charlene Wallace, Claribel McVennon, Cath Saunt, Jyoti Vennix, Lesley Jacob, Malcolm Stokes, Helen Bushwell, John Donald, Anna Müller, Franz Josef Fraune, John Stanell, John Hopkinson, Louis Hughes, Curtis Owen, Olivia Powell, Kevin Powell, Melanie Hauff, Cath Tyler, Sonny Erwin, Jennifer Jones, Rachel Verney, David Thorpe, Sister Pippa, David Elliott, Judy Mincey, Richard Kraviec, Luke Johnson-Williams, Ruth Bryant, Corrone Bryant, Peter Grant, Cynthia Park, Peter Dickens, Sheila Edwards, Charlotte Heard, Chris Holley, Kathe Pilibosian, Barbara Walbrecht, Lisa Butterworth, Natalie Kelly, and James Hegarty. For the sick and housebound, Calum led 225t.

Karen Turner spoke for the following deceased: Cliff Hendon and Steve Bird—London; John

Pettman—Kettering; Adrian Hilton—Waltham Cross; Pat Stickley and Ray Stickley—Nottingham; Bill Steel—Bolton; Carolyn Williams—Keighley; Bob Patten—Morchard Bishop; Heather Simms—Leeds; Martha Brett—Sunningdale; Anne Joel—Derby; Jenny Gibson—Worthing; Carol Barlow—Eynsham; Nicola Best—Kent; Linda Poole—Colchester; Roger Bullen—Cropredy; George Davidson—Bingham; Jackie Bishop, Trevor Brooker, Ann Bachelor, and David Perks—Lewes; William Girling—Canada; Roberto Cavallar, Irene Antolini, and Andrea de Luca—Italy; Gregor Bosch and Wilfried Huels—Germany; Sîan Dawson, Candy Rankin, and Ken Bell—Scotland; John Powell, Hugues Albanel, and Nathanael Pierre—France; Maureen Carty—Ireland; Michael Cooke—Australia; Rozlyn Greene, Eugene Forbes, Jane Tate, and Mark Hyatt—Alabama, USA; Susan Roberts, Carol Chapman, Mildred Patterson, and Robby Rivers—Georgia, USA; Adelaide Vaughan and Doug Webb—Texas, USA; Paul Wilson—Minnesota, USA; Jim Eiseman—New York, USA; Dick Westman—Vermont, USA; Concetta Branson—Oregon, USA; Williston Benedict and Rosalind Benedict—USA; Marlene Levine and Richard Levine—New Jersey, USA; Karl Walbrecht—Virginia, USA. Karen led 163b in memory of the deceased, and Hannah Land offered a prayer to close the memorial lesson.

Leaders: Ted Brown 549; Darlene Dalton 309; Steven Levine 475; Sinead Hanrahan 556. Catherine Roberts gave thanks for the midday meal.

LUNCH

The afternoon session was called to order by Joe Vickers leading 324. Leaders: Dermot Peel 496; William Cleary and Lim Shu Ning 340; Fred Langridge 472; Matt Wells 473; Joan Nagy 77t; Katie Ahern and Aislinn Ahern 528; John Seaton 47t; Ewa Lichnerowicz 196; Michael Walker 306; Emily Verrier 227; Kevin Kennedy and Amanda Parkes 558; Sam Carter and Jacoba Bruneel 114; David Wright 216; Aaron Kahn 95; Susannah Gill 203; Paul Robinson 149; Derek Buckland 278b; Niamh Madigan 353; Kerry Cullinan 569t; Seth Dickens 532; Emily Spademan 314; Inga Huebner 369.

RECESS

Helen Brown brought the class back to order by leading 445. Leaders: Vicki Elliott and Ted Brown 546; Richard Schmeidler 543; Ailish McMahon 129; Thom Fahrbach 110; Marcos Sullivan and Jana Itter 123b; Melanie Tönnies 182; Ross Harbison 91; Helen Brown and Joe Vickers 278t; Chris Affolter 567; Ella Cumber 24b; Jan Geerts 440; Catherine Roberts and Jill Thompson 99; Joshua Lant 411; Steve Fletcher 377; Rachel Jordan and Nick Hall 217; Helen Peake 294; Calum Woods 426t; Edwin Macadam and Sheila Girling Macadam 128; George Simms 425; Ian West and Hannah Land 313b.

Steve Brett asked for committee reports and concise notices from the class. Matthew Parkinson reported that one hundred and sixty-six songs were sung over the weekend by one hundred and sixty-one registered attendees (ninety-five of which were leaders). Ten countries were represented: England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Germany, France, Norway, Singapore, Vietnam, and the United States of America. Eight US states were represented: Minnesota, Illinois, Vermont, Massachusetts, Washington, Oregon, California, and Alabama.

Steve Brett thanked all those involved with the convention and led 62. Fred Langridge offered the closing prayer, and the class was dismissed.

Chairman—Steve Brett; Vice Chairman—Helen Brown; Secretary—Matthew Parkinson