Minutes of Sacred Harp Singings

Saturday, May 27

The 8th annual Germany Convention was held in Stellwerk Hamburg, Hannoversche Strasse, Hamburg, Germany, on the fourth Sunday and Saturday before in May. The class was called to order by Chloë Spreadborough leading 145t. Peter Kocher offered the opening prayer.

Leaders: Nathan Bowler 272; Daniel Wipperman 278t; Werner Ullah 49t; Inga Buckland 114; Anne Eringa 142; Peter Kocher 313t; Jasmina Graf 330t; Bertolt Hering 282; Melanie Tönnies 277; Marcos Sullivan 276; Lizzy Van Blerkam 29t; Derek Buckland 32b (for Eva Striebeck); Maria Neumann-Fraune 38t; Gerben Vos 203; Ewa Lichnerowicz 191; Paul Kolenbrander 171; Joyce Smith 283; Barnaby Walters 183; Stina Soderling 531; Rob Mahoney 159; Gabriel Kyne 434; Evelyn Lamb 295; Rowan Simms 548; Mary Jane Wilkie 348t; Sheila Girling Macadam 198.

RECESS

The class was called back to order by Tina Cramer leading 274t. Leaders: Oskar Kvasnes 151; Walburga Ruhl 500; Meittam Govreen 163t; Tom Sprackland 137; Eleni Melis 399b; Manuela Engel 372; Al Williams 84; Sabina Henzelmann 47b; Edwin Macadam 288; Joel Igli 236; Julia Sievert and Tobias Saalmann 361; Dominik Fraune 217; John Bealle 543; Camilla Marie Widholm 377; Chris Geissler 430; Joanna Bennett 245; Jessica Sligter 456; Caro Stamm-Reusch 172; Petra Ertl 448t. Evelyn Lamb offered the prayer before the lunchtime meal.

LUNCH

The afternoon session began with Elisabeth Schallwig leading 106. Leaders: Gabriel Kyne 383; Carolyn Deacy 91; Thom Fahrbach 302; Sinead Hanrahan 214; Joshua Lant 181; Tristan Gordon 328; Steve Brett 406; Evelyn Lamb 367; Stina Soderling 269; Eloise Clark 486; Rachel Jordan 546; Chris Affolter 380; Sheila Girling Macadam 542; Nick Hall 441; Laura Eisen 428; Kerry Cullinan 36b; Marielle Minutella 59; Joyce Smith 384; Ewa Lichnerowicz 180; Barnaby Walters 168; Mary Jane Wilkie 99; Chloë Spreadborough 68b.

RECESS

Joanna Bennett called the class back together by leading 112. Leaders: Werner Ullah 287; Gerben Vos 425; Inga Buckland 88b; Manuela Engel 481; Anne Eringa 173; Edward Ricemeyer 445; Rob Mahoney 209; Melanie Tönnies 201; Derek Buckland 296; Rowan Simms 138b; Walburga Ruhl 200; Peter Kocher 300; Ulla Schlobohm 77b; Eleni Melis 567; Caro Stamm-Reusch 76b; Tina Cramer 74b; Meittam Govreen 74t; Tom Sprackland 416; Joel Igli 39t. Chloë Spreadborough led 347 as the closing song. Mary Jane Wilkie offered the closing prayer, and the class was dismissed.

Sunday, May 28

The Sunday session of the 8th Germany Convention met again in Stellwerk Hamburg, Hannoversche Strasse, Hamburg. The class was called to order by Chloë Spreadborough leading 452. Tobias Saalmann offered the opening prayer.

Leaders: Marcos Sullivan 122; Daniel Wipperman 65; Mollie McCracken 504; Eloise Clark 501; Edward Ricemeyer 37b; John Bealle 192; Hanka Faerber 472; Nick Hall 231; Maria Neumann-Fraune 551; Thom Fahrbach 275t (for Eva Striebeck); Steve Brett 460; Chris Affolter 426b; Lizzy Van Blerkom 56b; Al Williams 473; Camilla Marie Widholm 280; Rachel Jordan 474; Weston Olencki 49b; Tristan Gordon 157; Sinead Hanrahan 202; Jasmina Graf 216.

RECESS

Dominik Fraune called the class back to order by leading 457. Leaders: Laura Eisen 103; Marielle Minutella 228; Magdalena Osthaus 388; Joshua Lant 411; Franka Sprzagala 107; Oskar Kvasnes 147b.

Sheila Girling Macadam gave the lesson for the sick and housebound. The following list of names was read: Joy Spreadborough, Hannah Kennedy, Bridge Hill Kennedy, David Carlton, Rojanna Wings, Eva Striebeck, Melanie Hauff, Fynn Titford-Mock, Ian Prior, Mike Rayment, Uschi Nolte, Corrone Bryant, Ruth Bryant, and Hannah Land.

Rob Mahoney gave the memorial lesson for the deceased. The following list of names of the deceased was read aloud: James Kyne, Wilmar Kocher, Lydia Lewallen, Merv Horst, Ted Mercer, Graham DeZarn, Beverly Nelms, Doreen Carlyle, Dave Thorpe, Pete Sutherland, Cheryl Foreman, Charlotte Powell, Mike Cooper, Alastair Sayles, John Heptinstall, Teresa Cavallar, Richard Drane, David Adler, Tina Turner, Els Theunissen, Michael Keane, Milad Naseri, Hugues Albanel, Brigid Hurn, and Juanita Beasley. Rob Mahoney closed the sick and housebound and memorial lessons by offering a prayer, and then leading 70t.

Leaders: Kerry Cullinan 369; Tobias Saalmann 66; Mary Jane Wilkie 121; Paul Kolenbrander 129; Evelyn Lamb 390; Werner Ullah 410t; Petra Ertl 86; Joel Igli 178; Gerben Vos 272; Bertolt Hering, Anne Eringa 455. Kerry Cullinan offered the prayer before the lunchtime meal.

LUNCH

Joanna Bennett called the class to order again by leading 73t. Leaders: Edward Ricemeyer 440; Tristan Gordon 573; Caro Stamm-Reusch 562; Gabriel Kyne 436; Stina Soderling 170; Thom Fahrbach 225t; 532; Tina Cramer 397; Rachel Jordan 522; Edwin Macadam 538; Carolyn Deacy 212; Sinead Hanrahan 384; Jessica Sligter 197; Al Williams 569t; Camilla Marie Widholm 536; Sheila Girling Macadam 128; Julia Sievert 335; Ewa Lichnerowicz 138t; Chris Geissler 569b; John Bealle 442; Meittam Govreen 42; Joyce Smith 424.

RECESS

Melanie Tönnies began the final session by leading 215. Leaders: Ursula Diderich 523; Barnaby Walters 110; Inga Buckland 493 (for Uschi Nolte); Joshua Lant 400; Rowan Simms 351; Tom Sprackland 353; Manuela Engel 71; Aref Keshvari and Peter Kocher 45t; Steve Brett 319; Rob Mahoney 454; Eleni Melis 89; Petra Ertl 47t; Kerry Cullinan 444; Mollie McCracken 47b; Nick Hall 344; Jasmina Graf 181.

Chloë Spreadborough called for the various officer and committee reports. Derek Buckland gave the Secretary’s report saying that there were ninety-four singers registered with seventy leaders, singing one hundred seventy-one songs with singers coming from nine countries, (Germany, France, UK, Ireland, Norway, Netherlands, Austria, Iran and the USA), including five USA states. Julia Sievert gave the Treasurer’s report saying that all expenses had been met and thanking everyone for their generosity. Chloë Spreadborough thanked the Officers and Committee members for their hard work both before and during the Convention and everyone else who had helped. She thanked the arranging committee, the keyers, the venue search team who had found this place when most premises were unavailable owing to it being Pentecost, the cooks who had fed so many singers so well, Sinead Hanrahan for teaching the singing school on Friday night, and all the singers from near and far who had made the Convention such a success. The Convention thanked Chloë for her excellent job as Chair. Announcements were made.

Chloë Spreadborough led 62 as the closing song. Derek Buckland offered the closing prayer, and the class was dismissed.

Chairman—Chloë Spreadborough; Treasurer—Julia Sievert; Secretary—Derek Buckland