Minutes of Sacred Harp Singings

Saturday, October 21

The Oregon session of the Pacific Northwest Sacred Harp Singing Convention was held at the Laurelhurst Club, Portland, Oregon, on the fourth Sunday and Saturday before in October (a one-time departure from the usual date formula for this convention—the third Sunday and Saturday before). Jennifer Jones called the class to order leading 448b. Cornelia Stanton offered the morning prayer.

A business meeting was held and the following officers were elected: Chairperson—Jennifer Jones; Treasurer—Ruth Linehan; Secretary—Nancy Novotny.

Leaders: Kate Fine 68b; Nancy Novotny 479; Tamara Wallace and Emma Swartz 31t; Jamie Dawson 30t; Dorothy Mitchell 287; Dan Thoma 500; Carrie Walker 472; Anne Huckins 47t; Laura McMurray 423; Stephen Tarr 230; Betsy Jeronen 560; Steve Cackley 279; Greg Saue 99; Vicki Morgan 474; Chris Noren 377; Dami Osoba 210; Kathy Manning 349.

RECESS

Sam Thomas led 84 to bring the class back together. Leaders: Rosie Sokolov 61; Jacob Kiakahi 220; Emma Swartz 101t; Pat Coghlan 492; Ellen Ray 172; David Wright 556; Kate Coxon 430; Andy Ditzler 522; Mark Godfrey 564; Allison Steel 162; John Wiens 512; Stephanie Fida 548; Philippe Doyle-Gosselin 402; Sadhbh O’Flynn 565; Al Williams 88b; Miles Schofield 128; Carolyn Deacy 208; David Brodeur 202; Kevin Barrans 344.

RECESS

Bradley Knoke led 145t to bring the class back together. Leaders: Dorothy Robinson 180; Julius Pasay 95; Susan Helf 143; Mischa Skeeter 324; Peter Schinske 196; Lucinda Larsen Saue 178; Gary Plouff 567; Linda Selph 426b; Gregory Mulkern and Steven Jackson 106; Ben Brown 268; AnnaLeigh Kiakahi 187; Bridge Hill Kennedy 37b; Nadia Bolz-Weber 300; Kerry Cullinan 451; Evelyn Lamb 528; Ruth Linehan 383; Wren Hyde 399b. Cornelia Stanton offered the noon prayer.

LUNCH

Esther Wade led 144 to bring the class back together. Leaders: Julia Zaffarano 215; Bob Schinske 316 (for Jessica Beer and Robin Willis); Karen Willard 421 (for Buzz Danner); Thom Fahrbach 411; Erik Schwab 214; Sam Thomas 203; Leah Coffin 193; David Schmitt 163b; Kathy Manning 320; Philippe Doyle-Gosselin and Maeve Wade-Gosselin 29t; David Brodeur 558; Ellen Ray 348b; Mark Godfrey 392; Julius Pasay 398; Allison Steel 345b; Al Williams 49b; Evelyn Lamb 426t; Andy Ditzler 103; Esther Wade 297; Bridge Hill Kennedy 110; Sadhbh O’Flynn 372; John Wiens 29b; Stephanie Fida 368; Rosie Sokolov 97.

RECESS

Jacob Breedlove led 445 to bring the class back together. Leaders: Kristofer Ilex 432; Kevin Barrans 39b; Carrie Walker 67; Ruth Linehan 72b; Nadia Bolz-Weber 155; David Wright 486; Wren Hyde 204; Peter Schinske 217; Jacob Kiakahi 390; Julia Zaffarano 442; Anne Huckins 102; Kerry Cullinan 70t; Dami Osoba 428; Jonathan Dunn and Al Williams 452. After Jennifer Jones gave closing remarks for the day, Cornelia Stanton offered the closing prayer, and the class was dismissed.

Sunday, October 22

The Sunday session of the Pacific Northwest Sacred Harp Convention was brought to order by Jennifer Jones leading 448b. Dorothy Mitchell offered the morning prayer.

Leaders: Ruth Linehan 144; Dan Thoma 56b; Dorothy Robinson 86; Thom Fahrbach 56t; Tamara Wallace 47b; Stephen Tarr 47t; Nancy Novotny 396; Dorothy Mitchell 354t; Steve Cackley 41; Jamie Dawson 209; Chris Noren 454; Emma Swartz 82t; Kate Fine 350; Mischa Skeeter 278t; Laura McMurray 46.

RECESS

Stephanie Fida, Mark Godfrey, and Julius Pasay led 32t to bring the class back together. Leaders: Marie Brandis 212; David Schmitt 440; Jenna Tompkins 342; AnnaLeigh Kiakahi 460; Pat Coghlan and Andy Ditzler 263; Karen Willard 117; Philippe Doyle-Gosselin and Maeve Wade-Gosselin 76b; Peter Schinske 297; John Wiens 288; Allison Steel 58; Nadia Bolz-Weber 277; Linda Selph and Cornelia Stanton 480; Kate Coxon 283; Sam Thomas 280; Doug Hill 390.

RECESS

Carrie Walker led 338 to bring the class back together. Leaders: Erik Schwab 476; Kristofer Ilex 34t; Bradley Knoke 482; Ellen Ray 317; Bridge Hill Kennedy 391; David Brodeur 474.

Emma Swartz spoke for the sick and housebound. She reflected on her experience listening to the sick and housebound list at singings, describing how she gradually came to know and love more people on the list as time went on. Then, in her eighth year of singing, her mother, Jennifer Jones, was on the list. She expressed gratitude for how the singing community showed up for her and her family during her mother’s illness and how the Sacred Harp singing community takes care of each other. Emma then led 72b for the following sick and housebound: Kelsey Taylor, Ted Brown, Uschi Nolte, Corrone Bryant, Ruth Bryant, Buzz Danner, Emily Ross, Linda Berkemeier, Mark Miller, Bud Murphy, Lenny Zilz, Alison Xu, Mark Wiens, Seth Dickens, Lucinda Saue, David Zaworski, and Thomas Glover.

Betsy Jeronen offered the memorial lesson. She noted that, although we so often sing about death, it is still a blow when someone dies. She expressed how the absence of those we’ve lost makes our lives feel diminished. She described, in particular, the painful loss of singers Steve Helwig and, more recently, Eva Striebeck, as well as the loss of a decades-long neighbor and close friend. She concluded by noting that the memorial lesson helps us to process such losses. Betsy then led 32b in memory of the following: Linda Elegant, Vida Lee Edera, Bruce Rowland, Lenor Fisher, Rhoda Love, Glen Love, Cynthia Ann Waters, Betsy Price, Laura Miller, and Carol Basch—Oregon; Mary Wright and Graham DeZarn—Virginia; Lydia Lewallen and Fred Park—North Carolina; Eva Striebeck—Germany; Peter Sutherland, Larry Gordon, and Elka Schumann—Vermont; David Thorpe—United Kingdom; Pete Mathewson—Colorado; Michael Baker-Feitz—Washington; Mike Green—Massachusetts; Karin Wilson and Norma Wilson—Pennsylvania; Melanie Hauff—Illinois; Phil Johnson—New York; Jackie Bryant—Maryland; Cheryl Foreman and Charlotte Powell—Texas.

Leaders: Carolyn Deacy 201; Bob Schinske 542; Al Williams 448t. Dorothy Mitchell offered the noon prayer.

LUNCH

John Berendzen led 309 to bring the class back together. Leaders: Sadhbh O’Flynn 527; Kerry Cullinan 513; Kathy Manning 477; David Wright 475; Julia Zaffarano 442; Evelyn Lamb 456; Kevin Barrans 314; Allison Steel 216; Marie Brandis 328; Mark Godfrey 196; Stephanie Fida 133; Julius Pasay 419; Rosie Sokolov 426t; Andy Ditzler 181; Dami Osoba 218; Jacob Kiakahi 269; Wren Hyde 97; Ruth Linehan 148; Nadia Bolz-Weber and Stephanie Fida 198; AnnaLeigh Kiakahi 434.

RECESS

Nancy Novotny led 105 to bring the class back together. Leaders: Kristofer Ilex 387; Greg Saue 503; Philippe Doyle-Gosselin 176b; Jenna Tompkins 354b; Esther Wade 394; Sam Thomas 400; Leah Coffin 296; Bridge Hill Kennedy 546; David Schmitt 270; Linda Selph 547; David Brodeur 505; Carrie Walker 384; John Wiens 145t; Erik Schwab 51; Anne Huckins 107.

A business meeting was reopened. A gift was presented to Allison Steel to thank her for her singing school presentation on Friday evening. The Resolutions Committee (Esther Wade and Philippe Doyle-Gosselin) offered thanks to all who contributed to a successful convention and resolved to meet again next year. The Secretary announced one hundred twenty-three registered singers from fifteen U.S. states, Canada, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, and France, as well as seventy-two leaders and one hundred seventy-eight songs sung. The business meeting was closed. Announcements of upcoming singings were made.

Jennifer Jones led 36b as the closing song. Dorothy Mitchell offered the closing prayer, and the class was dismissed.

Chairperson—Jennifer Jones; Secretary—Nancy Novotny