Minutes of Sacred Harp Singings

Saturday, March 9

The 24th annual Western Massachusetts Sacred Harp Convention was held on the second Sunday and Saturday before in March at the Bombyx Center for Arts & Equity in Florence, Massachusetts. The class was called to order by Matthew Leger-Small leading 29t. Micah John Walter offered the morning prayer.

Leaders: Anna Bowen 49t; Will Harron 31t; Joel Rosen 315; Angela Ruggiero-Corliss 37b; Liam Rock 186; Kate Bergren 171; Carole Crompton 352; Christopher Kain 467; Crispin Youngberg 47b; Duncan Vinson 276; Davenport Herrick-Wallace 457; Micah John Walter 424; Michaela Natal 373; Jeremy Galvagni 163t.

RECESS

Holly Laws and Josephine Laws called the class back to order by leading 131b. Leaders: Rebecca Hawkins 76b; Christopher Hodges 492; Joan Nagy 504; Michael Ipsen 112; Erin Fulton 431; Robert Stoddard 430; George Sigut 38t; Bill Holt and Samantha Adioetomo 340; Doe Lowinger 146; Isabel Linhares 551; Peter Irvine and Jenny Lapp 384; Nicholas DeVries 387; Tarik Wareh 61; Maura Burns 378b; Dan Harper 300; Colleen Hays 479; Elizabeth Stoddard 422; Anya Skibbie and Aiofe Skibbie 573.

RECESS

Christine Andrews led 81t to bring the class to order. Leaders: Margaret Youngberg 77t; Jean Seiler 460; Myles Louis Dakan 196; Elsa Phemayotin 376; Simon Thomas and Tim Erickson 34t; Jeremy Galvagni 175; Molly B. Ellis 383; Nadia Bolz-Weber 142; Alexa Gilmore 82t; Andy Ditzler 103; Molly-Claire Gillett 106; Judy Contompasis 114; David Smead 110; Liora O’Donnell Goldensher 564; Kerry Cullinan 227. A blessing for the meal was offered by Micah John Walter.

LUNCH

The afternoon session began with Becky Wright leading 399b. Leaders: Mike Richards 203; Sam Kleinman 475; Corinne Ducey 498; Bridge Hill Kennedy 546; Erika Wilson 480; Phillip Langley 302; Jennifer Jones 527; Caro Stamm-Reusch 270; Sunny Doyle 38b; Lisa Bennett 428; Quasar Phoenix 312b; David Wright 455; Marie Brandis 172; Shawn Taylor 217; Philippe Doyle-Goslin 189; Emma Rose Brown 454; David Brodeur 447; Kelly House 448t; Philou and friends from the Eastern Townships 47t; Gwen Gethner 441; Allison Steel 345b.

RECESS

Joseph Dunn and Lizzy Dunn called the class back to order by leading 85. Leaders: Lynnette Combs 236; Laura Hodges 99; Lari Jaibert 320; Korey Guerrieri 318; Barbara Swetman 313b; Sage Chase-Dempsey 547; Patrick DeDauw 477; Robin Luckwaldt 122; Rachel Hall 388; Anabel G. Chabot 385b; Pete Sandeen 178; Eléa Regembal 168; Kobi Bordoley 95; Guy Bankes 269; Indigo Micciche 440; Alec Collins 268; Quinn Ross 324. Micah John Walter dismissed the class with prayer.

Sunday, March 10

The Sunday session of the Western Massachusetts Sacred Harp Convention met again at the Bombyx Center for Arts & Equity in Florence, Massachusetts. The class was called to order by Matthew Leger-Small leading 30t. Nadia Bolz-Weber offered the morning prayer.

Leaders: Anna Bowen 56b; Will Harron 32t; Margaret Youngberg 230; Corinne Ducey 421; Gwen Gethner 84; Pete Sandeen 163b; Elsa Phemayotin 229; Kate Bergren 101t; Jacob Hamidi 348b; Marie Brandis 134; Rebecca Hawkins 45t; Doe Lowinger 445; Holly Lewis 460; Robert Stoddard 297; Philou 50b; David DiLorenzo 448t.

RECESS

The class was called back to order by Angela Ruggiero-Corliss leading 148. Leaders: Barbara Swetman 481; Maura Burns 317; James Wikstrom 117; Philippe Doyle-Gosselin 411; Elizabeth Stoddard 283; Charles Biada 138t; Lari Jaibert 349; Patrick DeDauw 100; Kate Richardson 271t; Jennifer Jones 212; Kerry Cullinan 54; Laura Borrelli 33b; Sam Kleinman 208; Erika Wilson 73b; Sam Dembling 448b; Anabel G. Chabot 335; Joseph Dunn 542; William Schuller 313t.

RECESS

Davenport Herrick-Wallace called the class together leading 162. Leaders: Lilly Israel 112; Emma Rose Brown 373; Robin Luckwaldt 87; Shawn Taylor 336; Kori Guerrieri 290; Alec Collins 569b.

A memorial lesson was conducted by Jennie Brown, dwelling on the impact of silence in a tradition of shared song, and the growing impact of the memorial list the longer we are involved in this tradition, grief filling those silences and also surrounding us with criss-crossed chords of love and loss. Jennie read the following list of names of the deceased: Chloë Metcalf—Japan; Simon Rackzelle, Michael Greene, Ron Woodland, Mike Werner, Kim Thabault—Massachusetts; Karin Wilson, Norman Wilson, Genevieve Goff—Pennsylvania; Betty Een—Minnesota; Graham Dezarn, William Donohew—Virginia; P. Dan Brittain—Arkansas; Gratien Chabot—Quebec; Charlie Seluzicki—Oregon; Cheryl Foreman—Texas; Claudene Townsen, Gaston White, Tommie Spurlock, Richard Mauldin—Alabama; Joan Sheldon, John Holt, William Wylie, Bradley Randle—Maine; Melanie Hauff—Illinois; Eva Streibeck—Germany; Charlotte Ehrman, Mary French, Cecilia Gentili, Paul McElligot, Lew Rose, Mego Saienni, Stacy Miller—New York; Joyce Howe—New Jersey; Helen Anderson—Washington; Suellen Leonard—North Carolina; Elric Elias—Colorado; Jonas Fricke, Wendy Coughlan—Vermont; Nex Benedict—Oklahoma. Jennie led 472.

Peter Irvine gave the lesson remembering the sick and homebound in place of Dr. John Holbrook, and shared his words of remembrance and reflection on the need for good news in these days. Peter read the following names: Johnathan Little, Ron Trial, Greta Holbrook, John Holbrook, Cindy Bean, Mary Alice Amidon, Trac Walsh, Kevin Bierne, Hanna Parrot, Nate Leonard, Karen Perkins, Don Youngberg, Don Butner, Usschi Nolte, Marion Howe, Liz Patton, Corrone Bryant, Ruth-Ann Bryant, Joanne Fuller, Larry Bingham, Andrew Daube, Linda Shea, Magdalena Zapędowska, Eliasz Eriksen, Rick Johnson, Cate Skidmore, Jane McAlevey, Pat Callahan, Rachel Mausner, Susanna Hoffman, Dan Phemayotin, Judy Henry, Rosie Setford Wojak, Sara Lennox, Mark Merritt, Jacob, Evan. Peter led 34t. Tim Eriksen offered a prayer following the lessons.

Leaders: Bridge Hill Kennedy 129; Christine Andrews and Yael Tarshish led 76b (in memory of seventy-nine family members killed in Gaza, including twenty-nine children); Wendy Sibbison 220; Pippa Stoddard 214. Tim Eriksen prayed a blessing for the meal.

LUNCH

The afternoon session began with Micah John Walter leading 441. Leaders: Kit Walsh 512; Molly B. Ellis 280; Susan Loucks and Samantha Adioetomo 99; Laura Hodges 528; Indigo Micciche 480; Keilor Mose 434; Andy Ditzler and Nadia Bolz-Weber 426b; Quinn Ross 506; Ian McGwlam 215; Esther Wade, Philippe Doyle-Gosselin, and Maeve Wade-Gosselin 532; Kobi Bordoley 351; Rachel Hall 377; Tim Erickson 236; Mirium Delirium 385t; Guy Bankes and Anna Bowen 311; Owen Stoddard 456; Mel Novner 500; Andal Sundaramurthy 127; Mary Skidmore 567; Becky Wright 419; Lizzie Dun 384; Caro Stamm-Reusch 505; Lisa Bennett and David Smead 193.

RECESS

The last session of the day was called to order by Ben Sachs-Hamilton leading 72b. Leaders: John Holbrook 276; Phillip Langley 396; Michael Nord 70b; Chris Bracken and Julian Nowogrodzki 111b; David Wright 69b; Isabel Linhares 83t; Molly-Claire Gillett and Laura Clampitt 348t; David Brodeur and Andy Ditzler 404; Liam Rock 159; Liora O’Donnell Goldensher 524; Cecilia Neville and Anabel G. Chabot 288; Gerald Clark and Miriam Delirium 268.

A business meeting was called to order. The treasurer reported that all expenses were met. The secretary reported that two hundred fifty-five singers from nineteen states and provinces and three countries were registered. One hundred thirty-four leaders directed one hundred seventy-seven songs. The resolutions committee thanked the Bombyx Center for Arts and Equity for their hospitality, thanked all who made the space work for our convention, thanked all who contributed to the convention and noted the dedication and work of the chairman. The class resolved, God willing, to meet again in 2025 in Florence, Massachusetts, on the second Sunday and Saturday before in March. The business meeting was closed, and announcements were made.

Matthew Leger-Small, Anna Bowen, Jeremy Galvagni, and Will Harron led 62 as the closing song. Tim Eriksen offered the closing prayer, and the class was dismissed.

Chairman—Matthew Leger-Small; Vice Chairperson—Anna Bowen; Treasurer—Jeremy Galvagni; Secretary—Will Harron