Minutes of Sacred Harp Singings

Friday, September 19

There was an additional, exceptional celebration of the launch of The Sacred Harp: 2025 Edition, hosted by the Revision-Music Committee of the Sacred Harp Publishing Company, chaired by David Ivey, with Helen Brown and David Wright also in attendance from the Revision-Music Committee.

Claire Welford, Chair of UK Convention, called the class to order by leading 499t. Nadia Bolz-Weber offered the opening prayer. David Ivey gave an overview to the making of the new 2025 revision of the Sacred Harp, and the composers present were invited to lead their songs and other new songs in the 2025 edition.

Leaders: Helen Brown 27b; Steve Brett, Joyce Smith, and Jessica Beer 81b; Matthew Parkinson 265; Vicki Elliott 323b; Helen Brown 484b; Allison Steel 130; Richard Mayers 449; David Wright 184; Andy Ditzler 516; Miles Louis Dakan 539; Helen Brown 515; Fynn Titford-Mock 366; Rebecca Wright 223; Robert Stoddard 561; Matthew Hinton 531; Andy Ditzler 330b; Steve Brett 161; Allison Steel 264; David Wright 526; Vicki Elliott 259; Matthew Parkinson 219; Barry Parsons 429; Samuel Turner 453; Barry Parsons and Fynn Titford-Mock 116; Allison Steel 115; David Wright 263.

David Ivey, Helen Brown, and David Wright led 575 as the closing song. Helen Brown offered the closing prayer.

Saturday, September 20

The 28th session of the United Kingdom Sacred Harp Convention met at Barley Mow Village Hall, Birtley, County Durham on the third Sunday and Saturday before in September. The class was called to order by the Chair, Claire Welford leading 171. Joel Wallenberg offered the opening prayer.

Leaders: Joel Wallenberg 531; Tim McElwaine 484t; Phil Tyler 452t; Alex Ford 547; Peter Bourne 313b; Ann Thelwell 277; Jo-anne Carlyle 448b; Max Berueffy 276 (for Bridge Hill Kennedy); Helen Barber 191; Karen Turner 344; Scott Morrison 417; Margaret Bradshaw 300; Ruth Holman 350; Martel Reynolds 142; Joan Gordon 47t; Joy Spreadborough 159; James Harvey 448t.

RECESS

Mark Wardlaw called the class back together by leading 49b. Leaders: Anne Altringham 546; Chris Adam 192.

Sheila Girling Macadam and Edwin Macadam offered a dedication to Rebecca Over, whose generosity in her final bequest has contributed to the revision of the 2025 Sacred Harp.

Leaders: Emily Verrier-Hollway 270; Jan Geerts 524; Amanda Parkes 411; Andrew Snyder 216; Sonia Nayar 285t; Keillor Mose 45b; Jacoba Bruneel 542; Sebastian Borckenhagen 525; Eimear Maguire 41; Myles Louis Dakan 357; Benny Ross 68b; Harry Byford 339 (for Muriel Byford); Hannah Land 570; Eric Byrd 282; Sheila Girling Macadam 413; David Wright 571; Allison Steel 345b; Joshua Lant 211; Joanna Bennett 505. Joan Gordon offered the Selkirk Grace.

LUNCH

The afternoon session began with Connie Des Marais leading the song on page 42. Leaders: Katie Ahern 517; Steve Brett 334; Bridget Walker 455; David Brodeur 302; Nadia Bolz-Weber 203; Fran Barton 507; Brady Santoro 215; Chris Affolter 434; Sarah West 37t; Mick Verrier 118; Rachel Jordan 391; Aislinn Ahern 168; Fynn Titford-Mock 169; Erin Johnson-Williams 178b; Teresa Maguire 444; Mary Jane Wilkie 99; Dan Collier 31t; Sinéad Hanrahan 394; Becky Wright 255; Melanie Tönnies 544; Gerben Vos 78; Karen Ivey 501t; Ailish McMahon 127; Camilla Marie Widhølm 502; Joe Jones 477; Calum Woods 523; Matthew Parkinson 318; Kate Kirwan 500.

RECESS

Seth Dickens called the class back to order leading 178t. Leaders: Robert Stoddard 471; Lauren Reader 460; Clara Potter-Sweet 116; Andy Ditzler 461; Liz Bryant 55; Barry Parsons 161; Matt Hinton 323b; Leilai Immel-Parkinson 219; Elizabeth Stoddard 415; Tom Sprackland 497b; Shoya Iitsuka 472; Claire Singleton 39t; Rowan Simms 81b; Caro Stamm-Reusch 254; Cath Saunt 91; John Bealle 476; Claire Haas 504; Marjorie Brown 228. Ann Thelwell offered the closing prayer. Claire Welford led 27b as the closing song, and the class was dismissed.

Sunday, September 21

The Sunday session of the United Kingdom Sacred Harp Convention began with Claire Welford, Chair, leading 49t. Steve Brett offered the opening prayer.

Leaders: Jo Kay 114; Molly-Claire Gillett 420t; Samuel Turner 399b; Ian West 51; Joyce Smith 453; George Harvey 383; Ben Kulvichit 122; Christina Zaba and Paul Zaba 268; Lilith Wozniak 319; Joe Vickers 511; Oisin Kisdon-Ireland 437; Billy Harvell-Smith 384; Ted Brown 187; Seth Dickens 264; Scarlett Lassoff 567; David Garman 146; Charlotte Lynch and Josh Lant 432; Vicki Elliott 463; Chris Coombs 112.

RECESS

Margaret Bradshaw called the class back together leading 445. Leaders: Chris Noren 130; Petra Ertl 451; Gwendal Geleoc 53; Edwin Macadam 236; Elisabeth Schallwig 272; Oskar Kvasnes 151; Eloise Clark 330b.

The sick and housebound lesson was conducted by Jan Geerts. Jan read the following list of names for the sick and housebound: Bryan Thompson, Mary Parkes, Michael Daly, Anne Price, Stephanie Carson, Johnny McKeown, Gill Doust, Suzanne Stephenson, Cynthia Crossley, Lucy Atkinson, Sally Dunleavy, Judy Crocker, Allie Thompson, Frédéric Eymard, Marie Evans, Bridget McVennon Morgan, Bernard Pridden, Greta Holbrook, Jane Jenkins, Mary Barnard, Mary Barber, Bobbie Goodell, Manfred Stamm, Hannah Andrew, Adam Barnes, James Showalter, Loretta Showalter, Connor Murray, Kate Fine, Sinéad McMahon, Seamus McMahon, Margaret Steel, Anne McMahon, Mary McCann, Michael Mosley, Lisa Cohen, Ted Johnson, Marcia Johnson, Joseph Brodan, Ed Thacker, Margaret Thacker, Judy Henry, Cecil Roberts, Joyce Walton, and Nate Green. Jan Geerts led 70t for those on the list.

The Memorial lesson was conducted by Helen Brown. Whilst acknowledging the equal importance of all names on the list, Helen spoke movingly of the loss of some of the key figures in the Sacred Harp Community in the UK and the US who have shown the spirit of Sacred Harp in their engagement with the community and who died this year. Helen Brown read the following list of names of the deceased: Rob Mahoney—Goring-by-Sea; Bernard Collard—Cheltenham; Muriel Byford—Pannal, West Yorkshire, UK; Greg Levin—Melbourne, Australia; Joyce Tyler—Kingsbridge, Devon; Rita Ahern—Cork, Ireland; Kathryn Galloway—Glasgow; Chris Stadward—Ripon; Dan Ellis—Cambridge, UK; John Bennett—Grambach, Germany; Stefania Płócienniczak—Łódź, Poland; Steve Biggs—Hove, UK; Jane Isaac—Portsmouth, UK; Roman Ratushay—Izyum, Ukraine; Anita de Lotbiniére—London; Martin Coll—London; Dinos Nearchou—London; Lynn Denman—Carmarthen, Wales; Dingo Dinkleman—South Africa; Peter Child—London; Olive Gibson—London; Neil Thompson—London; Ellen Bainbridge—Sheerness-on-Sea; Peter Dalby—Norfolk; Eileen McCollum—Crosshaven, Ireland; Derek Winstanley—Bolton; John Badcock—Paignton; Simon White—Buxton; Margaret Ward—Glasgow; Maurice and Brenda Millinos—Chingford; Els Ladage—Holland; Isaac Arlan Ingle-Gillis—Wales; Sebastian Roskosch—Langt, Germany; Jean Barton—Witney; Karen Halford Rawlings—Ashford, Kent; Jenifer Shorter—Gateshead; Stesh Purvis—Newcastle; Michael Kennedy—Cork; Robin Turner—Surrey; Rich Phillips—Vermont, USA; Daniel Davis, Doug Weiss, and Phil Teal—New Mexico, USA; Buell Cobb—Alabama, USA; Mike Hinton—Texas, USA; Johanna Fabke—Wisconsin, USA; Bonnie Shuman—Ohio, USA; Sara Walthery—Indiana; Mary Pinney Erickson—Minnesota, USA; Jabbara Edwards—Washington, USA; Coronne Bryant—Maine, USA; Peggy Hendrix, Beverley Thompson, and Bob Goodman—Georgia, USA. Helen Brown led 285t in their memory. Joe Vickers closed the memorial lesson with a prayer.

Leaders: Stacey Hackner 65; John Sprackland 312b; Ted Simonds 426t; Sophie Lockhart 416; Karen Ivey and David Ivey 395.

LUNCH

Sarah West began the afternoon session by leading 82t. Leaders: Greg Carson 276; Jacqui Knowles 340; Nick Hall 412; Peter Banks 306; Sophie Phipson 235; Wa’el Qasim 569b; Toby Goss 538; Corinne Sweet 448t; Chal Zon 294; John Hutchinson 356; William Cleary 562; Francis Zain 76b; Richard Mayers 250; Jan-Erik Steel 115; Helen Brown 367; David Wright 483; Lauren Reader 102; Elizabeth Stoddard 231; Matt Hinton 31t; Andy Ditzler 494; Becky Wright and Lorelei Erisis 80t; Robert Stoddard 279; Brady Santoro 284; Nadia Bolz-Weber 56b; New Mexico Singers 189.

RECESS

Karen Turner called the class back to order by leading 101t. Leaders: Martel Reynolds 117; Amanda Parkes 208; David Brodeur 217; Constance Des Marais 449; Sebastian Borckenhagen 186; David Ivey, Helen Brown, and David Wright 381; Shoya Itsuka 111b; Caro Stamm-Reusch 366; Andrew Snyder 86; Joanna Bennett 480; Fynn Titford-Mock, Allison Steel, and Matthew Parkinson 223; Camilla Marie Widhølm 524; Myles Louis Dakan 423b; Steve Brett, Samuel Turner, and Barry Parsons 456 (for Bridget McVennon-Morgan); Sinéad Hanrahan 349; William Cleary and Richard Mayers 521; Melanie Tönnies and Petra Ertl 198; Andy Ditzler, Matt Hinton, Becky Wright, and Robert Stoddard 220; John Bealle 244; Katie Ahern 475.

Claire Welford, Chair, thanked the many people who had contributed to the convention by offering prayers and lessons, arranging, minuting, taking care of the kitchen, the room set up, the Lovely Social Cèilidh Band, etc. Joe Jones, Treasurer reported that costs had been met. Jo-anne Carlyle, Secretary, reported that there were two hundred four registered singers; one hundred thirty-two leaders; one hundred seventy-two songs sung. Singers came from fourteen countries, including nine US States.

Claire Welford invited John Sprackland, incoming Chair for the UKSH Convention, to join her to lead 347t as the closing song. John Sprackland offered the closing prayer, and the class was dismissed.

Chair—Clair Welford; Secretary—Jo-anne Carlyle