Minutes of Sacred Harp Singings

Friday, October 3

Andy Ditzler and David Brodeur taught a singing school on Sacred Harp etiquette.

Saturday, October 4

The 47th session of the New England Sacred Harp Convention met at the Contois Auditorium in Burlington, Vermont, on the first Sunday and Saturday before in October. The class was called to order by Sage Chase-Dempsey leading 161. The opening prayer was offered by Alec Collins.

Leaders: Anya Skibbie, Rachel Rudi, and Sierra Norford 484t; Dan Coppock, Jim Coppock, Francis Coppock, and Margot Coppock 115; David Rosenberg 49t; George Howe 36b; Margaret Graver 180; Mark Williams 269; Joan Nagy 56b; Scott Luscombe 548; Linda Coppock, Jim Coppock, and Margot Coppock 485; Judy Carpenter and Scott Luscombe 38t; Eric Sandberg 258; Liz Patton 561; Colleen Hayes 148; Larry Bingham 82t; Isabel Linhares 500.

RECESS

The class was called back to order by Luna Van Deusen and Elias Anderson Bunt leading 34b. Leaders: Penny Henzel 171; Sarah Maika 50t; Evan Landon 47t; Paul Gauthier 525; Kit Walsh 478; Laura Hodges and Hazel Hodges 129; Alec Collins 76b; Nicandra Galper 531; Martin Hamilton 110; Marie Brandis 395; Anna Mays and Sarah Maika 475; Jill Clough 159; Molly B. Ellis and Garnet Ellis 51; Sue Dwelle 122; Jeremy Galvagni 130; Lael Birch 423b; Bill Holt 224.

RECESS

The class was called back to order by Kate Bergren leading 81t. Leaders: Margaret Youngberg 78; Mike Richards 211; Elizabeth Stoddard 483; Myles Louis Dakan 539; Lily Hammond 516; Ian Quinn 467; Michaela Natal 334; Meredith Ivey 176t; Mel Novner 430; Owen Stoddard 242; R. Anuhea Sebstad 278b; William Schuller 223; June Sanders 33b; Micah John Walter 80t; Bruce Randall 276; Everett Ivey 39b; Deidra Montgomery 544; Elea Regembal 487; Philippe Doyle-Gosselin 560. The dinner blessing was given by Larry Bingham.

LUNCH

The class was called back to order by Grant Cook leading 448b. Leaders: Esther Wade 394; Mary Skidmore 255; David Brodeur 295; Angela Ruggiero-Corliss 70b; Derek Buckland 400; Robert Stoddard 219; Elene Stovall 142; Stuart Jackson 347b; Kelsey Ivey 419; Glen Wright 497t; Kerry Cullinan, Emma Schoenberg, Elias Anderson Bunt, and Chlo Martin 474; Tim Eriksen 271t; Anabel Gravel Chabot 153; Karen Rollins 461; Andy Ditzler 541; Lilith Smith 155; Will Harron 460; Jan Geerts 193; Thomas Ivey 493; Jamie Dye and Mel Novner 390; Mak Ékoué 383; Quasar Phoenix 146.

RECESS

The class was called back to order by Isabel Linhares and Olivia Olsen leading 445. Leaders: Chris Geissler 488; Ben Sachs-Hamilton 570; Evelyn Lamb 216; Richard Ivey 254; Clara Griffin 504; Sharon Strong 543; Lamar Matthew 35; Leah Velleman 476; Peter Irvine and Anna Maria Irvine 34t; Inga Buckland 359; Jamie Ross 317; Anne Kazlaúskas 228; Alex Van Sant 532; Eric Hildebrant 442; Icarus Tyree 268; Madeline Endres 39t; Susan Mampre 163b; Margaret Hughes 463; Indigo Micciche 282; Sylvia Martin 481; Sid Quinsaat 270; Jana Yeaton 480; Noah Mease 45t; Jocelyn Kurtze 538; Sara Sandberg and Juliet McFadden 278b; Philou 367; Em Ekelund 381.

The closing prayer was offered by Alec Collins. Sage Chase-Dempsey led 42 as the closing song.

Following the singing, Richard Ivey and Karen Rollins, members of the revision committee, led a short session that covered the timeline of the 2025 revision of the Sacred Harp.

Sunday, October 5

The class was called to order by Sage Chase-Dempsey leading 515. Alec Collins offered the opening prayer. Leaders: Anya Skibbie and Rachel Rudi 101t; Elias Anderson Bunt 71; Alec Collins 59; Larry Bingham 178t; Sarah Sandberg 31t; Moriah Keat 86; Dan Coppock, Harriet Hart, Francis Coppock, and Margot Coppock 55; Kerry Cullinan 452t; Anna Mays 169; Chris Geissler 437; Linda Coppock 273; David Rosenberg 425; Penny Henzel and R. Anuhea Sebstad 484t; Margaret Youngberg 88t; Mark Williams 383; Mel Novner 344.

RECESS

The class was called to order by Isabel Linhares leading 47t. Leaders: Myles Louis Dakan 575; Marlena Ospina 548; George Sigut 444; Ian Quinn 280; Esther Wade 506; Mary Skidmore 231; Anna Mays and Sarah Maika 571; Lamar Matthew 156; Anne Kazlaúskas 201; Magdalena Zapedowska 189; Stuart Jackson 451; Sylvia Martin 65; Seth Rutledge 472; Jill Clough 378b; Eric Sandberg 514; Molly B. Ellis 371.

RECESS

The class was called to order by Hannah Schoenberg and Deidra Montgomery leading 335. Leaders: Elizabeth Stoddard 569b; Kit Walsh 544; Bill Holt 550; Rosemary Wexler 535; Bruce Randall 327; Colleen Hayes 420t; Derek Buckland 230; Marie Bradis 263; Sid Quinsaat 229; Jeremy Galvagni 567.

Isabel Linhares spoke and led 448b for the following list of sick and shut-ins: Brigitte Humbert, Lorraine and Bennett Hammond, Rebecca Jones, Janet Spongberg, Laszlo Bois, Helene Whittaker, David Bennett, Suzanne Langarlau, Samantha Simcoe, Paul Sandefur, Dan Hertzler, Cecil Roberts, Judy Henry, Ed and Margaret Thacker, Joyce Walton, Greta Holbrook, Bobbie Goodell, Pat Callahan, Margaret Keeton, Jenny Wright, Cäcilia Nann, and Charles Donnelly.

Evan Landon conducted the memorial lesson, leading 48t in memory of the following deceased: Rob Eeley, Robert Resnik, Tory Gerard Federa, Eliza Riegleman, Marc Estrin, Peter Amidon, Regina Troiano, Linda Elbow, Larry Crockett, Carlene Raper, Meredith Holch, and Chris Levey—Vermont; Nancy Tellier, Heather Klein, and MaryLou Pritchett—New York; Pam Luscombe McCanter—Tennessee; Gilissa Mckiernan—Minnesota; Mike Hinton—Texas; Kenneth Browne and Ginette Lavoie—Canada; Joanne Cooke and Brailsford Nixon—Maryland; Carl Weisse—Pennsylvania; Buell Cobb, Lucy Heidorn, Julia Poston, Bryan Thompson, and Theresa Bethune—Alabama; Tymek Bieniowski—Poland; Mrs. Annye Anderson—Massachusetts; Coronne Bryant—Maine; Agnes McBride—Nove Scotia; Rob Mahoney and Stephen Biggs—United Kingdom.

Leaders: Laura Hodges, Mike Richards, and Hazel Hodges 218; Philippe Doyle-Gosselin 272; Elea Regembal and Chlo Martin 440. The dinner blessing was given by Larry Bingham.

LUNCH

The class was called to order by Elias Anderson Bunt, Isabel Linhares, and Marie Brandis leading 82t. Leaders: Ben Sachs-Hamilton 426t; Evelyn Lamb 368; Philou 562; Everett Ivey 421; Em Ekelund 507; Inga Buckland 81b; Liz Patton 208; Jamie Dye and Ben Sachs-Hamilton 340; Peter Irvine 387; Kelsey Ivey 469; Lily Hammond, David Brodeur, and Andy Ditzler 566; Deidra Montgomery 188; Elene Stovall and Richard Ivey 411; Olivia Olsen and Meredith Ivey 47b; Micah John Walter 356; Joan Nagy 49b; Jan Geerts and Constance DesMarais 330b; Michaela Natal 401; George Howe 312b.

RECESS

The class was called to order by Richard Ivey leading 345b. Leaders: Grant Cook 162; Anabel Gravel Chabot 183; Thomas Ivey and Sharon Strong 41; R. Anuhea Sebstad 115; Mike Richards 178b; Jennie Brown 475; Lindsay Wiggins 142; Owen Stoddard 564; William Schuller 57; Nicandra Galper 479; Eric Hildebrant 377; Mak Ékoué 455; Robert Stoddard 501t; Annie-Lou and Felix Chester 268; Eric Beecher and Ray Friedlander 347t; Clara Griffin 38b; Simon Thomas 300; Juliet McFadden 284; Alex Van Sant 542.

A business meeting was held to hear reports and resolutions from the weekend. Elizabeth Storddard and Jan Geerts read a resolution adopting the 2025 revision of the Sacred Harp for use by this convention henceforth. Anna Mays reported for the Finance Committee that expenses were met. Anya Skibbie gave the Secretary’s report stating that one hundred and forty-four leaders representing twenty states and Canadian provinces and four countries, led one hundred and ninety-seven songs. Robert Stoddard extended an invitation to the 48th session of the New England Sacred Harp Convention in Maine in 2026.

The closing prayer was offered by Alec Collins. Sage Chase-Dempsey, Autumn Chase-Dempsey, Noah Kass, and Weylin Garnett led 129 as the closing song.

Chairperson—Sage Chase-Dempsey; Secretaries—Sierra Norford, Jill Clough, Addy Herbert, and Harriet Hart