Minutes of Sacred Harp Singings

Saturday, March 11

The eighth annual Western Massachusetts Sacred Harp Convention was held at the Center for the Arts in Northampton, Massachusetts, on the second Sunday and Saturday before in March. Allison Schofield called the class to order leading 448b and 34t. Anna Maria Irvine offered the opening prayer.

The following officers for the convention were elected or appointed to serve: Chairlady—Allison Schofield; Vice Chairlady—Kelsey Wessels; Secretary—Joanne Fuller.

Leaders: Kelsey Wessels 475; Joanne Fuller 131b; Linda Shea 179; Diane Mennella 77b; Bob Parr 171; Rebecca Edwards 107; Scott Curran 99; Sheila Kelley 118; Mike Heyerman 429; Nora Dunn 391; Alice Kast 565; Duncan Vinson 296; Suzanne Forman 56b; Paula Picton 57; Phillip Langley 440; Jan Drechsler 129; Corrone Bryant 147t.

RECESS

Dana Borrelli called the class back to order leading 29t. Leaders: Kelly Taylor 142; Sue Hanson 351; Joanne Hoover 58; Matthew Wojcik 365; Sally House 540; Kelsey Sunderland 503; Larry Gordon 538; Aldo Ceresa 211; Chris Noren 236; Caitlin Caufield 442; Robert Stoddard 193; Rick Johnston 530; Gerry Hoffman 203; Sandra Wilkinson 384; Andrew Magee 399b; Violet Krumbein 181; Brittany Lea and Lauren Hassell 82t; Bob Meek 270; Bobbie Goodell 451; Leonard Spencer 260; D.J. Hatfield 532.

RECESS

Amy Finlay called the class back to order leading 168. Leaders: Inga Knets 76b; George Seiler 480; Kshama Ananthapura 274t; Henry Johnson 141; Bill Holt 419; Rosie Wojcik 72b; Charlotte Ehrman 77t; Rachel Speer 127; Brennen Leigh 319; Sheldon Finlay 383; Katie Mahoney 564; Dennis George 542; Charles Cofone 66; Lynne deBenedette 283; Karen Swenson 492; Alexa Gilmore 163b; Chris Brown 441; Mike Thompson 39t; Arcana Ferschke 240. Kate Richardson offered the blessing for the noon meal.

LUNCH

Jenna Strizak called the afternoon session to order with 335. Leaders: Tim Eriksen 328; Jessica Beer 216; Richard Ivey 436; Jeff Colby 347; Lela Crowder 186; Daphene Causey 434; Laura Clawson 224; Rodney Ivey 463; Reba Windom 273; Jerry Enright 370; Bridgett Hill 426b; Kelly House 448t; Jennifer Allred 269; Peter Irvine 426t; Paul Setford 40; Jean Seiler 299; Judy Caudle 466; LaRue Allen 362; Paul Gauthier 455; Bradford West 312b; Karen Freund 456; Richard Lee 183; Jesse Pearlman Karlsberg 209.

RECESS

Bob Mills called the class to order leading 228. Leaders: Ian Smiley 156; Jill Accetta 326; Louis Hughes 512; Dan Hertzler 229; Judy Whiting 515; Stuart Ivey 112; Holly Laws 315; Kevin Griffin Moreno 278t; Jessica Garris 122; Sharon DuPriest 327; Chris Holley 277; Nathan Rees 444; Steve Helwig 528; Katherine Warren 106; Susan Loucky 276; Eliza Cavanaugh 89; Terry Ryan 268; Ken Mattsson 474; Margaret Bornick 313b; Kim Moreno 454; Ruth Hooke 178; Lydia Vernon-Jones 373; Carly Goss 372.

Allison Schofield led 345b as the closing song. Jesse Pearlman Karlsberg offered the closing prayer, and the class was dismissed.

Sunday, March 12

The Sunday session was called to order by Allison Schofield leading 68b. The opening prayer was offered by Jenna Strizak.

Leaders: Kelsey Wessels 171; Joanne Fuller 48t; Victoria Bolles 485; Ronald Bornick 454; Anne Kazlauskas 126; Crystal Burnham 162; Joanne Bowman 172; George Pomfret 323b; Guy Bankes 556; Anne Johnston 285t; Dean Jens 440; Anna Maria Irvine 77t; Liz Meitzler 245; Debby Moody 504; Gregory Mulkern 481; Brad Libby 38b; Justin Squizzero 302; Charles Taylor 569b.

RECESS

John Holbrook called the class back to order with 38t. Leaders: Bill Dunn 27; Jessica Holland 350; Kate Richardson 157; Dennis George 196; Tom Padwa 515; Brittany Lea 472; Sheldon Finlay 29b; Laura Timmerman 318; Ed Smith 371; Kelsey Sunderland 312b; Paul Setford 28b; Brendan Taaffe 203; Karen Swenson 280; Nathan Rees 135; Richard Lee 65; Sharon DuPriest 189; Judy Caudle 507; Jesse Pearlman Karlsberg 276; Richard Schmeidler 543; Corrone Bryant 73b.

RECESS

Allison Schofield called the class back to order with 282. Leaders: Bob Mills 160b; Jill Accetta 67; Judy Whiting 503; Amy Finlay 107; Richard Ivey and Stuart Ivey 182; Katie Mahoney 421; Rachel Speer 457; Jennie Brown and Caitlin Caulfield 148; Bobbie Goodell 551.

The memorial lesson was conducted by George Seiler and Jean Seiler. John Holbrook led 339 for the following sick and shut-ins: Teresa Ballinger, Amanda Denson, B.J. Harris, Bobby Jackson, and Willard Wright—Alabama; Rhonda Abrams, Langton Carr, James Loney, David Siegel, and Harmeet Singh Sooden—Canada; Wendy Meltzer and Edmund Wojcik—Connecticut; Reese House—Washington D.C.; Donald Finch—Florida; Mario Reda—Illinois; Andrew Holmlund—Indiana; Donald L. Willard, Jr.—Maryland; Damon Cook, Dolores Hamel, Julie Holbrook, Ed Johnson, Jean Mattson, Regena Pigeon, Robert Schmidt, Becky Weber, Lucille Wiley, and Marion Zimmerman—Massachusetts; Mirjana Lausevic—Minnesota; Elsa Eriksen, Alan Karlsberg, and Glen Patton—New Hampshire; Carol Shaecter—New Jersey; Dan Dorozynsky and Everett Silvia—New York; Sharon Nygren—North Carolina; Judy Creamer—Pennsylvania; Lynn Kent—Rhode Island; Elric Elias—Texas; Vivienne Davinson and Norman Kember—United Kingdom; Connie Green, Peter Green, Nicholas Zervakis, and Voula Zervakis—Vermont.

George Seiler and Jean Seiler read the list of the deceased and led 499 in their memory: Elsie Beasley—Alabama; Gary Cook—Arizona; Raymond Frederick Erickson—California; Victoria Allman and Sophie Kulchuk—Connecticut; Dorothy Clementine Durant Jones, Catherine Eulalie Durant Long, Lou Silver, and Mildred Silver—Florida; Sgt. Phillip Dodson, Carolyn Huckeba, and Donnie McGraw—Georgia; Dean Slaton and Joe Wheatley—Indiana; Roy Driskell—Kentucky; Edward Parker and Muriel Parker—Maryland; Gil Barons, Marie Burt, Lt. Travis Fuller, Myle Holley, Fay Kaynor, Judie Kotok, Diane Layman, Sheila MacLean, Beatrice Merryman, Gene Reid, Meg Sanders, and Ernestina Staleva—Massachusetts; Mark Seiler—Maine; Frank Connor, Patricia Beuley Dean, Bette McLellan, and Jacek Nowicki—New Hampshire; Tom Gibney—New Jersey; Patrick Giles; Adolph Kazlauskas, Nancy Levy, Kay Milling, and Marian Ryan—New York; Em Doran—Oregon; Jack Accetta, William E. Coles, Jr., and Dan Lichtenwalner—Pennsylvania; Hector Berube, Sylvia Berube, Harold Howland, and Kathleen Mallon—Rhode Island; Larry Olszewski—Tennessee; Kelly Beard—Texas; Liese Brown, Alec Brown, Mary Kellaway, Jim Kenyon, and Mike Walker—United Kingdom; Rich Bartlett, Bill Cleland, Kimberly Kranz, and Laurette Elizabeth Wojcik—Vermont; Fred Beardsley and Tom Fox—Virginia. The memorial lesson was closed.

Leaders: Peter Irvine 217; Dan Hertzler 33b. Henry Johnson offered the blessing for the noon meal.

LUNCH

Eliza Cavanaugh called the class back to order leading 300. Leaders: Matthew Wojcik 198; Henry Johnson 418; Jennifer Allred 411; Phillip Langley 215; Tim Eriksen 192; Lisa Palumbo 288; Rodney Ivey 376; Nora Dunn 208; Reba Windom 216; Daphene Causey 304; Mike Thompson 87; Linda Shea 274t; Bridgett Hill 142; Bradford West 269; Jerry Enright 47b; Mary Ruth Stiefel and Verlon Stiefel 348b; Jenna Strizak 111t; Lela Crowder 272; Stuart Ivey 306; LaRue Allen 200; Alexa Gilmore 535; Laura Clawson 430; Louis Hughes 546; Chris Brown 47t.

The business meeting was called to order by Chairlady Allison Schofield.

Matt Wojcik reported, for the Finance Committee, that all convention expenses had been met with the donations made by the singers.

Secretary Joanne Fuller reported that 144 leaders had led 187 songs, and that 312 people had registered over the two days from nineteen states, Canada, and the United Kingdom.

The Resolutions Committee, Peter Irvine and Caitlin Caulfield, thanked everyone who helped with this year’s convention. The business session was closed.

Chairlady Allison Schofield announced that the next Western Massachusetts Sacred Harp Convention will take place March 10-11, 2007.

RECESS

Andrew Magee led 56b to bring the class back to order. Leaders: Dana Borrelli 277; Jessica Garris 63; Gerry Hoffman 61; Sandra Wilkinson 297; Rebecca Edwards 205; Bob Meek 384; Jessica Beer 400; Aldo Ceresa 442; Kim Moreno 111b; Robert Stoddard 497; Karen Freund, Lynne deBenedette, and Rodney Ivey 30b; Scott Curran 460; Effie Cummings 344; Brennen Leigh 294; Paul Gauthier 34b; Kevin Griffin-Moreno 333; Chris Holley 81t; Chris Noren 146; Sheila Kelley 566; Kelly House 30t.

Allison Schofield, Kelsey Wessels, and Joanne Fuller led 62 as the closing song. Tim Eriksen offered the closing prayer, and the class was dismissed.

Chairlady—Allison Schofield; Vice Chairlady—Kelsey Wessels; Secretary—Joanne Fuller.