The Sacred Harp Singing Web site, by Warren Steel at the University of Mississippi Department of Music, has links to many singing schedules:
Regular Local Singing List, compiled by Annie Grieshop. This is a list of known shape-note singings from several tunebooks (including several editions of The Sacred Harp, Christian Harmony, New Harp of Columbia, Harmonia Sacra, Northern Harmony, and others) throughout the world), that take place four or more times a year and that draw singers from their immediate locale. In the South these are often called "practice sessions." Currently, the directory has mainly singings from the 1991 Edition of The Sacred Harp, which are also listed in the printed book Annual Minutes and Directory (see below). Listings of singings from other tunebooks may eventually become more complete.
Links to Web Pages for Regional Singings and Conventions and Special Events and Publicity, compiled by Warren Steel. The many Web pages describing regional singing activities, schedules, and conventions are listed. A recently added section provides links to many news articles and radio programs about Sacred Harp singing.
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Sacred Harp Publishing
Company Newsletter edited by Jesse Pearlman Karlsberg.
This online newsletter was started in 2012 by Mr. Karlsberg, vice-president
of the Sacred Harp Publishing Company, the publisher of the 1991
Edition. It features articles and reports of national and
international interest about Sacred Harp singing and singers. The goal is
to publish the newsletter quarterly.
(Also listed in the Books/Articles chapter)
Sacred Harp Singings: Annual Minutes and Directory, compiled by Shelbie Sheppard. An indispensable annual book for singers desiring to network, travel, and sing Sacred Harp (1991 Edition) with others in authentic settings such as in the rural South. The professionally designed and printed softbound book contains (1) schedules of annual Sacred Harp singings and conventions for the current year, listed by date, (2) a schedule of local periodic singings with contact names and addresses, listed by state and city, (3) minutes of the previous year's annual singings listing the songs sung (by page number) and the leader for each song, (4) names of individuals who died during the previous year and who were remembered at Memorial Lessons reported in the minutes, (5) birthdays of several hundred Sacred Harp singers, and (5) a directory of names, addresses, and phone numbers of roughly two thousand Sacred Harp singers throughout the world. The book is oriented toward singings from the 1991 ("Denson") Edition of the Sacred Harp, but it now includes a number of major singings from the Cooper Edition of the Sacred Harp. The book is compiled by Judy Caudle, assisted by David Ivey, Joan Aldridge, and Shelbie Sheppard. The Sacred Harp Musical Heritage Association publishes, prints, and distributes the Directory and Minutes under the auspices of the Alabama State Sacred Harp Singing Convention. The price is $10.00 per book postpaid. Make checks payable to Sacred Harp Minutes. Send orders to: Attn: Minutes Book Order, Judy Caudle, 1821 Gum Pond Road, Eva, AL 35621. Limited quantities of the book are made available at no charge to singing groups sponsoring singings having minutes in the book. The minutes are also available in an online searchable format..
Minutes of Sacred Harp Cooper Books Singing Convention[s] This annual pamphlet compiled by Audrey Barfield provides minutes of many of the annual Cooper book singings in Florida, Alabama, and Mississippi. There is also a calendar of most of the annual Cooper book singings for Alabama and Florida, as well as some information on the Cooper Book, photographs of officers of the Sacred Harp Book Co. and of deceased singers. It is available from Aubrey Barfield, 1469 Cypress, Niceville, FL 32578 for $3.00 per copy postpaid. For Cooper book singings in Texas, see the newsletter Texas Sacred Harp Bulletin, described in the Newsletters section.
Note: The reader will notice that some of the Web sites below are not kept up-to-date with respect to singing events. Because they are still online and contain contact information, they are still listed here.
Note: Many Sacred Harp communities are setting up Facebook pages to supplement their websites. The compiler of this guide has not yet attempted to list the current Facebook pages.
Note: Virginia is listed under "Northeast and Mid-Atlantic United States."
Harpeth Valley Sacred Harp Singers. This site contains information about Sacred Harp singing activities in Tennessee, particularly in the Nashville area.
Sacred Harp Singing in Texas Web site maintained by Gaylon L. Powell of Austin. This site includes schedules of annual and monthly singings in Texas from the Cooper and 1991 Revisions of The Sacred Harp, essays by Mr. Powell and others describing the music and its appeal, biographical sketches of B. F. White and several composers and authors of tunes and texts in The Sacred Harp, and the online version of the Texas Sacred Harp Newsletter, described immediately above.
Colored Sacred Harp Web Site compiled by Steve Grauberger and Janice Jackson. This Web site, which is currently down (hopefully temporarily), contains interesting articles and historic and recent photographs. There are plans to present information about upcoming Sacred Harp singings in Ozark, AL, such as the annual Judge Jackson Memorial Singing.
Old Harp: The New Harp of Columbia Newsletter, founded by the late Larry Olszewski, now edited by Ann Strange,Lois Luebke, and Tina Becker. This is the only newsletter covering New Harp of Columbia singings (primarily in east Tennessee). It contains singing schedules, interesting articles, photographs, and information about recordings. It is published and professionally printed once a year, at the end of January. The ISSN is 1546-038X. Its subscription price is currently under review, but the editors will accept donations by mail. Make checks payable to "Old Harp" and mail them to Old Harp Newsletter, 307 E. Lake Forest Drive, Knoxville, TN 37920. This newsletter is also available as a PDF on the Old Harp Singing Web site (described immediately below).
Old Harp Singing in East Tennessee/ New Harp of Columbia Shape Note Singers, maintained by Chris Stoddart. This Web page is an introduction to New Harp of Columbia singing and has a detailed calendar of upcoming singings with contact information, as well as links to the on-line latest issue of Old Harp: The New Harp of Columbia Newsletter. There is also a Listserv for New Harp of Columbia singers and supporters. Contact Chris Stoddart for more information.
Christian Harmony Website now for both editions, maintained by Mary Baumeister and others. Information, schedules, and minutes of singings from both the 1873 Walker edition of Christian Harmony in western North Carolina and the Deason-Parris Christian Harmony in Alabama and Mississippi (information on Al-MS singings supplied by Tim Cook). There is also sections presenting recipes, ordering information for tunebooks and CDs, and verses that are not in the tunebooks.
North Carolina Shape-Note Singing contains information about periodic singings and the annual North Carolina Convention.
Charlotte (North Carolina) Sacred Harp Singers. Information about monthly singings and the annual all-day singing.
FA: Triangle Area Sacred Harp News. This newsletter, edited by Lynda Hambourger and issued 3-4 times a year, describes shape-note singing activities in North Carolina in general and the Triangle area (Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill) in particular. There are interesting articles as well as singing schedules. It is sponsored by PineCone: Piedmont Council of Traditional Music. To subscribe, write to Lynda Hambourger, 2509 Kenmore Drive, Raleigh, NC 27608. Contributions are gratefully accepted. Checks should be made out to the editor or to "PineCone."
Sacred Harp Singing in Georgia compiled by Laura Akerman, John Plunkett, and Deborah Grosse. This Web site is the Atlanta Sacred Harp singers' guide to shape note singings in Georgia. It lists monthly and annual singings and special events, as well as information and resource links. The extensive monthly schedule of singings in Georgia, compiled by Laura Akerman, is at http://www.atlantasacredharp.org/monthly.html and can be sent to subscribers by e-mail, as explained on the Web page.
Shiloh Sacred Harp Singers (Arkansas). This Web page describes the Sacred Harp singing activities in Springdale, Arkansas.
Sweetwater (Florida) Shape Note Singers presents Sacred Harp singing schedules in the area of Florida including Gainesville, Micanopy, Ocala, and McIntosh.
Mississippi Singing Schedule. This list, which includes Sacred Harp and Christian Harmony singings, is maintained by Professor Warren Steel of the University of Mississippi.
Sacred Harp Singing in Chattanooga. Information about singings in Chattanooga and Cleveland, Tennessee, maintained by John Lamb.
Appalachian Association of Sacred Harp Singers by Raphael Finkel. This Web page provides schedules of singings from The Sacred Harp and The Southern Harmony in and near Lexington, Kentucky. It also provides general information about the Association.
Sacred Harp Singing in Ohio, maintained by Cleve Callison. Singing activities throughout Ohio are features, as well as the annual Ohio State Sacred Harp Convention.
Cincinnati (Ohio) Sacred Harp Singing, maintained by John Bealle.
Sacred Harp Singing in Northeastern Ohio,. A World Wide Web home page describing singing activities and schedules in the Cleveland area is maintained by Charles Wells.
Columbus (Ohio) Shape-Note Singingprovides Sacred Harp singing schedules in the Columbus area.
Dayton (Ohio) Sacred Harp Singing. Information about singings in the Dayton, as well as Cincinnati and Columbus, Ohio areas, and the annual Ohio convention. Of particular interest is that under "Media" there are links to YouTube videos of Southern and Midwestern Sacred Harp singings.
Bloomington, IndianaShape Note .
FaSoLaMichigan.org, A website providing information on singings in Lansing/East Lansing, Kalamazoo, and Ann Arbor, Michigan. There is also a discussion forum.
Michigan and Northern Indiana Sacred Harp Singings by Will Fitzgerald. This page provides a map and schedule and contact information for Sacred Harp singings in Goshen and Young America, IN, and Ann Arbor, Kalamazoo, and Lansing, MI, as well as Harmonia Sacred singings in this area.
Singing Sacred Harp in Chicago, lists singings and major events in the Chicago area.
Sacred Harp Singing in Downstate Illinois maintained by Peter Ellertsen. General information is given about singings in the area of Springfield and Charleston, IL.
Shape Note Singing in the Twin Cities (Minneapolis/St. Paul), maintained by Matt Wells, provides information and schedules of singing, generally from The Sacred Harp, in the Twin Cities area. There is also information on the annual Minnesota State Sacred Harp Convention.
Wisconsin Shape-Note News. Schedules of singings in the Wisconsin area, with occasional articles and reviews by James Page. Published online six times a year. Issues can be e-mailed as PDF files to subscribers. Contact Mr. Page at shapebrain-at-yahoo-dot-com.
Sacred Harp Iowa. Information about singings in Cedar Rapids, Fairfield, and Iowa City.
Omaha Shape Note Singers.. Information about singings in Nebraska.
Kaw Valley Shape Note Singing Association Web page (Northeast Kansas) maintained by Brad Levy of Lawrence, Kansas, lists schedules of singings in Kansas and northwest Missouri.
St. Louis Shape Note Singers. Articles, photographs, and singing schedules for singings in and near St. Louis, Missouri.
Columbia (Missouri) Shape Note Singers maintained by Wendy Hofman. Articles and singing schedules and contact information for Columbia, Missouri.
Shape-Note Music in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Area, by Miriam Kilmer. This site contains information about Sacred Harp singing in the Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Richmond, and Northern Shenandoah (VA) areas. There are links to other information.
Washington, DC area: Schedules and locations of the monthly (4th-Sunday) Sacred Harp singings sponsored by the Folklore Society of Greater Washington, are listed on the Society's Web site under Group Activities.
DC Shape-Note Singers
Facebook Page Information about Washington, DC-area singings,
particularly one held monthly on Capitol Hill.
Baltimore Shape Note Singing.
Information about singing from The Sacred Harp,
Shenandoah Harmony, and other shapenote tunebooks.
Richmond Sacred Harp
Singers, by Phil Rubin. Schedules of singings in
Richmond and information about the annual James River Sacred Harp Convention. See also the Richmond Sacred Harp Singers Facebook page.
North Shenandoah Valley Sacred Harp Singing Schedule. Schedules of weekly and monthly singings, as well as the annual all-day singing, in the area of Berryville and Boyce, VA, usually organized by John del Re and Kelly Macklin.
Pennsylvania Sacred Harp announces singings throughout Pennsylvania, a state that has been enjoying a flurry of new local singings in recent years.
State College (Pennsylvania) Sacred Harp, maintained by Hal Kunkel. Information about singings in or near State College, PA.
PittsburghSacred Harp Singing, This section of the website of the Frets and Feet Music and Dance organization lists schedules of singings in Pittsburgh, PA and Morgantown, WV.
Garden State (New Jersey) Sacred Harp : Information on singings in Trenton, Upper Montclair, and Woodcliff Lake, and the annual Garden State Convention.
Sacred Harp Lawrenceville (Princeton, New Jersey). Information about singings in the Princeton, New Jersey area.
New York State Sacred Harp Singing,by Dennis Leipold, contains informative explanatory articles about Sacred Harp singing and schedules of singings throughout New York State.
manhattansing.org: Sacred Harp Singing in New York City, contains information about regular and annual singings taking place in Manhattan, Lower East Side, and in Brooklyn. There is also information about other singings and conventions in the Northeast.
Lower East Side (of Manhattan) Shape Note Sing, by Linda Griggs. This page announces singings in the Lower East Side as well as other singings in the New York City area.
Sacred Harp in Brooklyn. This page announces the Joe Beasley Memorial Sing in Brooklyn, NY.
LITMA's Sacred Harp Sings (Huntington Station, Long Island, New York).
Regular New England Area Singings. This page from the Western Massachusetts Sacred Harp Convention Web site lists singings and contact persons for all of New England (including Maine) as well as New York and New Jersey.
Boston Sacred Harp Singing presents information about singings in Brookline, MA, the annual Boston Sacred Harp Singing, and the Boston Sacred Harp Musical Association.
BostonSing.org Shape Note Resources maintained by Robert Stoddard. This site has information about and schedules of singings in the entire Boston and New England areas. It also has a rapidly growing archive of audio mp3 recordings made by Mr. Stoddard at recent Sacred Harp and shape-note singings (see chapter 4).
Boston area: Singings sponsored by Norumbega Harmony in Newton, MA. Site is maintained by Ishmael Stefanov-Wagner.
Newbury (MA) Sacred Harp. This site, maintained by Chris Noren, contains singing information and schedules for Newbury and the Boston North Shore area.
Western Massachusetts Sacred Harp Singing. Schedules of singing activities in Northampton and Amherst, MA, and in Providence, RI, as well as information about the Western Massachusetts Sacred Harp Convention and Pioneer Valley All-Day Singing.
Rhode Island Sacred Harp Singing presents a calendar of singings in Rhode Island, contact information, and information about the All-Day Rhode Island singing. There is also a useful FAQ page.
English West Gallery Music workshops in the Boston area. Sacred Harp and Gallery music singer and composer Bruce Randall holds monthly workshops in English parish church music which stylistically influenced 17th and 18th-century New England tunesmiths. These sessions are experiencing increasing interest and participation, according to Bob Parr. For more information, contact Bruce Randall by e-mail at melismata-at-hotmail-dot-com. The Web page has some MIDI sound files and a blog by Laura Conrad.
San Francisco Bay Area Singing Groups, compiled by Chris Thorman. Schedules of singings in the Bay area including San Francisco, Palo Alto, Santa Cruz, Piedmont, and Monterey, as well as Sacramento.
Fasola L.A.: Shape Note Singing in Los Angeles maintained by Laura and Richard Russell. This Web site lists singing schedules in the Los Angeles area as well as contact information and fasola singing events throughout southern California.
San Diego FaSoLa Sacred Harp Singers.
Colorado Sacred Harp. This site lists schedules of singings in various Colorado cities. There is also information about the Rocky Mountain Sacred Harp Convention.
Rocky Mountain Shapenote Singers. Singings in Colorado, Utah, and New Mexico.
Utah Sacred Harp Singing lists singing schedules for the Salt Lake City and Provo, Utah areas.
Pacific Northwest Sacred Harp Singers Web site maintained by Karen Willard. Information about singings in Washington state and Oregon. There also useful sections of short articles suitable as flyers and handouts at singings. Titles include "Beginner's Guide," "What's Going On Here," "Do You Have a Vocal Identity Crisis?" (by Lisa Grayson), FAQ from the Texas Sacred Harp Singers, an essay on accidentals by Ananias Davisson, "How To Find the 6th in Minor Songs," etc. Newly added sections of great interest include Miss Grace Notes advice column from the Chicago Sacred Harp Newsletter, a humorous and updated essay from the early 1990s entitled "Natural History of a Sacred Harp Zealot," additional verses, and song scores.
Portland (Oregon) Sacred Harp Singing. Information about monthly singings and the annual Sacred Harp convention in Portland Oregon.
United Kingdom Sacred Harp and Shapenote Singing compiled by Edwin Macadam and Sheila Girling Smith. This enlarged resource contains information about the UK Shape-Note Conventions, schedules of shape-note singings in the UK, and other useful information.
London Sacred Harp Singing (UK)
presents information on Sacred Harp singing in the
London area as well as information for beginners.
Newcastle Sacred Harp Singing (UK) presents information on Sacred Harp singing in Newcastle upon Tyne -- regular singings as well as the annual Singing Day.
The rise of the Internet in the late 1990s caused several worthy printed newsletters to cease publication and not to continue online. These had informative articlesand photographs which provide historical documentation of the resurgence of interest in Sacred Harp singing in the U.S. starting in the late 1980s. Copies may be found in some music libraries and private collections. A incomplete list of these newsletters is as follows:
The National Sacred Harp Newsletter back issues, edited by Hugh McGraw with later help by Richard DeLong, Charlene Wallace, and Bill Denney, focused mainly on Southern singing activities. This newsletter was published by the Sacred Harp Publishing Company from 1985 through July 1993 and had a folksy, light-hearted style. The company is now in the process of digitizing the issues and placing the resulting PDFs on the company's website for free download as the first online exhibit of the Sacred Harp Museum. Currently the first three back issues are now posted; eventually all issues are to be posted.