A Calendar of Annual Singings in the Chicago Area
These are the annual singings that regularly occur in the Chicago area. To find out more, try our email list.
Chicago Anniversary Singing
This singing is held on the second Sunday in January of every year. We sing from the 1991 Denson Sacred Harp.
For 2026: Sunday, Jan 11, 2026, plus there will likely be workshops on Saturday, Jan 10. Chair: Not yet known Singings in the past have been held at 9:30 am - 3 pm at the Kilbourn Park Fieldhouse, 3501 N. Kilbourn Ave., Chicago. Past workshops were 12:30 pm - 3:45 pm at the 57th Street Meeting of Friends (Quaker House), 5615 S. Woodlawn Ave., Chicago
Lincoln's Birthday Singing
This singing is held on a Saturday in February in conjunction with the University of Chicago Folk Festival. We sing from the 1991 Denson Sacred Harp and offer a workshop to teach new singers a little about singing sacred harp music.
For 2026: Date, time and location to be confirmed
The Midwest Convention
This singing is held on the second fifth Sunday and the Saturday before, unless that would put it into June. To avoid June in Chicago, if the second fifth Sunday is then, the Midwest is the last Sunday in May and the Saturday before. Effectively, this means that the singing is usually Memorial Day weekend but sometimes it winds up being the last weekend in April. We sing from the 1991 Denson Sacred Harp and the Shenandoah Harmony.
For 2025: Memorial Day Weekend, May 24 and 25, 2025. Chair: Brady Santoro. Saturday, May 24th: Church of St. Paul and the Redeemer, 4945 S. Dorchester Ave., Chicago, IL, 60615, 9:30-3:30. Sunday, May 25th: Ethical Humanist Society, 7574 Lincoln Ave., Skokie, IL, 60077, 9:30-3:30.
Cooper Book Singing
This singing is held on the Saturday before the second Sunday in August. We sing from the 2012 edition of "THE SACRED HARP, Revised Cooper Edition".
For 2025: Sat, August 9, 2025. Chair: Matthew Siefert. Times and location to be announced.