This is the home page of the University of Chicago Shape-Note Singing
Association. Check out the calendar of
singings, or
join our email list
if you prefer to recieve timely reminders of when an event is coming up.
If you have trouble signing up for the email list, drop a line to the list admins.
Note that rides to the various singings are often available from Hyde
Park and elsewhere.
Beginners and experienced singers are welcome. There is no entrance fee for Sacred Harp events, but a free will offering will be collected.
Local singers, please bring a dish to share for dinner on the grounds (served at noon).
What's it all about?
Web resources and information on Sacred Harp singing.
Ok, so what does it sound like?
Sound samples all over the web, in various formats.
Stories and histories
A brief history of Sacred Harp, as well as some anecdotes from various
singings. (To submit a story,
e-mail it to me.)
Singers regularly in attendance include:
A traffic court judge
An ethnomusicologist
The director of Bella Voce
A yodel instructor
A U of C dropout from decades past
Alumni, college students, graduate students, faculty, staff, community members,
Southerners, young children, Protestants, agnostics, gays, Yankees, Jews,
scholars, senior citizens, Quakers, Catholics, professional musicians,
Buddhists,
folk dancers, librarians, writers, conservatives, good cooks (who bring food),
couples, families
But most importantly: some people who wandered up off the street
when they heard us singing.