The Detweiler Meeting House was full and attentive to the entertaining and enlightening instructions from David Brodeur and Andy Ditzler as they imparted their wisdom and enthusiasm on the finer points of shape-note singing. Thanks to everyone who came and sang and learned with us. We had around 60 people—young and senior versions, from 3 countries, 2 provinces, and three states.
Are you curious about Shape Note singing?
Are you a new Sacred Harp singer looking to improve your singing and leading skills?
Are you experienced singer looking to promote Sacred Harp and help new singers?
Then join us for a full day Singing School! There will be lots of learning and lots of singing, and a potluck lunch.
Central Ontario Sacred Harp Singing School
with Andy Ditzler and David Brodeur of Atlanta, Georgia
May 9, 2026
10 am to 3 pm
Light lunch provided. Feel free to bring something to share.
Accessibility: Detweiler Meeting House has a ramp available for the back door (4″ step); there are no steps inside; the washrooms are accessible, with grips.
Detweiler Meeting House
3445 Roseville Rd, Ayr, ON (near Cambridge)
Loaner books will be available, and there will also be some copies of the 2025 edition of The Sacred Harp available for purchase (while supplies last).
Free (donations are welcome)
Saturday, January 20th was the first time we’ve tried holding a singing at the Tranzac. Many old singers and also many new singers were there and it sounded great! We wanted to test singing in the Living Room and the reviews from everyone were positive so we’re booking future weekend afternoon dates there in 2026, starting on February 28th at 1:45 p.m. Thanks to everyone who stopped by at the first one, and hope to sing with you again.
Third Wednesday singings will continue at Friends House in the evenings. Our next one will be Wednesday, January 21 at 7:30 p.m. We’re looking forward to having multiple Toronto singings per month in 2026.
We’re trying a new location at the Tranzac in The Living Room. We’ve booked this space for a singing, from 2 – 4 pm on Saturday, December 20. We also have tentative dates booked for the next year, so we need to find out if the space will work as an additional singing location and day to our current monthly singing. Please come and sing and help us decide if we should go forward with a regular singing there. Bring your friends!
Tranzac – 292 Brunswick Avenue
2 – 4 pm in the Living Room
Located between the Bathurst and Spadina subway stations, with paid parking available near the building. The Tranzac is accessible, with a few accessible parking spots nearby.
We will sing from The Sacred Harp (2025 edition). Loaner books will be available.
No experience is necessary. This is not a performance. There will be a quick introduction to shape note singing 10 minutes before we start. We’ll start singing at 2 pm and continue on until 4 pm, with a recess in the middle. There is no charge to participate, but donations are welcome to help cover rent.
September 12-14, 2025, five Ontario singers traveled to Atlanta GA for the launch of the 2025 Sacred Harp.
The event involved a day-long symposium on the process of revision.
David Ivey, the leader of this revision, opened the symposium:
The Revision Committee “received their flowers while they live”!
Over 300 people gathered to learn about the new book.
This was followed by two full days of singing. The first day of singing focused on the added songs by living composers (often led by the composers themselves). Here is composer Rachel Hall, joined by Em Ekelund, leading one of her two added songs.
The Sunday singing featured “delegations” from around the world leading 700+ singers in songs old and new.
The beloved Judy Hauff spoke a tribute to Buell Cobb, and then led her masterpiece, 547 Granville.
Special thanks to Jesse Karlsberg, the guiding hand behind all the committee’s work:
Toronto had its first singing from the new book on Wednesday, September 17, and all agree the new revision is a delight!
This August 23 and 24 we hosted our fourth two-day Sacred Harp convention, plus an evening Shenandoah Harmony singing on Friday the 22nd. Thanks to all the singers coming together from three countries, three provinces and five states.
It was our last time with the 1991 version of the book, so it was a special singing for the memories.
This year on August 23 and 24 we will host our fourth two-day convention.
The first day of this year’s singing is Saturday, August 23 at the Friends House, 60 Lowther Avenue in a mid-town area of Toronto known as the Annex.
Following that on Sunday, August 24 we return to the Detweiler Meetinghouse at 3445 Roseville Road, North Dumfries, Ontario. We’ll sing each day from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. with midday dinner on the grounds.
But there is more! On Friday evening, August 22, there will be a Shenandoah Singing at the Friends House, 60 Lowther Avenue, from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30p.m.
And we’ll hold an Evening Social on Saturday, August 23. Details will be available at the singing.
We are offering limited house accommodations for out-of-town singers, and arranging carpools for travel to Detweiler on Sunday. Please contact Gillian Inksetter (ginksetter@gmail.com) or Frank Griggs (bfgthefourth@gmail.com) for more information.
Accessibility: Friends House is an accessible venue. Details can be found here.
Detweiler Meeting House has a ramp available for the back door (4″ step); the washrooms are accessible, with grips.
For questions, more info, and/or to volunteer to help, contact singing@torontoshapenote.org.
Join our Facebook group for updates. We hope to see and hear you there!
Here’s a PDF file of the poster:
Here’s an info sheet with the maps:
We had a great time learning, singing, and sharing food and our Central Ontario Singing School. Experienced singers from Toronto, Kingston, and the Guelph-Cambridge area came together with lots of new singers from all over Ontario to share what we love about Sacred Harp singing:
Are you curious about Shape Note singing?
Are you a new Sacred Harp singer looking to improve your singing and leading skills?
Are you experienced singer looking to promote Sacred Harp and help new singers?
Then join us for a full day Singing School! There will be lots of learning and lots of singing, and a potluck lunch.
Central Ontario Sacred Harp Singing School
June 7, 2025
10 am to 3 pm
Light lunch provided. Feel free to bring something to share.
Detweiler Meeting House
3445 Roseville Rd, Ayr, ON (near Cambridge)
Free (there will be a collection)
Join us for Eucharist in the hollow square, featuring at least seven hymns from the shape note singing tradition of The Sacred Harp hymnbook. Our congregational voices will be supported by experienced singers of this unique music tradition. Come worship and sing!
Details on Facebook and the church website.
The service will be streamed on YouTube and available for watching afterward.
