Sing
Community + Joy
About
Shape note singing is one of America’s oldest musical and social gathering activities.
All are welcome to sing, regardless of experience or ability. Portland Sacred Harp events do not have any membership requirements or religious or political affiliations. Come as you are and sing for yourself!
"It was a strange sound, raw and wild and hoary, yet at the same time, familiar somehow – a great, aching lamentation that stopped people walking by in the hallway outside cold.It was as if voices from a previous century had started speaking again. " --The Oregonian
"…penetrating sound that gets under your skin…that primal scream of music that is Sacred Harp singing at its best." --The Willamette Week
Watch the OPB feature, practice singing online with the Bremen Sacred Harp Robot, or visit fasola.org.
Calendar
Please join us to sing! Everyone is welcome, singing is free, loaner books are available.
Regular Singings
Third Thursdays: Shenandoah Harmony/Cooper Sacred Harp (alternating), 7-9 PM at the common room for 2515-2525 SE Ankeny, Portland.
Look for Little Free Library box. Take the alley to your right (east side) as you’re facing the building. The common room is the first door on the left.
Note: This is the most likely singing to be rescheduled, check the calendar above for the most up-to-date information.
First and Third Sundays: First Sunday Christian Harmony, Third Sunday 2025 Sacred Harp (Denson), 4-6 PM at Waverly UCC, 3300 SE Woodward St, Portland
Second and Fourth Sundays: From the 2025 Sacred Harp (Denson), 4-6 PM at McMenamins Kennedy School, 5736 NE 33rd Ave, Portland, OR. Singing is in the Community Room at the SE corner of the main building.
Singing Schools
April 23: Sacred Harp Singing School at PSU
6:30-8:30pm, April 23, room 37 of Lincoln Hall at Portland State Univeristy
This singing school will be taught by Kevin Barrans, and is aimed towards sharing the mechanics and basics of shape note singing. This is a great opportunity to learn about shape note singing, as both beginners and experienced singers will gain something.
We will discuss the mechanics of shape note notation and sing from The Sacred Harp: 2025 Edition — an oblong in-use shape note hymnal of largely 4 part unaccompanied American polyphonic music, keyed by ear and sung in a "hollow square" formation with no rehearsals or performances.
The school is FREE, about 2 hours in length, and open to singers of all experience, though some familiarity with reading music will be helpful.
The school will be held in room 37 of Lincoln Hall at Portland State University (1620 SW Park Ave). Shape note hymnals will be provided, no materials are necessary for attendance or participation. Signup is not required, just show up!
All Day Singings
We host two weekend-long singings annually. See here for details on the next upcoming all day.
Our Convention is held on the third Sunday in October and Saturday before. We sing from the 2025 Sacred Harp (Denson).
Our Double All Day is held on the first Sunday in May and Saturday before. We sing from the 2025 Sacred Harp (Denson) on Saturday and from the Christian Harmony on Sunday.