The Sacred Harp Publishing Company has announced a full-day symposium, Revising The Sacred Harp, to be held Friday, September 12, 2025, at Emory University’s Woodruff Library in Atlanta. This event will serve as the public unveiling of the much-anticipated 2025 Edition of The Sacred Harp—and your first opportunity to get a personal copy in hand.
If you are on Facebook, here is a link to the official page for the weekend’s events.
The symposium will feature talks, presentations, and panels from every corner of the revision process: music committee members, text and attribution researchers, book designers, and contributing composers. The day will close with a singing from the brand-new edition.
Schedule Highlights
- 9:00 AM – “The 2025 Revision Story”
David Ivey opens the day with a plenary session introducing the goals, process, and timeline of the new edition. - 10:15 AM – Concurrent Sessions
Choose between sessions on The Rudiments (Lauren Bock and guests) and Composers and their Songs 1. - 11:15 AM – More Concurrent Sessions
Will Fitzgerald leads a session on Editing Texts, while a second group of composers presents their songs. - 12:00 PM – Lunch and Committee Q&A
A provided lunch includes an opportunity to ask questions directly to members of the revision team. - 1:15 PM – Concurrent Sessions
Hear about Book Design and Production (Jesse P. Karlsberg and guests), or a session on Scriptures (Karen Rollins and Nathan Rees). - 2:15 PM – Concurrent Sessions
Explore Attributions (Rachel Hall and Robert Kelley) or attend the Music Selection and Editing panel featuring David Wright, David Ivey, Lauren Bock, and Jesse P. Karlsberg. - 3:15 PM – Concurrent Sessions
Designing a New Shape-Note (Karlsberg and Jeff Kellem) or Composers and their Songs 3. - 4:15 PM – Closing Singing
The day concludes with a singing from the 2025 Edition, giving attendees their first chance to sing from the new book together.
Details
- Location: Woodruff Library, Emory University, 540 Asbury Circle, Atlanta, GA
- Time: 8:00 AM check-in and book pickup; events run 9:00 AM–5:00 PM
- Cost: $25 (includes lunch and coffee)
- Tickets: Advance purchase required due to limited space. Get tickets on Eventbrite
- Parking: Paid parking available at Fishburne Parking Deck (1672 N Decatur Rd, Atlanta, GA)
This symposium kicks off a historic weekend: the 2025 Edition of The Sacred Harp will be officially launched at the United Sacred Harp Musical Association Convention, held Saturday and Sunday, September 13–14, at The Foundry at Puritan Mill.
If you’ve ever wondered how a revision of The Sacred Harp takes shape—or want to meet the people who helped shape it—this is your chance. Don’t wait on this one. Space is limited, and lunch is included.
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