Who We Are
We’re just a bunch of folks who enjoy getting together to sing — no particular expertise required (staying in key is nice, but the point is having fun and learning). We sing mainly folksongs (your definition thereof), but you may hear almost anything at one time or another. We have no dues or other memberships requirements, though we are associated with the Seattle Folklore Society.
Where We Meet
June 2023 Update: We are meeting in person 2nd Sundays at the Greenwood Senior Center, 525 N 85th St, Seattle from 7PM to 10 PM. Yes, in person. First time we had 9 participants. Doors open, filter running and masks optional.
March 2020 Coronavirus Update. We are meeting via Zoom Conferencing, at this link: https://zoom.us/j/358495231 . This applies until restrictions have ended, and possibly longer due to nature of singing and virus spread. Please mute – synchronization is elusive via conferencing .
Other Virtual Sings new March 2020 a page was composed to help people find a wide variety of online interactive music.
We got featured in Seattle Times Pacific Magazine – take a look July 11, 2021: https://www.seattletimes.com/pacific-nw-magazine/local-song-circles-keep-their-singers-close-amid-pandemic-by-going-virtual-and-global/
History: We meet every Sunday, at 7pm, usually in somebody’s living room. On the first Sunday of the month, the living room is generally at the home of Eric and Dana D’Asaro, 9739 Lakeshore Blvd NE, and on the 3rd often at Sunday at the home of Dick and Karen Seymour, 5415 Greenwood Ave. NW–but it’s not a bad idea to call to be sure that it isn’t the one month it moved. Starting 2017, Second Sundays at Greenwood Senior Center 525 N 85th St (lower floor in back). Check with 24 hour hotline 425-998-6134 for each week’s location. This is typically updated late in the week. People drift in and out any time between the official starting and ending times. There is also a Google Group you can subscribe to by entering your email in the box below. The outdoor picture above was from a circle at Gig Harbor, a typical late summer adventure.
How It Works
Once we get started, singing goes around the group in a circle. When your turn comes, you may choose to sing something, request a song from the group in general or from a specific person, or pass (and those–aside from those of common courtesy–are all the rules we have). We all join in on choruses and anything else we recognize. There’s no official body of songs, though a lot of people bring Rise Up Singing (AKA “The Blue Book”) or other songbooks. Some people accompany themselves on various instruments, some don’t.
Scanned copy of the 1977 Seattle Song Circle Songbook Click Here
Interested in Hosting Song Circle? Info
Listen to us
Here are a couple clips from a typical sing.
Home to Ireland- Cathy Ross
Come take a ride in my airship Stew Hendrickson
Folkife Festival
Song Circle has sponsored an entire day of workshops at the Choral Courtyard of Northwest Folklife Festival on Friday of Memorial Day weekend. These are participatory workshops much in the RainyCamp tradition To see a sample of a recent year workshop series, click here.
RainyCamp Folk Singing Weekend
RainyCamp 2023 is virtual this year. Visit the RainyCamp 2023 registration page to sign up. RainyCamp 2021 is free but we deeply appreciate donations.
Dates are January 28-29, 2023 via Zoom conferencing. You must register to get the conference link. It is possible to move at will between breakout workshops during the camp.
Rainy Camp is a folk singing weekend that starts the last Friday in January. and runs through Sunday afternoon. This tradition was first held at Millersylvania State Park in 1990 and has been at Camp Don Bosco in Carnation for years. It is now held at Lake Retreat conference center in Ravensdale.
New: Scanned copy of the 1990 First RainyCamp Songbook Click Here
For More Information
| 7×24 Info Line
Bruce Baker |
(425) 998-6134 (preferred)
email: songcircle at seafolklore.org |
| Join our email group:
|
Search for SeattleSong Googlegroup and request to join. Alternately, click this link
Or send email to above contact to request same. |