In an effort to bring more flexible, fun, and community-centered opportunities for shape-note singing to Baltimore and beyond, we’re excited to announce a new series for 2026: the Fifth Sunday Singings.
Communication is important for this to work, make sure you’ve joined our email list, and our Facebook Group.
These informal gatherings will take advantage of those occasional months that offer a fifth Sunday — or even a fifth Saturday — and invite singers to come together in different places: homes, churches, community centers, or outdoor spaces when weather allows. The exact time and location of each event will be announced in advance, and every singing will be free to attend, just like our regular monthly singings.
To help shape this idea, we took a small poll in October 2025 and received 12 responses. Here’s a quick overview of what we learned:
- Interest is strong: Most respondents said they’d definitely like to see more singing opportunities in 2026.
- The most popular format was a flexible Fifth Sunday Sing — occasional, not fixed, and adaptable to different hosts and locations.
- There was overwhelming enthusiasm for rotating venues, from homes to community halls, keeping things low-key, informal, and varied.
- Some additional elements that appealed:
- Potluck snacks or a shared meal
- Singing outdoors when possible
- Keeping the event free, with optional donations if there are venue-related costs
- People were excited by the variety such an event could bring—not only in place, but also in spirit.
We’ve now launched our main info page for this new series:
👉 marylandshapenote.org/5th-sunday-singings/
And if you’re interested in hosting a Fifth Sunday Sing yourself, we’ve put together a friendly checklist to help walk you through what’s involved and how to plan your event:
👉 Checklist for Hosts
Whether you’re a long-time singer or new to shape-note traditions, these Fifth Sunday Singings are meant to be a relaxed, flexible way to stay connected and keep the music alive between larger conventions and monthly singings. Stay tuned for announcements in the coming year — and let’s make 2026 a year full of joyful, resonant sound.