The Illinois Sacred Harp Singers warmly invite you to the 41st annual Midwest Convention.

Please join us May 30th and 31st, 2026, at the Broadway Armory in Chicago. We’ll have two days full of singing from The Sacred Harp 2025 revision.

Admission is free and open to all, regardless of musical experience! We really would love to have you. We’re still ironing out all the details, but will keep this page updated as we go.

Schedule

Saturday & Sunday at the Broadway Armory
5917 N. Broadway
Registration opens
Singing begins
Morning session
Dinner on the grounds
Afternoon session
Singing concludes

Friday Singing School

Tom George of Georgia offers a singing school from The Sacred Harp. Afterwards, we will sing from The Shenandoah Harmony. Loaners provided.

May 29, 6–9pm.

At the Swedish American Museum, 5211 N. Clark St.

Saturday Social

A casual event in the evening following Saturday’s singing.

May 30, 6–9pm.

At the Swedish American Museum, 5211 N. Clark St.

Location

carved stone entryway is warmly lit on a summer night
Photo: Ren Y. on Yelp

Broadway Armory

5917 N. Broadway
Chicago, IL 60660

Located in the north side neighborhood of Edgewater, the Broadway Armory is the Chicago Park District’s largest indoor facility. It was built in 1916 as an ice skating rink and has been a public recreation site since 1979.

The 41st Midwest Convention will take place in the second floor Ballroom, which is ADA-accessible and reachable by elevator.

Getting there
Public Transit
By ‘L’ train: take the Red Line to Thorndale, on the same block as the Armory. All trains are ADA accessible, but the Thorndale station is not. The nearest accessible Red Line stations are at Granville (½ mile north) and Bryn Mawr (½ mile south).
By bus: the #36 Broadway bus will drop you off right in front of the Armory, at Broadway & Thorndale. The #151 Sheridan and #147 DLSD Express stop ¼ mile away, at Sheridan & Thorndale.
By Metra train: the Peterson/Ridge station, on the UP-N line, is 1 mile away from the Armory.
By bike share: bicycles can be rented and returned at the Divvy station immediately outside the Armory.
Information about fares and schedules is available at the CTA website.
Dinner on the grounds

“Dinner on the grounds” is the potluck lunch that sustains us in body and spirit for a full day of singing. Local singers, please bring a dish to share if you are able! There is a small kitchen in the Armory for heating dishes, but refrigeration may be limited.

We will have throat-soothing tea and energizing coffee on hand during our singing sessions as well.

Contact

We would love to connect with you on our Facebook event and email list for real-time updates.

Coming in from out of town? Email Rochelle to be connected with local singers who can host you.

For other questions, you can reach us through the form below.

Eager for shape notes in Chicago the rest of the year? We sing most weeks every month!