Flash! Schedule & Course Descriptions Now Available!

Click for Singtime Schedule.

Click for workshop and song circle descriptions

There may be changes. Feel free to check back as often as you like.

Auction!

Singtime traditionally has an auction to raise money for the scholarship fund. If you have some nice things you'd like to donate to the auction, Great!

When you show up, talk to Paul or David or one of the auction volunteers.

We ask that you not bring anything worth less than five dollars,

Thank you!

                            

37th Annual Singtime Frolics weekend

March 25-27, 2022

Good news! Portland FolkMusic Society is holding Singtime Frolics in person this year, barring a further Covid surprise. It will run from 6 PM Friday March 25 through Noon, Sunday March 27 2022.

As usual it will be at beautiful Menucha Conference Center overlooking the Columbia Gorge. There's information about Menucha at the bottom of this page.

To keep us as safe as possible we are limiting attendance to 65 participants (about half the dining room capacity). If you want to attend, please read the information about COVID safety below and make sure you can agree to it.

Registration is is now open and there are six things for you to do although only the first and last are required:

1⃣  Register. Just click on the link at the top of this page.
2⃣  Ask for a scholarship if you need one. Please see section on scholarships below. Don't be shy. Scholarship requests are part of the registration form.
3⃣  On the other hand, please consider contributing to the scholarship fund. This is completely optional of course. Link below.
4⃣  Consider joining PFS if you aren't already a member. This is also totally optional, but we'd love it if you did. See link elsewhere on this page.
5⃣  Volunteer to lead a song circle or workshop. Again, this is totally optional. 
6⃣  Choose your room. Look down below on this page. Please ask for help if you get stuck.

With fewer participants, we have had to adjust the costs. Basic registration (dorm room, shared bathroom) is $225; premium registration (private room, bathroom) is $295. This includes Friday night dinner, three meals Saturday, and Sunday brunch, plus lodging Friday and Saturday nights. And of course, lots of music.

We don't want anyone to miss Singtime because of the expense. The scholarship fund has always been filled by the generosity of other attendees. If you are able, please contribute to the scholarship fund. Any money you give is reserved for scholarships, and will make it possible for other folks to get out of town and sing! It makes a difference. Please just click here and make sure you select Singtime Scholarships.

Membership in PFS is not a requirement for registration but if you are not a member, we would love to have you join us - and we have a membership category to fit every pocketbook. You can join PFS here.

Our special guest artist this year is REALLY special: Alex Sturbaum, a young singer-songwriter and traditional music artist who will be offering workshops on Writing Songs within the Tradition and Adapting Traditional Songs to Modern Times. Alex is a multi-instrumentalist, (bodhran, guitar, bouzouki, button accordion, banjo, and mandolin) as well as being a fine singer. Their music includes Irish jigs and reels, Appalachian ballads and sea shanties. We are thrilled to be able to share this talented young performer who so clearly loves the music that you probably love too. Check out their website: https://www.alexsturbaum.com.

And, as always, the Guest Artist is just the tip of the musical iceberg, because the participants will bring a panoply of workshops ranging from Child Ballads to Beatles, and from song circles to technical classes. It will be a great weekend, singing together - in harmony of course!

When you register, you will find more information about logistics, volunteering to help during Singtime, and applying for scholarships and supporting the scholarship fund.

For those of you who would like to lead a workshop, Thank You! You can sign up below, or when you register.

Got questions? No problem. Write to singtime@portlandfolkmusic.org and we'll get back to you.

See you at Singtime!

Shy about asking for a scholarship?

Are you shy about asking for a scholarship for Singtime?

Don’t be.

Look, life isn’t fair, and some people are at a point in their lives where they have some extra cash. Singtime participants, this year as in the past, have been generous in putting a little extra into the pot. Our scholarship fund is 100% reserved for scholarships - in fact, it’s the only completely restricted fund at PFS. If you want to go, but you’re pinched for funds now, or you have sticker shock because of the price increase, please just ask and tell us what you are comfortable paying. There’s no shame in letting people help you out. Maybe later the shoe will be on the other foot.

To be very clear: people have contributed to the scholarship because they want you to be able to come to Singtime. It will be more fun for everyone if you are there. Ask for a scholarship.

Thank you!

Select your room

To use this software, you (and your potential roommate if any) must have already completed the singtime registration form and paid the fees (or at least promised a check). Until you click on a room, nothing is recorded; but once you do click, that's your (and your roommate's) place. We will keep track of your selection, but it would be useful if you noted what room you chose, just in case.

The room-assignment link below will be available until 11:59 PM PDT, Sunday, March 20. If you have difficulties, please call Dick Hamlet, 360-834-2148, or e-mail Hamlet@cs.pdx.edu .

Singtime Covid Precautions

We know that the Covid pandemic seems to be winding down, and the three western states of the US are all relaxing their masking mandates.

However, after much consideration, we also know that some of the people who want to come to Singtime may be particularly vulnerable to Covid. A fully vaccinated person is extremely unlikely to be hospitalized (or worse) because of Covid, but it is still a serious disease and we don’t want you to get it. So we are keeping the following policies in place.

All participants must be fully vaccinated. This means you must have received your final vaccination dose of either the two-dose regimen of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines or one dose of Johnson & Johnson. We are not requiring a booster; however, a booster will reduce your chances of becoming seriously ill even further, and so is strongly recommended. Please bring an official vaccination record with you to Singtime. A negative Covid test will not be sufficient for entry. Vaccination is a game changer and dramatically reduces the risk of becoming seriously ill. 

All participants must be symptom-free. If you think you have Covid symptoms, please let us know as soon as possible, and then stay home and ask for a refund. 

Masks shall be worn indoors at all times except while eating and singing solo, or in one's own room. Unmasked solo singing should occur only in larger spaces or outdoors. Masks must completely cover your nose and mouth. Scarves, ski masks, bandanas and balaclavas are not substitutes for masks. The CDC offers guidance on mask choices, including special recommendations for people with beards, here. If the weather permits we will try to hold some workshops out of doors and allow some dining out of doors where participants can, by mutual accord, refrain from mask wearing. But we cannot guarantee this.

The dining room will be at 50% capacity with adequate room for distancing, so please take advantage of the extra space to spread out.

No more than two people will be in any one sleeping room (with the possible exception of the largest dorm rooms for participants who agree).
Bring warm clothing because we will keep the public spaces well ventilated!

If you have any questions or concerns about any of these procedures, please contact Brian at Singtime@PortlandFolkmusic.org.

Thank you for your understanding.