2026 Symposium on the Music of the Sea

For over 40 years, international academics, independent scholars, and performer researchers have gathered in Mystic and Essex to share their passion for and original research of the music of the sea.
The Symposium links them with knowledgeable and enthusiastic audiences, providing scholarship that is entertaining and enlightening. Presentations will be videotaped and followed by a Q&A.

The 2026 Symposium on the Music of the Sea, directed for the fifth year in a row by Dr. Faye Ringel, will be held at the Essex Town Hall at 29 West Ave, Essex, CT from 9AM-4:15PM on Friday, June 12th, with a break for lunch. The symposium is free to attend.

Schedule

Friday – Essex Town Hall

9 a.m.

Early-Nineteenth-Century Chantey Style and the Fabulous Journey of ‘Grog Time o’Day’
Gibb Schreffler

10 a.m.

Rewriting the History of the Shanty: New Evidence, New Origins, New Narratives
Mollie Carlyle

11 a.m.

Broadsides, Ballads, and Fife Tunes of Salem: From the American Revolution and Beyond
Bob Strom

12 p.m. lunch break

1:15 p.m.

Citizens of the Sea: Our Hearts are Enslaved
Dr. Stephen N. Sanfilippo

2:15 p.m.

Toll, Toll the Bell: Little Nell of Narragansett Bay
Benedict Gagliardi

3:15 p.m.

Voyageur Songs of the Fur Trade Era
Lynn Noel

Director
Dr. Faye Ringel
First Mate
Dan Lanier
Moderators
Craig Edwards and Dan Lanier
Reading Committee
Dan Lanier, Dr. Christopher Smith, Craig Edwards, Dr. Faye
Ringel
Technical Director, Video, and Sound
Ben Parker
Refreshments
Kitsie Reeves