As choirs begin to poke their head above the parapet again and prepare for live performance, I find myself reviewing the differences between what is returning and what there was in spring last year. As far as I know only one choir that I’ve sung with has not survived, the South West Festival Chorus, which was already somewhat moribund before the pandemic.<\/p>\n
The Cathedral visiting choirs scene is still very patchy, with some Cathedrals taking visiting choirs again and others not ready to. I have the prospect of one such tour in August though.<\/p>\n
My concert-giving choirs are arranging informal performances rather than concerts in the immediate future, then planning for a return to concerts in the autumn. The continued closure of the Bristol Beacon (originally planned for 2017-19) is a further constraint. And will audiences want to return in numbers? Proms appearances and being drafted into performances in London and Cardiff are a distant memory.<\/p>\n
A further consideration is how much I’m willing to rehearse and perform in a mask when I find this unrewarding and even damaging (because I get into the habit of clenching my jaw). I’m hoping the two choirs which required this will feel able to drop the requirement before too long.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
As choirs begin to poke their head above the parapet again and prepare for live performance, I find myself reviewing the differences between what is returning and what there was in spring last year. As far as I know only … Continue reading