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Slowly and cautiously - and with great hope - corners of the choral community are beginning to explore possibilities of in-person singing, adapting to take precautions as COVID-19 concerns remain. The summer appears to have allowed the field some room to plan and experiment, with a few projects airing this weekend. True to choral form, these ventures display an abundance of creativity and represent a broad range of ideas!
A Long Distance Live-Online Hybrid Performance
The Crossing and Roots in the Sky
This Saturday, August 1, two choruses - Philadelphia-based The Crossing and Montana-based Roots in the Sky - team up to give the world premiere of David Lang's in nature, a work is specifically written as a hybrid of live and pre-filmed music observing the limitations presented by COVID-19. Twenty singers of The Crossing recorded one-at-a-time in advance of the performance while four socially-distanced singers of Roots in the Sky perform live from Warren Miller Performing Arts Center (WMPAC) during the premiere. All tickets for the event are virtual tickets.
An Outdoor Live Audience
Classical Movements and The Choir of Hope & Harmony
Concert tour company and festival producer Classical Movements has organized a series of live outdoor concerts, Sounds of Hope & Harmony. The concerts take place on Classical Movements' garden grounds. Audience members are required to wear masks, as will staff and musicians when not performing. Seating is assigned and socially distanced, and seats are disinfected between performances. The series features local musicians in a variety of genres, including a choral performance by The Choir of Hope & Harmony - 12 area professional singers directed by conductor Anthony Blake Clark - on Saturday, September 12.
Live From London Online Vocal Music Festival
VOCES8, Chanticleer, and Friends
Under the auspices of its VOCES8 Foundation, UK-based group VOCES8 has assembled a lineup of renowned vocal ensembles for an online festival, Live From London. Performers sing in person from the heart of London in beautiful church acoustics, and concerts are broadcast in HD each Saturday night. The organizers kick off the festival with a concert of their own this August 1, and the run concludes with Chanticleer - the only U.S.-based ensemble, broadcasting from San Francisco - on October 3.
Live / On-Demand Global Performance
The King's Singers
Beloved British sextet The King's Singers give their first online concert today, July 30. Ticket buyers can view the performance live, or watch on-demand up to the following day. In this return to the concert stage, The King's Singers mix audience favorites with new selections from its recent album Finding Harmony, which was the foundation of the singers' plenary session presentation at the 2020 Chorus America Virtual Conerence.
Singing in the Driveway
A Boston-area couple has been inviting friends and neighbors to cruise down to their street and sing together from their vehicles. The new phenomenon is being called "Driveway Choir," and has drawn more participants at each gathering. Singers are given microphones and can hear the other singers through their car stereos. The technical complexity increases with the number of singers, so the organizers have begun sharing their tips and experiences on YouTube and their website.