Page 17 - Susquehanna Chorale 40th Anniversary Book

“We Will Sing for You Again.” The Pandemic
On a Thursday night in early March 2020, the Susquehanna Chorale’s Board of Directors was concluding its regularly scheduled meeting. Conversation centered around a virus starting to spread throughout the country that might force rehearsals to be postponed for a few weeks. One board member remarked that he thought “we might be shut down for a lot longer than two weeks.” His words proved painfully true.
The 2019 Candlelight Christmas concerts were the last live performances the Chorale would give until late May 2021. Singing was prohibited because tiny aerosols expelled through breathing could potentially contain the virus and infect those in close proximity. Members of the Chorale and its staff experienced the whole gamut of emotions—fear, sadness, frustration, and eventually, resignation. As the weeks dragged on, all hope for a 2020 spring concert eventually faded.
Fortunately, the Chorale had begun livestreaming concerts in 2019, thus giving it a foothold in the use of virtual technology. Releases of previous recordings and videos started appearing on the Chorale’s Facebook page. Elaine Hagenberg’s Through Love to Light became the Chorale’s first virtual recording.
An all-virtual Youth Choral Festival comprised of
the previous year’s performances was streamed
in November 2020. The Susquehanna Chorale released a professionally produced virtual Christmas concert including two new recordings made by
the singers interwoven with videos from past performances. Listeners at home were thrilled to have a little piece of normalcy as part of holiday celebrations that were far from normal.
The early months of 2021 found the Chorale rehearsing through Zoom and gradually coming back to in- person rehearsals. Every precaution was taken to ensure the safety of all, from requiring vaccinations and temperature checks to switching rooms during rehearsals. In late spring 2021, the Chorale returned
Screen Shot First Rehearsal Sept 2020
to its audiences with live outdoor concerts presented at Harrisburg’s Italian Lake and Fort Hunter Park.
The Chorale resumed Monday night indoor rehearsals in September 2021 with safety measures in place
as determined by the Board’s Covid Task Force. Singers had to be vaccinated and wear masks
for all rehearsals and performances and were seated far apart throughout the rehearsal space. Conductor Linda Tedford wore a microphone
and streamed rehearsals through Zoom for those unable to participate in person. The 2021 Candlelight Christmas concerts were performed with all
singers masked, and concerts occurred before the omicron strain of the virus reached its peak.
Perhaps at no time in the Chorale’s history was the commitment to “Enriching Lives Through Song” more deeply felt than during the pandemic. The Susquehanna Chorale exhibited a spirit of resilience and outside-the-box thinking to reach listeners in new and innovative ways. Staying viable required endless Zoom meetings, singers recording videos over and over again at home, and board members and staff making tough decisions in a time of great uncertainty. But through it all—even in the moments of frustration and despair-- the Chorale never gave up on its promise that “We will sing for you again.”
“... This is emotionally unfiltered, honest music-making, successful in its aim to make the audience feel, to be moved, to be part of the performance.”
- Mark A. Boyle, DMA Director of Choral and Vocal Activities, Seton Hill University
Enriching Lives Through Song 17