PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — You can’t stop the beat, even in a pandemic.
With many COVID-19 restrictions set to ease, choirs, quartets and other musicians are eager for live performances to return — though they will certainly look different than before.
Local venues in the area, both large and small, were taken by surprise by the governor’s recent order. Last week, Gov. Tom Wolf said Pennsylvania will lift all mitigation orders except masking on Memorial Day. Venues are now scrambling to come up with safety plans and protocols to reopen.
While singing poses a risk for the transmission of the virus, choral groups in the area have been cautiously preparing for this day.
Amanda Hauler with the Jersey Sound Chorus, a women’s chorus with a Sweet Adelines tradition, said they are all about following the rules.
“The CDC mentioned for the very first time in their latest update that for an indoor chorus to meet, vaccinated and unvaccinated persons should also wear masks. So when we move indoors, we would be following that CDC recommendation,” she said.
Meanwhile, the Bucks County Country Gentlemen, a chorus and barbershop quartet, has been practicing outdoors with masks.
“It would be much preferable to be singing without a mask,” said chapter president David Mindel, “and actually, our chapter is looking now at creating a plan and a protocol for what we can do to safely get back together indoors.”
Mindel said his group is ready to go, once given the OK.
“We’re lucky it’s spring,” he added. “We have spring, summer, fall. We have ways to rehearse together, and we’ll make our attempt to see what we can do for performances outdoors, just to be extra cautious.”
Dante Robinson, an indie-rocker from South Philly, hasn’t performed live since January 2020. Finally, he has a gig set for early June at West Philly Porchfest.
“Very excited about that,” he said. “Looking forward to both participating as a performer and really excited to see that the people who are managing it are looking for input on safety measures.”
Although he questions whether it is finally safe to go out and play, he’s excited to get back on stage.
“Things really do look promising, so I’ve been managing my own anxiety to put my focus into making sure that if we are doing something, we’re doing something that’s being done correctly,” he said, “that’s being organized safely and it’s being taken seriously.”
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