Keeping Chorus Hamilton vital through pandemic
Group’s appearance in production of Pink Floyd classic to be rescheduled
It’s on the mind of every chorister from Hamilton to Timbuktu: when will choirs come together again in-person?
To quote Bob Dylan, “The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind.”
Worldwide, there has been no one-size-fits-all response to COVID -19 and its aftermath. In Canada and elsewhere, choirs have hit the pause button indefinitely. The chaotic flux in the U.S. includes the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now promoting socially distanced group and solo singing during religious services whereas California’s attorney general stating that choir rehearsals there continue to be barred.
Across the Atlantic, the Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro, Italy, and the Salzburg Festival in Austria recently announced that they’re forging ahead in heavily readjusted formats while many other summer festivals have been cancelled outright.
Over the weeks ahead, we’ll be checking on how some local choirs are dealing with the pandemic pause. Up first, David Holler and his semi-professional mixed community choir, Chorus Hamilton.
For Holler, as for everyone in the midst of this coronavirus crisis, something’s lost, but something’s gained.
“I miss the choristers and spending time with them,” Holler told The Spectator. “They sing beautifully, but we all get along really well. There is a real sense of community. I miss that most of all.”
Also missed was “We Will Rock You,” Chorus Hamilton’s
May 3 concert which bit the dust. Chorus Hamilton was also to have sung in Brott Opera’s production of Act 2 from Julien Bilodeau’s “Another Brick in the Wall,” based on Pink Floyd’s “The Wall.” Originally slated for June 18 in the FirstOntario Concert Hall, Brott Opera plans to reschedule that event.
“I’m grateful for the time to look at so much new music and to be creative in planning a very unconventional new season,” said Holler. “I had ideas of what I wanted to do before the COVID-19 outbreak, but the virus has really made us all change plans. I’m working on creating a virtual program for the Christmas season and then we’ll have to see what the world looks like and hopefully make plans for our more traditional concerts.”
Holler is reaching out to several of his tech savvy choristers to help make that virtual choir performance a reality, if need be. Sure, videos such as these now flooding the internet are a sign of the times. But right now, how else can choirs break the sound barrier?
In addition, Holler has been using this stay-at-home time to practice his singing and piano playing, organize Chorus Hamilton’s choral library, leaf through previously performed pieces, and connect with the wider choral community including a recent Choral Canada webinar chock-full of ideas from six conductors.
“They were all very inspiring in their creative ways of keeping choristers engaged and also keeping a different kind of performance alive for their choirs,” said Holler about the webinar’s six gurus. “I plan to borrow some of these suggestions throughout the summer and into our new season in the fall.”
So, what’s the game plan to keep Chorus Hamilton vital in the months ahead?
“I would like to keep our members engaged by keeping regular contact with them over the summer months to let them know we are thinking of them and we are still a thriving community,” said Holler. “I plan to send out lessons in music theory for those who aren’t as strong at reading music, sight-singing instruction, and some vocal instruction as well. From the Choral Canada webinar, I have also been inspired to find other musicians in the area to host virtual master classes in various areas of musical education.”
Now, apropos of that opening question: how will Chorus Hamilton come together again in-person?
“I have also been thinking about how we might rehearse in smaller groups until we can all come together as a group, but, of course, this all depends on what our medical experts say is safe for us to do,” said Holler. “I hope we might be able to host a social event outdoors at some point in the summer. This is an important part of our community spirit.”