Sadly, the latest guidance from Public Health England does not bode well for our return to normal rehearsals any time in the near future. We regularly keep a close eye on all the information issued by the scientific bodies that support the Government and although we have heard of choirs who are trying to re-establish a minimised rehearsal regime, the comments I have extracted from the PHE guidance do not make comfortable reading. Here are a few of the points they have made:
- Several outbreaks of coronavirus (COVID-19) have been associated with adult choir rehearsals and performances and in church congregations across the world.
- Singing by adults produces both large droplets of respiratory secretions that generally fall onto surfaces within 2 metres of the singer, and small droplets that are carried on the air for some distance (aerosols).
- Singing and speaking at a similar level of loudness produce similar masses of aerosol.
- Shouting or singing loudly can produce 20-times the mass of aerosol than speaking at a normal level of loudness.
However, the unbending spirit of Hart Male Voice Choir is not to be denied, so for the last 6 weeks we have been holding ‘virtual’ rehearsals via a computer application called ‘Zoom’. This allows any amount of people to appear on the screen at the same time and by the use of backing tracks provided centrally by our baritone music tech guru John Evans, we are able to sing along to the tracks and have a rehearsal of sorts! Obviously this falls well short of the levels of satisfaction and pleasure we all get from singing in close harmony, but it at least gives us the chance to sing and to socialise with each other on a weekly basis.
The committee of Trustees are committed to protecting the health, safety and well-being of our members, a priority that we will not allow to diminish. We all hope for many reasons that a vaccine will be available in the not too distant future that will finally mean that we can once again raise the roof of our lovely rehearsal venue, The Cross Barn in Odiham and also to perform again in the near future for all our wonderful supporters.
Mike Morgan: Chairman
April 12th 2021