PANDEMIC SPRING
On Feb. 23rd, Teatro alla Scala announced a brief suspension of its season. It was a prudent decision: the number of COVID-19 infections and deaths in Italy had been climbing throughout February, with Milan and Lombardy emerging the early epicenter of that country’s pandemic. The one-week suspension turned into two, then longer, and as the virus continued to burn its way through northern Italy, it became clear that no Italian opera house would be reopening anytime soon. It wasn’t long before companies in Germany, the UK and France were added to the growing list of scratched performances and scuttled seasons.
By early March, Canadian opera singers with spring and even summer engagements in Europe began receiving their cancellation notices. Meanwhile, at home, companies held their breath, hoping that perhaps the devastating pandemic wouldn’t hit Canada as hard. But by the week of Mar. 15th, when it became clear that the curve was not going to be flattened any time soon, company after company, both large and small, announced season suspensions. And as the days turned into weeks, faced with ongoing lockdowns, travel bans and mandated physical distancing measures, those postponements turned into firm cancellations.
These decisions, while financially and emotionally difficult for those involved—from singers to administrators to audiences—may have saved lives. At least two particularly devastating disease clusters in pre-lockdown early March involved singing: a choir rehearsal in Washington and a performance of Bach’s Saint John Passion at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. Some researchers have suggested that singing may propel respiratory droplets containing the virus further than six feet, and other singers standing close by can inhale those droplets deeper into the lungs when they apply breathing techniques.
But if there’s one thing the pandemic has taught us, it’s that just because something is the right choice doesn’t mean it won’t hurt. Until the federal government announcement of the Canadian Emergency Relief Benefit and other wage support programs, freelance singers suddenly found themselves with their source of income drastically reduced or eliminated altogether (singers under contract systems, such as exist in Germany, enjoyed more security). Several singers took to social media to decry contractual power imbalances, including the almighty Force Majeure clause and the absence of royalties from live streaming events.
On the other side of the equation, company administrators were worrying not only about the enormous blow to their bottom line, but also about the physical and mental health of their staff, many of whom continue to work from home. And because passion is still given currency in this industry, there was deep disappointment over the postponing of some long-developed, much anticipated projects, including at least one world premiere due to take place just one week after the national lockdown began.
At this article’s writing, we are still in the thick of the crisis. Some businesses have started reopening under strict conditions, but there is no clear map at this time as to when or how live performances in front of large audiences will be able to resume. To get a snapshot of the impact COVID-19 has had on the industry to date, spoke to a few singers, administrators and managers about their experiences over the past few weeks, as well as their plans and hopes for opera in a post-pandemic world. The interview subjects’ statements and answers reflect their situations in early April. However, it is likely this information will have evolved by
