A message from the Mystic Chorale Board:
WE ARE GOING LIVE
We’re thrilled to be able to continue live rehearsals, with all the pleasure they bring to our community… hearing each other harmonizing as a large group, waving across the room at one another, meeting new singers in person. However, as we all know, these are times that continue to call for a new normal. Please read the details below and consider your own health and safety as you make your own decision regarding singing live this winter.
IT WILL BE A HYBRID SEASON
Each rehearsal will be broadcast and recorded. Videos will be posted on the website a few days after each rehearsal, so singers can continue to learn the music and hear announcements even after an absence.
At sign-up, singers will opt to join for live rehearsals (tuition $105) or participate virtually (tuition $85). We are extending the final refund date by an additional week to give singers more time to decide if the new model works for them.
Live singers will be asked to attend at least all but 2 rehearsals in person throughout the season in order to sing in the concert. However, if singers need to miss a rehearsal, sectional rehearsals will count toward Mystic’s attendance requirement.
SAFETY FIRST!
Mystic Chorale is committed to complying with all of the recommendations of the CDC as well as MA government regulations. We have been consulting with experts on choral singing. We will adapt our plans, as needed, as conditions and recommendations change over the coming months. Our major concern is the SAFETY AND HEALTH of our community. All of us will participate at our own risk, but Mystic Chorale will provide the following precautions…
- Vaccinations: Proof of full vaccination will be required of everyone in the sanctuary – including singers, volunteers, staff, the music director, and musicians.
- Wellness check: When singers sign in each week, we will not only checkmark that we are in attendance, but we will also initial that we meet wellness requirements to safely participate. The wellness requirements will be prominently displayed by the sign-in sheets.
- Masks and hand sanitizer: Singers will be required to wear special singing masks, which will be available for $10. Some subsidizing of this additional expense is available for those who need it. As the season progresses, Mystic will closely follow CDC and State guidelines and the latest advice from choral singing experts regarding masking. Hand sanitizer will be readily available.
- Alternatives for anyone under the weather: We will expect any singer not feeling well to stay home, for their own safety and for the safety of the community. Those not feeling well can participate virtually (see HYBID SEASON section above).
- Thinning the crowd: We are limiting the number of live singers and will space the chairs at rehearsals. The availability of balcony seating will help us spread out. We will open the sanctuary and sign-in tables a half hour earlier and will ask any singers who can to come a bit early to help us stagger entry.
- Ventilation: We have become skilled at modifying the ventilation in the sanctuary and vestry to provide strong ventilation appropriate to singing. We monitor the system as we sing with a CO2 meter. For more information on what the experts on indoor singing are saying, click here
- Policies for those who might have been exposed to Covid or become ill:
- We ask that any singer who tests positive for Covid to let us know immediately and to quarantine for 14 days. We will notify everyone who attends the live rehearsals that someone has tested positive, specifying the dates when the person was infected, and their section. No name or other identifying information will be shared.
- We ask that any singer exposed to someone who tests positive to watch for symptoms, which usually show up within 5 days.
- We also ask that anyone involved in live rehearsals who travels to a very high-risk area (rated level 4 or higher by the CDC) quarantine for 14 days before returning to Mystic. Check the CDC travel ratings here – these change frequently as Covid infection rates rise and fall around the world.
CONCERTS
We will implement the same safety protocols at our concert venues as we do for rehearsals – strong ventilation, CO2 monitoring, masks, vaccination, distancing – particularly where singers are gathered. We will be singing with our black singers’ masks and will be spaced out on stage. We may require the audience to be vaccinated, to wear masks, and to spaced out in the hall, depending on local and national recommendations. We will also limit the audience size to allow for safe spacing and for adequate ventilation.
A FINAL NOTE
As a Board we are doing all we can to ensure a safe season for all of us in the Mystic community. We are monitoring variants of the virus, infection rates in Eastern Massachusetts, booster shot recommendations, how other singing groups fare, how audiences attending live concerts fare, and other relevant news.
For ongoing updates
We will stay in touch with the Mystic community via email, at sign-up, and via News and Notes once the season is launched.
Please feel free to send questions and comments to info@mysticchorale.org .
Looking forward to an exciting season!
The Mystic Board of Directors
More Info; Deep Dive into the Research
Questions
Send questions and comments to info@mysticchorale.org .