Sunrise over Lake Michigan. View from 63rd Street Breakwater.
Season 2019-20 was to have been a banner year for Chorale, ushering in our twentieth anniversary. Two Christmas performances in Ravinia’s Bennett Gordon Hall, plus an inaugural reprise of the same concert in Hyde Park; a production of Bach’s St. John Passion at St. Michael’s Church, with a bravura slate of soloists and the Haymarket Opera Orchestra; a concert tour in Spain for nine days in July, including a commissioned work by Spanish composer Javier Centeno.
But our season, along with most commerce and live performance around the world, has instead folded its tents and stolen away in the night. America is in the midst of its worst crisis in many years, and all of us are touched by it. Like other organizations, Chorale waited as long as we dared, before announcing the cancellation of our rehearsals, performances, and travel. I would be sorry at anytime to cancel any of our activities; but I was particularly sorry this past week, when it became clear that the remainder of our season would not happen. We had tentatively scheduled the resumption of rehearsals for Saturday, April 4; and as it became increasingly clear that we would not meet, I continued to hope, against all evidence, that we would rehearse, and make some good music, creating sparks of light in this gloom. Some of our singers are graduating students, who will be leaving the area; some of our singers are moving to other cities and new professional positions. Too many will not be with us any more, when we finally convene again. I'll miss them, miss their contributions to our Chorale community, miss seeing and hearing them each week.
I don't question the wisdom of this extended shutdown. Our neighborhood, Hyde Park, is a careful, observant, educated community; many of our residents enjoy the luxuries of working from home, and have resources from which they can draw; they have well-stocked freezers and pantries, grocery stores in which it feels safe to shop, a major medical center just down the street. But the population surrounding us is suffering deeply, horribly, to an extent we can hardly imagine. Life is hard and dangerous for these people, perhaps always, certainly now-- they who drive our buses, who staff our hospitals, pick up our garbage, deliver our mail, stock our grocery shelves, keep our power and water going. We have to do all we can to slow down the progress of this deadly disease. We have to remember that no one is an island-- that any death diminishes us, because we are involved in mankind. The bell tolls for all of us.
I hope all of you are remaining safe and healthy, finding therapeutic activities to keep your spirits up and mitigate against the loneliness, anger, depression, anxiety that are so prevalent now. I am locked down with my entire family, including my daughter’s new baby, born March 13. We get on one another’s nerves; but we know we are very lucky to have one another, and our dogs and cats, and our spring-bursting gardens.
Chorale looks forward, fervently, to the day when we can sing for you again.