Opera in Quarantine

It’s been a very strange few months since the coronavirus pandemic swept the world. For musicians, the past few months have meant many cancelled performances and the question of when will we be able to resume public performance. This summer, I was supposed to sing Wellgunde in Das Rheingold with the Miami Wager Festival and then fly to Austria to be an opera fellow at AIMS in Graz. Both of these opportunities have been postponed to Summer 2021. While I am very grateful that these gigs have been postponed rather than cancelled outright, the lack of work has made me a little stir-crazy. In-person musical collaboration is too risky during the pandemic, yet many resourceful musicians have found ways to work together remotely. On more than one occassion during these past few months, I have been a part of several virtual choirs, opera choruses, and recently a virtual collaboration on an aria (check out “Dich teure Halle” on my recordings page). Every time I take part in a virtual collaboration, I am reminded how vital music making is to my soul and general mental well-being. This pandemic may take away our jobs for the moment, but it cannot stop the music.