SPONSORED STORY FROM A CHORUS AMERICA PARTNER

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March 2020, Steve Smith was five months into his new job as president of Berkshire Choral International (BCI) with a mandate to reset and re-energize the summer program for a new generation of choral singers. COVID-19 then forced cancellation of all BCI live events for both 2020 and 2021. After a two-year gap of in-person programs, the summer of 2022 has seen a much-anticipated reopening. Chorus America checked in with Steve to see how the return is going and what lessons he and the organization have learned.

Many choruses and choral leaders are wondering if their organizations should require vaccination as a condition of returning to in-person rehearsal and performance as safely as possible. Their first question: “Is that even allowed?”

In the U.S., under federal law and current guidelines, choruses—like other private employers and organizations—can require staff, volunteers, and audiences to get vaccinated in most cases. Below you’ll find more detail about the guidelines around each of these cases, as well as some important things to consider.

Alongside research into treatment of COVID-19, scientists around the world are conducting studies that are identifying the most effective ways to avoid contracting the virus when people choose to be near each other. Across the country, several choruses are applying some of these findings in an effort to develop safe ways to resume a behavior the pandemic has made especially risky: singing together in the same space. This story examines ways they are approaching the challenge and lessons they are learning