We hope you and your loved ones are safe, healthy, and well. This summer, the Stonewall Chorale Board of Directors met to discuss our path forward for our 44th season, which begins this September.
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic and its virulence, which makes itself known to us every day, we will not begin rehearsals in September, or, as of now, during the rest of 2020. Regretfully, this means that our December concert is postponed. We will announce our actions for the beginning of 2021 this November, paying constant attention to risks and developing remediations in the meantime.
As you can imagine, the board weighed this decision very carefully. Our newly created COVID-19 Response Team informed this decision based on available epidemiological data. We are all aware of announced performance interruptions from our fellow choruses, concert and opera organizations, and Broadway productions. We are acutely aware of the social and psychological impact our separation from each other is causing our members, in terms of loss of community, social interaction, and music-making. Ultimately the Chorale's elected board is primarily concerned about the health and well-being of everyone in our organization’s orbit, thinking not only of our members and audiences but also the family members and significant others with whom we interact. Despite our longing to return in-person to our loving, singing community, we will not put anyone in harm’s way until there are viable medical solutions that allow safe interaction. As our organization continues to work in ways old and new throughout this pandemic, we do consider September to be the beginning of our 2020-21 season, our 44th. The Stonewall Chorale will creatively present our 2020-21 season with an exciting program of scheduled releases of previous performances, remastered from videos with our superior audio recordings, posted on our YouTube channel with new commentary, so be sure to subscribe and share. We plan on creating at least one virtual performance to be aired before the end of this year, as well as online alternatives to our usual in-person cabaret fundraisers. While we all feel deeply disappointed about our continuing separation from each other, know that The Stonewall Chorale continues to be here for you, sharing our gift of song in the safest way possible, until we meet again.
— The Stonewall Board of Directors Michael Conwill, President Alex Akers and Gwendolyn Stegall, Co-Vice Presidents Debbie Mincer, Secretary Justin Ross, Treasurer Linda Romano, Development Emily McSpadden, Marketing Cecelia Martin, Membership Bernie Mulvaney, Member-at-Large Taronté Venable, Member-at-Large and Cynthia Powell, Artistic Director