…and we’re back!
What a strange year 2020 has turned out to be.
Along with everybody else, our focus has been on keeping healthy and following the rules – we hope that you and yours have managed to keep well.
First, the good news - we have held a face-to-face rehearsal for the first time since the lockdown in March – Yay!
To facilitate this, we consulted every Phoenix member to find out what would make them feel safe enough to attend sessions and we were delighted to be told that the overwhelming majority wanted to attend in person. We have listened to the safety precautions requested and have conducted a comprehensive risk assessment. The risk assessment, along with the ‘Covid-19 safe’ policy in place at the Mytchett Community Centre, has enabled us to put in place a process to re-start rehearsals, which is fully in line with DCMS Government guidelines. Zoom sessions will also continue for members who, for whatever reason, cannot attend the sessions in person.
We put everything into practice for the first time on Thursday 24 September and it all seemed to work brilliantly. This allowed us to sing as a group for the first time since March.
It was fabulous!
A big ‘Thank you’ to everybody involved in getting us this far – Joyce for the constant supply of official/Choir Associations’ advice, Vicki and Carol for purchasing the necessary supplies, Nick for the technical sound input to enable Zoom to be used alongside live singing – and every single member for contributing so positively to the consultation and risk assessment.
The bad news is all plans for live performances have been postponed until 2021 at the earliest. We had hoped to hold a ‘Family and Friends’ performance this year, but whilst it is strictly possible within the rules, as we have not been able to rehearse face-to-face until recently, we will not be polished enough for a performance. In addition, we believe our performances should be one big party, which is not possible at the moment whilst concerns around social distancing and ‘mingling’ remain in place, therefore, we have decided that it is preferable to postpone the performance to a date sometime in the future – watch this space.
Joining Us
We know how vital social interaction was during lockdown and we thoroughly enjoyed the ‘lockdown virtual choirs’. If you did too and fancy joining a more local choir, with possibilities of face-to-face interaction, we would be delighted for you to attend our sessions, initially via Zoom. If you want to get in touch (newmembers@phoenixchoir.co.uk), we will send you the music and the meeting access details. This will allow you to try us out and familiarise yourself with our repertoire – and, of course, we will not ask you for membership subscriptions until we can invite you to attend a rehearsal in person.
Well, that’s our news – stay safe and well.