Potential Impact of COVID-19 on Libera

[Yorkie]

Just had confirmation from my hotel the Lamb they are now closed till the end of July, Libera need to say something about the concert not there fault but given a lot of fans travel and it is out of London not a great choice of accommodation can not find anything else as all are closed down and not taking booking at this moment.

I have travel insurance but need confirmation as things such as flights need to be cancelled and claims put in place. Not a large amount of money in the great scheme of things, are things going to be back to any wear near normal in 8-9 weeks time I think not.

I don't know about UK but at home churches and meeting places have been closed no large gatherings.

Regards Steve.

Yes, my booking was cancelled too. Churches and cathedrals in the uk are generally closed for services. I agree, I think things will not be back to normal by early June and even if they are there is unlikely to have been enough time for rehearsals. We live in hope but I do understand that those of you flying in would appreciate the chance to try and claim your travel costs back.

[dani]

I think people just need to use common sense as Wimbledon Tennis has just been postponed for this year and it’s the first time since world war 2 so the chances of Ely happening are slim to none.

You don’t need a cancellation to know that it will be way to soon for a concert to go ahead in my opinion.

[Padmachou]

Well, I cancelled my hostel booking. I can't do anything for the eurostar yet, I will have to figure out later (either I can travel if the crisis has stopped and I will probably, either I can't because of the crisis and so I will get a refund I hope). I booked a show, Les Miserables, too, and I can't cancel or exchange it either, not yet anyways.

Honestly I kind of hope everything will be cancelled now, so that I won't lose any money. Except for Libera, I would totally agree for Libera to keep the money, that would be a small gift to them...
IF nothing is cancelled, I just hope I will be able to book the hostels a second time I would be super sad to miss the concert if it is still happening.

[filiarheni]

Our travels:

Well, I cancelled my hostel booking. I can't do anything for the eurostar yet, I will have to figure out later (either I can travel if the crisis has stopped and I will probably, either I can't because of the crisis and so I will get a refund I hope).

My hotel is behind in cancelling and their homepage doesn't say anything, but as there's free cancellation until the beginning of June, I can afford to wait, although I don't see the Ely concert taking place on 6th June.

Regarding Eurostar and Deutsche Bahn, I think that there will be a decision by them, when the time has come. At the moment, DB offers a voluntary payment for corona-related cancellations. Our restricting measures in Germany are currently set until 20th April and then the situation will be newly evaluated.

__________________

Libera:

As we are speculating about Libera's scheduled concerts and their preparation, finding a way to rehearse nevertheless is something that most musical ensembles may be trying out at the moment. The software  "Zoom" seemed a possible solution to many choirs, but, due to the delay in sound, it does not work to a satisfactory extent. I have beein wondering since the beginning about the possibilities that Robert would find to continue with Libera's rehearsals. At least the merely technical voice training as well as the solo training is certainly well possible.

So last week, I read a newspaper article about a choir who practises online at the moment, and here are some excerpts (please bear in mind that this is an amateur choir, while Libera is of course highly professional with several rehearsals per week, moving on a higher level). It's just meant as one out of multiple examples how to solve this generally present rehearsing problem, and I find every solution interesting.

"The choir director Mark Rosenthal currently provides his four choirs with audio files online, on which the conductor's portion of a normal rehearsal is shown. For this he sits at the computer and  the piano every day and works out the practice recordings, 16 per week, one for each individual voice group of the four choirs. "I hope, you already warmed your voice up before you let our rehearsal play", sounds the familiar voice from the laptop. This is how the 'remote rehearsal' begins, as the conductor calls it. 

Before he really gets going, he points to the normal surroundings of the home studio, with barking of his dogs or the ringing at the door. "We have to deal with that." He sings and plays the respective passages, then the choir members have to repeat them two or three times. As a precaution, he refers to the dynamic rules in the notes: "Wherever you see a crescendo, please join in, where you see a decrescendo, as well etc. etc." Choir members get along well with it: "It was as usual, only with less people." They just miss being all together.

Rosenthal does not yet want to judge about the learning success in case the restrictions should drag on for longer. "After three to four weeks, we'll all go a little bit crazy. We'll have to wait and see how that develops."
He rejects rehearsals with software for video conferences for choral work. The deepening learning effect through mutual hearing does not work. In addition, there are different time delays between the conference participants. "It doesn't help them to see me." The singers are fully occupied with listening and concentrating on the notes. For individual training, however, he uses such software: "Here we have bidirectional audiovisual communication, but due to the time delay you cannot accompany solo pieces on the piano in real time."

The conductor: "Only when you give up do you lose. We'll all get through this, and the music will help us." 
(Rhein-Sieg-Rundschau, 27.03.2020, "Crescendo vom Bildschirm")

While of course the challenge is to put the complex Libera arrangement together to one whole, singing itself must go on to keep the voice trained. I have no doubts that this is happening and that Robert is very active and creative in finding ways to musically keep pace as well as only possible and, above all, to maintain their joy of singing during the long break of spending time together. Loving Libera and making music myself, I am terribly curious about such details (why not write a small blog, Libera ... ).

[maartendas]

Regarding cancellation and refunds, some accommodations or travel agencies in the Netherlands (and Europe) offer vouchers. This way, you can rebook at a later date so you don't lose your vacation and the company doesn't lose money. It sounds to me like a win-win solution, within the circumstances.

[Padmachou]

Yes, I got an answer from my Ely booking, saying that if I do cancel, I will be charged with fees. But they offer that I postpon my trip. I might do so, but I see no point in going to Ely if not for a Libera concert. And I do not know yet WHEN to do this trip.

I am thinking, maybe, since Libera might not travel to Asia this summer, maybe they will postpon they concert too ? Instead of having a June Ely's concert, we might have a summer holiday Ely's concert ? What do you think ?

Thank you Filiarheni for the article, it is really interesting. I am attending taekwondo classes on Zoom, but even for us the sound delay is already annoying, so I can well imagine that choir rehearsal isn't an option. Yes, a blog on how they are managing this crisis would be interesting, and also comforting, I would like to know that they are all well, Robert Prizeman included.

[Amie_Hill]

__________________

Libera:

As we are speculating about Libera's scheduled concerts and their preparation, finding a way to rehearse nevertheless is something that most musical ensembles may be trying out at the moment. The software  "Zoom" seemed a possible solution to many choirs, but, due to the delay in sound, it does not work to a satisfactory extent. I have beein wondering since the beginning about the possibilities that Robert would find to continue with Libera's rehearsals. At least the merely technical voice training as well as the solo training is certainly well possible.

So last week, I read a newspaper article about a choir who practises online at the moment, and here are some excerpts (please bear in mind that this is an amateur choir, while Libera is of course highly professional with several rehearsals per week, moving on a higher level). It's just meant as one out of multiple examples how to solve this generally present rehearsing problem, and I find every solution interesting.

"The choir director Mark Rosenthal currently provides his four choirs with audio files online, on which the conductor's portion of a normal rehearsal is shown. For this he sits at the computer and  the piano every day and works out the practice recordings, 16 per week, one for each individual voice group of the four choirs. "I hope, you already warmed your voice up before you let our rehearsal play", sounds the familiar voice from the laptop. This is how the 'remote rehearsal' begins, as the conductor calls it. 

Before he really gets going, he points to the normal surroundings of the home studio, with barking of his dogs or the ringing at the door. "We have to deal with that." He sings and plays the respective passages, then the choir members have to repeat them two or three times. As a precaution, he refers to the dynamic rules in the notes: "Wherever you see a crescendo, please join in, where you see a decrescendo, as well etc. etc." Choir members get along well with it: "It was as usual, only with less people." They just miss being all together.

Rosenthal does not yet want to judge about the learning success in case the restrictions should drag on for longer. "After three to four weeks, we'll all go a little bit crazy. We'll have to wait and see how that develops."
He rejects rehearsals with software for video conferences for choral work. The deepening learning effect through mutual hearing does not work. In addition, there are different time delays between the conference participants. "It doesn't help them to see me." The singers are fully occupied with listening and concentrating on the notes. For individual training, however, he uses such software: "Here we have bidirectional audiovisual communication, but due to the time delay you cannot accompany solo pieces on the piano in real time."

The conductor: "Only when you give up do you lose. We'll all get through this, and the music will help us." 
(Rhein-Sieg-Rundschau, 27.03.2020, "Crescendo vom Bildschirm")

While of course the challenge is to put the complex Libera arrangement together to one whole, singing itself must go on to keep the voice trained. I have no doubts that this is happening and that Robert is very active and creative in finding ways to musically keep pace as well as only possible and, above all, to maintain their joy of singing during the long break of spending time together. Loving Libera and making music myself, I am terribly curious about such details (why not write a small blog, Libera ... ).
[/quote]

The above information is from filiarheni; here's a quick addition—Amie)

Les Petits Chanteurs à la Croix de Bois—definitely not an amateur choir—have done a lovely virtual choir version of "L'esperance."

[Surpinto]

Thank you for the interesting insights into the pros and cons of online choir practice, Filiarheni! I hope that Libera manages to work these things out for themselves in a way that works for them.

As for the concert, there is no way that concert in Ely is going to happen. I don't mean to be pessimistic here but the question is simply when the cancellation will be announced at this point.

[bachmahlerfan]

Well, I don't expect any concerts until Fall at the earliest. By the time they can rehearse like normal again, I think it will be too close to the Summer tour in Korea. Korea has fared much better in this pandemic and their cases have dropped off, but the U.K. has a long ways to go before any restrictions are lifted regarding groups of people. I'm hoping they will record an album sometime in the late Summer-Fall period, which could be released next Spring like the "Hope" album, or late Winter like the "Peace" album.

[TullyBascombe]

According to their recent video on YouTube they are rehearsing at home.

[bachmahlerfan]

According to their recent video on YouTube they are rehearsing at home.

That's true, but there are limitations to the progress that can be made compared to regular in-person rehearsal. Also, I think the UK will be one of the last countries in Europe to ease restrictions enough to where regular rehearsals are permitted, thanks to their inaction early on. I really hope I'm wrong and they can have a great tour in Korea, but I don't think much will happen until their October Japan tour, except perhaps for recording some songs.

[dani]

Whatever the outcome it seems social distancing is here for the foreseeable future so concerts , plays and anything with mass crowds is going to be a no no for months to come.

It totally sucks but we just have to unfortunately deal with the new normal and accept that seeing Libera in the next 2/4 months is highly unlikely.

[andmar]

Still, nothing is officially cancelled, but it feels really very much unlikely that the concert in Ely on 6th June 2020 will take place. I've been trying to get used to that thought for some time now and it's not easy ...

Now I'm thinking about the Japan tour in October. Concert tickets and flights bought already, but will the world have returned to normal by then? Not sure any more...

[TullyBascombe]

The Tokyo Olympics have been postponed until next year.
OTOH it has been reported that a group funded by Bill Gates has started testing a Covid 19 vaccine in Philadelphia. Maybe we'll get lucky.

[LordG]

Some new developments at the website of the Ely cathedral

https://www.elycathedral.org/events

EVENTS
DUE TO THE CURRENT COVID-19 SITUATION WE ARE ONLY LISTING EVENTS FROM JULY ONWARDS

As I wrote in my earlier statement you could reach the booking website of the concert
only via following Libera website.

https://libera.org.uk/event/ely-2020/