Classical restart

As lockdown restrictions evolve in the UK, how can live classical concerts resume? Neville Roberts summarises options available for different musical settings

- Neville Roberts

UK government guidance states that from 11 July live music concerts were permitted to take place outdoors with a socially distanced audience present. But what is the future for indoor concerts and how can a symphony orchestra perform and still adhere to any guidelines?

According to the Musical Director of the Texas-based San Antonio Symphony, Sebastian Lang-Lessing, testing, Plexiglass shields for wind players and masks are the way forward. Lang-Lessing acknowledges that it’s not always possible to distance musicians two metres apart. In an orchestra pit there is simply not enough space. For a symphony orchestra, it would be possible to space the players further apart, but once they leave the stage and interface with each other, distancing is more difficult to manage. If, however, all the musicians are tested before a performance, normal or closer to normal conditions can be resumed more quickly.