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White House and CDC Remove Corona Virus Warnings about Choirs in Faith Guidance

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White House and CDC Remove Corona Virus Warnings about Choirs in Faith Guidance

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A deacon stands during a service at Hopeful Baptist Church in Montpelier, Va., on May 17 as the state began loosening restrictions on gatherings. (Salwan Georges/The Washington Post)

The Trump administration with no advance notice removed warnings contained in guidance for the reopening of houses of worship that singing in choirs can spread the coronavirus.

Last Friday, the administration released pandemic guidance for faith communities after weeks of debate flared between the White House and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Those guidelines posted on the CDC website included recommendations that religious communities "consider suspending or at least decreasing use of choir/musical ensembles and congregant singing, chanting, or reciting during services or other programming, if appropriate within the faith tradition."

It added: "The act of singing may contribute to transmission of Covid-19, possibly through emission of aerosols."

By Saturday, that version was replaced by updated guidance that no longer includes any reference to choirs or congregant singing and the risk for spreading virus. The altered guidance also deleted a reference to "shared cups" among items, including hymnals and worship rugs, that should not be shared. The updated guidelines also added language that said the guidance "is not intended to infringe on rights protected by the First Amendment."

Two White House officials said the first version posted by the CDC was not approved by the White House. Once West Wing officials saw it, they asked the CDC to post a different cleared document without the choir references and other parts.

The officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to talk about policy discussions, said there have long been concerns within the White House that there were too many restrictions on choirs. A CDC official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak about the guideline change also said the updated Saturday guidance was approved by the White House.

Earlier this month, the CDC issued a report warning about "superspreader" events where the coronavirus might be "highly transmissible in certain settings, including group singing events." That report described a choir practice in Washington state in March at which one person ended up infecting 52 other people, including two who died.

"Members had an intense and prolonged exposure, singing while sitting 6-10 inches from one another, possibly emitting aerosols," the report said. The infections probably took place during a 2½ -hour choir practice attended by 61 members.

White House officials battled for weeks with CDC aides about the scope of reopening guidelines. Officials in Vice President Pence's office, the domestic policy council and other members on the president's coronavirus task force were resistant to establishing limits on religious institutions even as the CDC issued detailed road maps for reopening other settings, including schools and restaurants, and as the agency warned of the dangers of significant virus transmission rates at religious events.

Some officials in the White House and on the coronavirus task force did not want to alienate the evangelical community and believed that some of the proposals, such as limits on hymnals, the size of choirs or the passing of collection plates, were too restrictive, according to two administration officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss policy decisions.

Some restrictions imposed by state governments have become a point of contention for conservative religious leaders, an important constituency in President Trump's political base.

Even as states have begun reopening, public health officials continue to warn against mass gatherings or settings in which people will be in close quarters, and note that religious gatherings have been the source of several outbreaks.

An outbreak at an Arkansas church killed three and infected dozens, according to a CDC report. The outbreak began after a pastor at the church and his wife attended church events during six days in early March and spread the virus. At least 35 of 92 attendees at church events became infected, including the three who died, all over the age of 65. An additional 26 infections and one death in the community were probably linked to contact with people infected at the church events, according to the report.

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White House and CDC remove coronavirus warnings about choirs in faith guidance

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The Trump administration with no advance notice removed warnings contained in guidance for the reopening of houses of worship that singing in choirs can spread the coronavirus. Last Friday, the administration released pandemic guidance for faith communities after weeks of debate flared between the White House and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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Singing, the Church, and COVID-19:A Caution for Moving Forward in Our Current Pandemic

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Singing, the Church, and COVID-19:A Caution for Moving Forward in Our Current Pandemic

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Update #1 published May 21, 2020 can be found

I'm a music director at a mid-sized Baptist church in Missouri. We have been fortunate to have a low incidence of SARS-CoV-2 in our county so far. Our statewide Safe-At-Home order is set to expire in less than a week. With things getting ready to open back up, the church leadership and I are carefully considering what our corporate gatherings should look like, and how we should care for our people emotionally, socially, and spiritually. It's a tall order.

In my "day job," I'm a vocologist and a voice teacher with a PhD in Vocal Pedagogy and Voice Science. I have done research on the voice, and continue to read voice research in my spare time. Yes, I am just that nerdy. But it's also riveting. The voice is one of the most wonderful creations that God has bestowed upon us, and I am endlessly fascinated with it.

For a couple of weeks now there have been rumblings of concern among my colleagues in the voice research world and the church world about the safety of singing together during this unprecedented time. Lots of articles and opinions are flying around. The more I read, the more I came to realize that whether I encouraged my congregation to engage in public singing when we met together again would be the most important decision I have made in ministry so far. So, I've compiled all the reliable research I can find on it, and distilled it into a single document. It is my hope that this work can be of some help to my friends and colleagues as we all seek to lead our people well.

A caveat: This is not a scholarly article, though I'm relying on my skills in reading and writing research to distill what I've learned into a condensed form. For the sake of time and space I'm not going to cite everything I've read. At some point perhaps I'll type out my chicken-scratched bibliography to put it in a shareable form.

A second caveat: Research in normal times can go at a fairly leisurely pace. We are in extraordinary times, so the pace of the data coming out is fast and furious. It's tough to stay on top of it. Some of the things I say here today may be changed or clarified as we learn more. I might miss things, and I'd be pleased if someone could point me to anything pertinent that you think I should include or consider. Excellent research is a team sport.

A third caveat: Some research is being released to the public before the peer review process is complete. I will be clear when I am citing things that are not yet through that rigorous process. I will also be very clear when I am stating my opinion.

Singing is a complex neurological, emotional, aerodynamic,

and muscular process. For right now, we're going to focus

just on those last two.

Air originating in the lungs is expelled through the muscle

action of the diaphragm and the muscles in the rib cage

(intercostals). The air can travel at varying rates of speed and

pressure based on lots of things, but for our purposes we're

mostly thinking about voice projection and loudness.

Generally, the louder and more projected a person's speech

or singing is, the higher the air speed and air pressure. There's

a lot more to it than that, but that's a good place to start.

As we continue, let's just all acknowledge that while the body

is fascinating and it's really fun to learn about it, sometimes it's

also gross and can make us uncomfortable. That said, here we go...

When a person speaks or sings, air travels up from the lungs,

through the bronchioles, then the bronchi, then the trachea, up

through the vocal folds, then up through the pharynx and mouth,

and then finally exits through the lips (sometimes the nose) and

gets expelled into the outside air. Each of these body structures

is covered with a mucosal lining that makes mucous and keeps

the surfaces protected by keeping them hydrated and by

trapping foreign particles like dust, pollen, food, germs, etc.

The air column doesn't travel exactly in a straight line, either, but

rather bounces around in a rather chaotic pattern. That's related

to the acoustics of singing and speech, which is endlessly

fascinating, but it is another topic for another time.

Those mucosal particles and anything else that's in the air can be very, very small as they travel on the air column. The smallest particles in the air column are "aerosol." These are microscopic, and we cannot see them with the naked eye. They can be as small as 5 microns in diameter. Remember that number, because it will be important soon.

When a person coughs or sneezes, they also emit particles of mucous and whatever else in "droplets." Droplets are much larger than aerosol, and can be visible. Again, don't dwell, just keep reading.

Because the droplets are larger, they can travel a few feet from the no-doubt penitent cougher or sneezer, and then they are grabbed by gravity and fall to the ground. If a person happens to be sick, and those droplets contain bacteria or viruses, they can infect another person if the droplets come into direct contact with that other person, or that person touches something the droplets land on and then they touch their mouth or eyes. Droplets are large enough they must be expelled from the body by force, with coughs or sneezes.

Aerosol particles are small enough that they can disperse from a person just from the normal act of breathing. Singing or loud speech tends to increase the aerosol cloud in size and in distance (sending aerosol from a person from 3 to 27 feet, varied by numerous factors). Also, because the aerosol particles are so small, they float in the air for much, much longer before gravity finally pulls them to the ground. And when I say much, much longer, I mean 12 hours or more in calm air. If the space where aerosol is present has an HVAC system or a draft that is moving air around, that aerosol can stay buoyant for an indeterminate amount of time.

Here's a great video that shows the difference between droplets and aerosol.

Because aerosol particles can hang in the air for so long, a person can walk through an aerosol cloud hours later and breathe in those particles. And because the particles are so small, they can travel into a person's lungs more easily than droplets.

You might recall that I said aerosol particles can be 5 microns in diameter.

For comparison, the SARS-CoV-2 particle is measured at 60-140 nanometers in diameter.

One micron (a.k.a. micrometer) = 1000 nanometers.

One 5 micron aerosol droplet is the same size as ~7 to 167 SARS-CoV-2 viruses.

This means that aerosols could be very, very efficient virus carriers. And because they hang in the air for hours at a time, this could be concerning for groups who are gathering in the same space and singing or talking a lot.

Measles can be spread through aerosol transmission rather efficiently.

It has also been shown that some people are "superemitters." That means they emit a higher volume of aerosol than others. We don't know why, but I'll bet you're thinking of someone right now who just might be a superemitter.

Researchers are still not fully in consensus on whether the SARS-CoV-2 can be transmitted as a live virus in aerosol. It takes time to thoroughly study a topic. Good science just takes time. For now, results are conflicting, and there's not enough of a body of data yet to get a good lay of the land. However, the most recent research from the New England Journal of Medicine relays data that the virus can remain viable in aerosol transmission for up to three hours.

Earlier research seemed to indicate that while aerosol transmission was possible in laboratory, it was less likely to be spread through aerosol in real world conditions.

Late last week (April 24, 2020) a White House official showed a slide in the daily press briefing that discussed the half-life of this virus in conditions of varying sunlight and humidity. An interesting inclusion on the slide was the last two lines, which showed the half-life of this virus in aerosol transmission.

In this slide, which contains research from a paper that has not been peer-reviewed or published yet, the virus seems to have a half-life of ~60 minutes in an environment with generally low humidity and no direct sunlight. Half-life means that after ~60 minutes half of the virus is dead or ineffective. In another ~60 minutes, half of the remaining would be dead or ineffective, and so on.

As an illustration:

Time 0 (minutes): 1000 viruses in the air

T60: 500 viruses in the air

T120: 250 viruses in the air

T180: 125 viruses

Relatively low humidity with no direct sunlight describes most of our sanctuaries. If this slide contained results that can be validated through repeat studies, it suggests that live virus could be in aerosol clouds in the air for hours after a person stops singing or talking. Because the full paper is not yet available to the public for scrutiny, this is data that should be considered, but it has not been independently verified. I'm keeping an eye out for this paper, though, because I think it could be very important and I'll update as soon as the full text is available.

A note on sunlight killing viruses: Sunlight is composed of an array of UV light. There is UVA, UVB, and UVC. UVA and UVB light are both dangerous for skin exposure, which is why I have sunscreen available to me all over the place. UVC light seems to be the type that is most toxic to viruses. However, UVC light is mostly filtered out by the ozone layer of our atmosphere, so very little of it reaches the surface of the earth. This may mean that being outside is not enough on its own to kill a virus on a surface. This is still being reviewed and studied.

Fifty years ago scientists looked at the spread of tuberculosis in an industrial school, where those who were in choir with an infected individual had a higher rate of catching the disease than those who interacted with the individual outside of singing events. Granted, this is a case study of a single individual in a single location, so it is not able to be verified through repeat measures like other types of studies. However, the study was rigorous and has been cited by other scientists numerous times, which attests to its reliability as a good study overall.

Scientists have posited that "superemitters" may also be "super spreaders," being able to more efficiently send viral and bacterial particles into the air at a greater velocity and greater distance than their peers.

It has also been shown that vowels emit a greater number of aerosol particles in speech than do consonants, and that voiced plosive consonants emit more than unvoiced fricative consonants. And what do we do in singing? We elongate the vowels. Much, much longer than in normal speech patterns.

Churches have been identified as the source of outbreaks around the country and around the world.

There is also a tragic story of a choir who held a rehearsal in early March and later experienced an outbreak among members, and others who contracted the disease after a choir rehearsal.

We don't know, honestly, if it was the singing that created an environment for this disease to spread. We also don't know that it didn't. This is a gap in our knowledge that is still being studied. It will likely be years before we have a firm grasp on this with enough data to have confidence in the conclusion one way or the other. That's a big bummer, to be honest, but it is not the top of the research priority list and I understand that.

We don't know that this particular virus can be transmitted through speaking or singing alone, or whether it needs to be in larger droplets, or transferred directly into a person's mouth or eyes. These are all questions still being studied, and this information is likely to change rapidly as we try to get a handle on things.

All of that said, there seems to be a growing body of evidence that singing, talking, breathing, and laughing are possible ways to transmit disease.

There are suggestions now that masks can reduce (but not eliminate entirely) aerosol and droplets emitted from a person who speaks or sings. Masks, of course, can also reduce the aerosol a person breathes in from their environment, though children have less benefit of this compared to adults.

Wearing masks of any type is not recommended for everyone. It can be difficult for those with claustrophobia or breathing problems. Masks make communication more difficult for those who are hard of hearing and rely on lip reading. Churches may not legally be able to require that every person has to wear a mask in the building. The policy on masks should be considered carefully by each church before they proceed, in my opinion.

With regard to physical distancing, because aerosol can spread so far

and long, there does not seem to be any amount of physical distancing

in an indoor space that can mitigate aerosol spread. If an infected

person sings in a sanctuary, and 20 minutes later at the conclusion of

the service an uninfected person walks 10 feet in front of where the

infected person was sitting, there is a high plausibility that the uninfected

person would breathe in virus particles from the aerosol still hanging in

It may be more likely that an outdoor space, still with appropriate physical distancing, could be a safer way to meet. Some states have allowed this, while others have not. In talking with worship leader colleagues around the country, outdoor and drive-in meetings have been a mixed bag. Some congregations did great at following the guidelines put forth by leadership, and others did not. Some problems mentioned included members who would park their cars close and roll down windows to talk to one another, members getting out of cars and walking to other cars, members using the bathrooms in groups, and members hanging around after services had concluded so they could congregate together. Other considerations not related to physical distancing included the difficulty in creating a good sound quality to transmit to people sitting and listening. Again, another topic for another time, but worthy of consideration if this is an avenue you would like to consider.

The gist: For now, it is not safe to sing together. And we should be very cautious when talking to one another.

There are still a lot of questions, and many things we don't know about SARS-CoV-2. However, there is a great deal of consensus among my colleagues around the country who are voice researchers, SLPs, and voice teachers. We are almost all in agreement that singing together now is not safe enough. Most of us will not have voice students in our studios for a while, and I can't tell you how sad that is. Teaching voice lessons online is a very viable way to practice my profession, but online church is not quite the same.

There are a few dissenting voices. And dissenting views that are well-articulated and backed with evidence should be carefully examined. I will say that for my part, I am not convinced by the contrary opinions. I do not believe they hold as much water as the evidence I've shared above. That said, with everything taken together, I would much rather be overly cautious and eventually be proven to have overreacted than to create a situation where I later found I put people in harm's way. This is something that has weighed very heavily on me in recent days. It's robbed my sleep and brought me to tears. I do not take this lightly.

Christians are a singing people. We are social and loving in my particular congregation, and I know the lack of physical touch and togetherness is very, very hard on many of them. However, until we know more about the aerosol survival rate of SARS-CoV-2 particles, I would urge us all to be cautious and avoid putting our congregations at risk. I love these people, and I want them to be safe.

And I get it. THIS IS HARD! I am a singer, and I want to sing together with my people! I miss it, even though I am privileged to be able to share songs with them via electronic media in this interim. I am likely to get angry and sad comments from some in my congregation who will not understand the decision to keep our singing private. I am not looking forward to that, but I hope I can love them well through this difficult time.

I am not insisting that this means we should not meet publicly at all. That's going to be a very serious discussion that every church's leadership needs to undertake prayerfully and wisely. I do think the emerging body of research suggests we meet together with increased caution, even if we are just speaking to one another. I think it could actually be an amazingly instructional time for us as churches to dive more deeply into what worship means besides singing in our public gatherings. We can worship with preaching, testimony, prayer, contemplation...all things that are true worship that just happen to not be set to music. I think it can also be a wonderful opportunity to take music out of the church building and put it back into homes. As a worship leader and a music educator, I have long wanted to empower people to use music in their home lives, making music on their own for worship and entertainment. Too long we've left the music to the professionals, and this could be a wonderful opportunity for the church to sing everywhere.

These are interesting times, and we all have a great deal to consider as we make decisions that honestly could have very serious implications. It is my hope that we are informed, wise, prayerful, and loving in our decision-making.

Whatever you decide, friends and colleagues, may God be glorified and exalted through our decisions as we follow Him. He is not surprised that any of this happened, and He knows what we need to do. May we not run ahead, may we not walk beside, but may we be close behind the Shepherd, following His leadership the whole way home. The peace of Christ to you all.

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Singing, the Church, and COVID-19 | drheathernelson

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Update #1 published May 21, 2020 can be found I'm a music director at a mid-sized Baptist church in Missouri. We have been fortunate to have a low incidence of SARS-CoV-2 in our county so far. Our statewide Safe-At-Home order is set to expire in less than a week.

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Returning to a “new normality” for #Orchestras during #COVID19 – Recommendations

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Returning to a “new normality” for #Orchestras during #COVID19 – Recommendations

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RPO trombones play Elgar’s ‘Nimrod’ over Zoom #RPOatHome

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RPO trombones play Elgar’s ‘Nimrod’ over Zoom #RPOatHome

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RPO trombones play Elgar’s ‘Nimrod’ over Zoom #RPOatHome

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Lin-Manuel Miranda Announces Virtual School Program, #EduHam at Home

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Lin-Manuel Miranda Announces Virtual School Program, #EduHam at Home

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Education News Lin-Manuel Miranda Announces Virtual School Program, #EduHam at Home

The free digital program encourages teens and their families to create their own theatrical pieces.

Hamilton and The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History have launched #EduHam at Home, a free digital program for students and their families to explore the world of the Pulitzer Prize-winning musical and America's founding era. Watch Lin-Manuel Miranda announce the program above.

#EduHam at Home is an extension of the Hamilton Education Program, a classroom initiative that walks through Miranda's Hamilton creation process and ends with students making and performing their own musical theatre pieces-including on the stage of the international hit production itself before a student matinee. With the COVID-19 pandemic keeping schools closed, the program allows students to be creative theatre artists while adhering to social distancing guidelines.
WATCH: High School Students Take the Hamilton Stage as Part of #EduHam
Students who register will have access to mentorships that will help them create and perform their own narrative in the form of a song, rap, spoken word, or scene. Their pieces can be submitted for consideration upon completion, with 10 performances selected and shared each week on the Hamilton app, social media, and the GLI website.

Additional resources include the primary documents that Miranda used, exclusive Hamilton clips, and interviews with cast and creative team members. #EduHam at Home also provides an American history curriculum, introducing students to the people, events, and documents of the founding era. The program is recommended for students in 6th through 12th grades but open to all.

"Out of everything that has come from Hamilton, I am most proud of #EduHam and of the students who have created their own incredible work from primary sources," said Miranda. "I'm thrilled that we can make Hamilton learning a family experience, led by the students at home during this unprecedented time."

For more information and registration, .

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Lin-Manuel Miranda Announces Virtual School Program, #EduHam at Home | Playbill

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Education News Lin-Manuel Miranda Announces Virtual School Program, #EduHam at Home The free digital program encourages teens and their families to create their own theatrical pieces. Hamilton and The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History have launched #EduHam at Home, a free digital program for students and their families to explore the world of the Pulitzer Prize-winning musical and America's founding era.

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New Kids on the Block release coronavirus song 'House Party' to lift spirits and raise money

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New Kids on the Block release coronavirus song 'House Party' to lift spirits and raise money

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new kids on the block release coronavirus song 'house party' to lift spirits and raise money  - cnn

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New Kids on the Block release coronavirus song 'House Party' to lift spirits and raise money

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New Kids on the Block releases new song called "House Party" on Friday, April 24.

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How the Met Opera Is Throwing a Gala Concert With Smartphones

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How the Met Opera Is Throwing a Gala Concert With Smartphones

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"Is this enough light?" asked the baritone Peter Mattei.

He was in the living room of his home outside Stockholm, speaking over Skype with a small group of Metropolitan Opera staff members who were giving him directions to prepare for the company's At-Home Gala on Saturday - a worldwide relay of live streamed performances that, in contrast to opera's usual grandeur, will be filmed using only household devices.

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Over Skype, the baritone Peter Mattei tested lighting in his home outside Stockholm. Credit... Metropolitan Opera

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How the Met Opera Is Throwing a Gala Concert With Smartphones

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"Is this enough light?" asked the baritone Peter Mattei. He was in the living room of his home outside Stockholm, speaking over Skype with a small group of Metropolitan Opera staff members who were giving him directions to prepare for the company's At-Home Gala on Saturday - a worldwide relay of live streamed performances that, in contrast to opera's usual grandeur, will be filmed using only household devices.

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The ramifications from the COVID-19 pandemic in the area of instrumental music are beyond what anyone ever imagined. Recently, the CDC recommended face coverings to slow down community spread. Cities like Los Angeles and New York have already mandated that all their citizens wear face coverings. Walmart also mandated their employees to wear masks and United Arlines is requiring flight attendants to wear masks. Passengers could be next. It seems that one of the ways we will be able to return to schools this fall will be by adhering to strict social distancing guidelines while students, faculty, and staff are required to wear face masks at school.

Students can not wear face masks during band class though. Woodwind and brass players have to blow air into their instruments to produce sound. String players and percussionists can produce sound while wearing masks and could begin rehearsals relatively quickly while constantly sanitizing shared equipment. However, wind players will have to figure out an alternative to keep the music going in case face masks are required.

Categorizing wind instrument sections as high-risk or low-risk areas of contagion was not a topic of conversation or research three months ago but it should be today as a result of this pandemic. In bands (and also full orchestras) the most at-risk section of contagion might be the flutes. Flute players have to blow a significant amount of fast and directed air across a tone hole to create a split that produces sound. Some of the air travels into the tone hole and some air travels out into the room. Consequently some droplets travel into the tone hole and some droplets travel out into the room. Directors will need to consider this when sitting flute players together in ensembles while we are still fighting a pandemic. Ideally, flutes should not have anyone sitting less than six feet in front of them. A second row of flutes should be avoided.

There might be a possible solution to minimize the forward explosion of droplets by flute players in a band rehearsal though. It is called the Wind-D-Fender, an attachment to the tone hole originally designed to block obstructive wind gusts during marching band flute solos in outdoor competitions. This product could minimize droplets as a reverse effect to its original purpose. Even though there is no formal study that corroborates this theory yet, it is worth investigating.
Win-D-Fender LLC has no prior connection to this article or the author.
Band classes and band halls around the country will not go back to normal any time soon and directors will need to think of ways to keep everyone healthy in their band rooms. In places like Texas, many band programs have over three hundred students in their bands resulting in very crowded band halls throughout the school day, especially before and after school.

Perhaps band student leaders can sanitize music stands between rehearsals, just like grocery store employees sanitize shopping carts between customers. Small practice rooms may have to be off limits to students for a while. The risk of contagion in a small practice room is no different than being in a small elevator. Seating charts for the band class might look different this fall in order to create more distance between players. Band concerts might have to be live streamed for the entire school year if large audiences are not allowed on campus.

It is not possible to know exactly what returning to band halls around the country will look like in the fall, but schools will likely be open. If the conditions to re-open are strong social distancing measures and face masks, bands might be one of the last classes to achieve a new normal.

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The ramifications from the COVID-19 pandemic in the area of instrumental music are beyond what anyone ever imagined. Recently, the CDC recommended face coverings to slow down community spread. Cities like Los Angeles and New York have already mandated that all their citizens wear face coverings.

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The MET Orchestra performs the Intermezzo from Cavalleria Rusticana at the Met Opera's At-Home Gala

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The MET Orchestra performs the Intermezzo from Cavalleria Rusticana at the Met Opera's At-Home Gala

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Composer in Isolation Series (Andrew Lloyd Webber)

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Composer in Isolation Series (Andrew Lloyd Webber)

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What an incredible number of responses we have received to All I Ask Of You!

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Sales of Instruments and Music Gear Are Soaring. Will Quarantine Spark a Renaissance?

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Sales of Instruments and Music Gear Are Soaring. Will Quarantine Spark a Renaissance?

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In the weeks since the concert industry was st o pp e d in its tracks, there's been a 55% increase in Google searches for Apple's Garageband music creation software. Apple confirms the company is seeing record levels of interest in Garageband, with nearly 13 million downloads from its add-on "Sound Library" since early February - and hundreds of thousands of free trial downloads of Garageband's pricier siblings Logic Pro X and Final Cut Pro X.

Apogee, which makes music-creation accessories including popular iOS and Mac products like HypeMic, just experienced its most active month ever. Roland, a popular manufacturer of electronic and digital musical instruments, equipment, and software, has seen a spike as well. Splice, which sells royalty-free samples, loops, and preset for producers, has seen more than one million sound downloads a day, the company tells Rolling Stone.

Instrument/gear seller Reverb isseeing success during this period with both new and used musical instruments - with buyers and sellers that range from large brands and local music shops to individual players and famous artists.

"We are seeing extraordinarily high order volumes, outpacing even the amount of orders we see during the busy holiday season," says Jim Tuerk, the company's director of business development. "Several of the music shops that sell gear on Reverb have even told us that March was one of their best months ever... Compared to this time last year, searches for music gear are up nearly 50%, with several categories - like ukuleles, MIDI [Musical Instrument Digital Interface] keyboards, and drum machines - seeing search spikes of 100% or more when compared to this time last year."

Music retailer Sweetwater has also seen a significant uptick in content and product sales from its website. Sweetwater CEO Chuck Surack tells Rolling Stone that the previous seven days were bigger than the week they had after Thanksgiving last year. Sweetwater is getting 500,000 visitors a day - around double what they'd normally see - and they're shipping about 15-20,000 orders every day, he says.

So with such a boom in creation tools, what music is everyone making?

Never too late to learn

With time to spare, musical beginners are diving in by purchasing instruments for the first time and signing up for lessons. Tuerk says Reverb is currently welcoming an influx of new buyers. "We're seeing an increase in acoustic guitar, synthesizer, keyboard, and pro audio orders," he says. " Based on the types of gear they're purchasing, many of these new buyers appear to be beginners."

Reverb's YouTube channel, which largely features gear demos and how-tos, saw a notable rise in hours watched in March and April compared to January and February, which are normally the highest-trafficking months. The "Synth Sounds of" videos that demonstrate how to recreate classic synth songs saw a 300 to 400% increase in views in March.

"We're getting about 5,000 new customers every day that are buying, and we're getting about 15,000 people a day who are requesting catalogues and email updates," says Surack.

Moreover, one of the top trends spotted by Guitar Center - where online sales more than doubled following the shelter-in-place mandate - shows that people are taking the opportunity to learn an instrument they have never played before, particularly one that can be learned in a quiet environment from home. Guitar Center says the entire acoustic guitar category is on fire, and ukuleles are particularly hot. They're also seeing beginners of all ages, noting an increase in students both in the 11-to-15 age range and the above-40 group.

"Since the pivot to one-to-one online lessons with a live instructor post-pandemic, Guitar Center and its sister brand, Music & Arts, combined have taught nearly 50,000 lessons to students nationwide," says a representative from Guitar Center. "As students have been mandated to stay indoors, many of our students are now taking more than one lesson per week. Also, for those currently participating in lessons, weekly attendance has increased as well. For kids who normally have band classes in school, online lessons is allowing them to keep up and expand their skills with their instrument."

Registrations for Roland's live online product training sessions, Roland Cloud Academy have far surpassed session capacity, resulting in Roland adding more courses and expanding the products covered to meet demand. The free program helps all levels of musicians get personalized live instruction from Roland's product experts in small online classrooms of 10 to 15 students per class.

Finding the beat

In terms of year-over-year searches on Reverb, MIDI keyboard searches are up 171%, while searches for drum machines and MIDI controllers are up 125% and 117%, respectively.

"Based on what is selling on Reverb, it appears that people are making electronic music and experimenting with beats," says Tuerk. "Compared to this time last year, we're seeing a significant increase in synthesizer, keyboard, and beat production equipment purchases - particularly among new buyers." Meanwhile, at Roland, downloads are up more than five times for the company's music creation app, Zenbeats.

On Splice, even with record activity, the top five genres remain, in descending order: hip-hop, trap, pop, R&B, and house. But just after those rankings is where the company has seen interesting genre trends emerge: EDM (or "mainstream commercial electronic dance music," says the company, referring to the likes of DVBBS, Martin Garrix, Hardwell), Downtempo, Cinematic and Funk have all seen an uptick in overall downloads.

Murda Beatz, a multiplatinum producer for Drake and Migos, recently created his first-ever digital drumkit, called "Quarantine Pack, Vol. 1," for Splice. That quickly became the fastest pack in Splice history to cross the 1 million-download threshold, doing so in 15 days. (The previous record holder was another Drake collaborator Boi-1da, who's also produced for the likes of Eminem and Rihanna.)

"As creative consumers continue to stay home, they're investing in gear for their home-rigs and studios - mics, speakers, audio interfaces, music-making software, and more. Searches for audio interfaces are up 303% year-over-year." - Jim Tuerk, Reverb's business development director

Complexity, dear Watson

Purchases of expensive, multi-faceted gear may suggest a rise in the complexity of music that people are creating nowadays.

"Drum machines and sequencers are greatly outselling live percussion instruments, which isn't what we typically see," says Tuerk. "In particular, we saw a significant increase in Elektron orders - specifically the Digitone polyphonic digital synthesizer and the Digitakt digital drum computer & sampler - compared to the month prior and this time last year. Elektron synthesizers and drum machines are typically used to make serious electronic music. They're intricate pieces of gear and require more time to master, so the increase in Elektron orders leads me to believe that people are making more complex music at home."

The Reverb team has been seeing an increase in professional audio orders - particularly among people who've traditionally purchased guitar or drum gear on their site in the past. In other words, they're seeing players that they can assume are guitarists or drummers purchasing their first audio interface, microphone, or desktop synthesizer, among other pro audio gear.

"This could indicate that they're experimenting or that they're trying to collaborate with other musicians virtually," explains Tuerk. "As creative consumers continue to stay home, they're investing in gear for their home-rigs and studios - mics, speakers, audio interfaces, music-making software, and more. Searches for audio interfaces are up 303% year-over-year." With extra time on their hands, musicians are faced with an opportunity to step up their game.

Surack highlights a similar situation at Sweetwater, where they're selling audio interfaces "like crazy." "These people are also buying microphones, they're buying headphones, speakers - everything you need to record into or digitize into your computer, complete little studios," he says.

"I can also tell that people are upgrading their studios," he continues. "They're buying a whole set of drum heads to replace every one on their kit. Someone who's bought a bunch of guitar stuff is buying new tuners, new strings, polish for the neck, and a whole bunch of other things. You can just tell that they're taking the time to take their guitar apart, upgrade it, hot rod it, and make it new again. It's been fun to watch that stuff as I physically pack the boxes [in our warehouse] myself."

Guitar Center is also witnessing massive growth in DJ controllers. And they've noticed that "many musicians who may usually record in the big studios, or DJ at clubs and festivals, have had to purchase gear to continue working on their projects at home," a representative adds. "DJ controllers are trending big because of the live-streaming phenomenon that's taking place on Instagram (ei: DJ D-NICE and Questlove)."

Distant and more collaborative than ever

Being physically forced apart hasn't stopped people from banding together. A lack of socializing could even be inspiring more collaboration as people feel a need to interact.

Collage-style videos that compile clips of different musicians tackling different parts of the same song have begun to bubble up more frequently. Arranger David Wise and mix engineer Garth Justice, for example, released a video, called the Nashville Studio Singer Community Virtual Cell Phone Choir, that has since accumulated more than a million views. All the vocals were recorded individually by each of the 31 local professionals on their iPhones and then submitted to Wise and Justice. Justice, who says everything he buys comes from Sweetwater, used two plug-ins, the iZotope RX Suite and Oeksound's Soothe, to minimize room noise and focus on certain frequencies, respectively. The result is an uplifting, hope-filled piece of art.

Last week, a video was posted that was created by students and Apple Distinguished Educator teachers from a school in the U.K. Apple says that the video was made in support of the country's National Health Service. It's a cover of Snow Patrol's "Run" - performed and captured using Garageband, Logic Pro, Final Cut Pro, Keynote, and iPhones. The lead singer recorded into Garageband using a USB microphone.

Getting weird

It seems some people, tired of routine, are getting to a point of restlessness that inspires them to think out of the box. Instrument and software sellers say they've seen some unusual sales, suggesting musical experimentation.

"We sold a toy telephone that had been turned into a microphone," says Reverb. "It was converted to have a ¼" output and a gain circuit to make lo-fi sounds - think similar to the vocal sound of The Strokes. While it's not uncommon to see a toy or something similar turned into a piece of gear by an electronics whiz, it was funny to imagine a musician using the toy telephone mic while collaborating via video conference."

"As for artists, we are all watching the YouTube videos artists are producing and enjoying all of the different genres and creations artists are making during this quarantine period," says the rep from Guitar Center. "The biggest trend that is happening is people's interest in making music is expanding and growing. They're experimenting, trying new things and sharing their creations with the world in digital formats like YouTube, Instagram and TikTok."

While the overall global economy is struggling to shake off negative effects, instrument and software sellers are finding themselves facing a new opportunity - to not only shine in the era of quarantine, but to build new momentum and promote creative productivity post-quarantine.

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Sales of Instruments and Music Gear Are Soaring. Will Quarantine Spark a Renaissance?

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In the weeks since the concert industry was st o pp e d in its tracks , there's been a 55% increase in Google searches for Apple's Garageband music creation software.

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How To Make Music In An Epidemic w/ Dr. Matthew J. Jones 

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How To Make Music In An Epidemic w/ Dr. Matthew J. Jones 

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How To Make Music In An Epidemic w/ Dr. Matthew J. Jones - 26-Apr-20 (Threads*sub_ʇxǝʇ) by Threads

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How to Make Music in an Epidemic: Michael Callen, AIDS Activism, and Music - Dr. Matthew J. Jones

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The Top 7 Moments From the Metropolitan Opera’s At-Home Gala (And One Major Misstep)

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The Top 7 Moments From the Metropolitan Opera’s At-Home Gala (And One Major Misstep)

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The Metropolitan Opera's At-Home Gala was one of the most hotly anticipated performances of the first half of 2020; one might argue that given its sheer star power, the showcase, which was announced just two weeks ago, was more anticipated than any performance the Met had lined up as part of its regular season.

While the Met initially reneged on this being a fundraiser, especially in its initial announcement, it did eventually become a case of, to quote the Bard, "The Lady doth protest too much, methinks." Eventually the company owned it and kicked off the gala with its "The Voice Must Be Heard Campaign," with major artists repeating the phrase quite a few times before kicking off a strong intro video that announced the cast.

For those that might have been skeptical about the gala's overall impact and execution, this opening montage felt a bit in your face and might have given pause. Fortunately, the remainder of the gala, with the expected lulls and internet issues here and there, proved a solid artistic endeavor.

All the major artists delivered musically and Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin, with some insight into process and even a very poignant emotional moment, was a very fitting and entertaining host, complementing the necessary, though often awkward presence of General Manager Peter Gelb (to be fair, the lag likely played a part in some instances).

So rather than a review of the gala, which is rather unfair given context, here is a rundown of arguably the most memorable moments of this entire gala (in no particular order).

Renée Fleming Prays For Everyone

Leading up to the great diva's emergence in the gala, the audience members had heard some fantastic performances from the likes of Peter Mattei, Roberto Alagna, Aleksandra Kurzak, Michael Fabiano, and Anita Rachvelishvili. But one might argue that the gala really kicked into another gear when Fleming was brought on, reflecting on the challenges of the situation and explaining why of all pieces, she wanted to perform "Ave Maria" from Verdi's "Otello."

It was not only a riveting musical moment, but a stirring artistic choice that almost invited the audience to join in a deeper human connection.

Viola Section & Joyce DiDonato Pay Tribute to Vincent Lionti

Earlier this month, violist Vincent Lionti succumbed to the Coronavirus. In his honor, the Met Opera decided to dedicate one piece from the gala to him and did so in a rather poignant manner. The violist section and mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato joined forces to perform "Ombra Mai Fu" from Handel's "Serse."

After the performance, Met Opera music director Yannick Nézet-Séguin seemed overcome by the emotion in what was a fitting off-the-cuff coda to an emotional moment.

Erin Morley Steals the Show

Throughout the performance, most of the singers performed with a pianist while others appeared with audio tracks. But Erin Morley did neither - she accompanied herself while she sang a section from Donizetti's "La FIlle du Régiment" in what was the scene-stealing performance of the gala. She capped it all with a tremendous high note. Michael Volle, who followed, express his admiration and surprise.

That she came so early in the gala and remained in the mind long after goes to show how impactful her number proved.

The Orchestra & Chorus Comes Together

Seeing all the members of the orchestra spread across the screen in their own individual spaces was both emblematic of the times in their most tragic but also uplifting dimension. COVID-19 may have forced us all into our own secluded spaces, but music and technology has the power to bring us all together. "Cavalleria Rusticana" and "Lohengrin," was equally exquisite, but there's no doubt that the biggest moment of the night was the combination of the Chorus and Orchestra for "Va Pensiero." The videos may have been pre-recorded (doing it live would have been a logistical nightmare), but their impact was as potent as ever.

A major shout out to the editing team on these videos which showed tremendous delicacy not only toward the performers, but the music; the opening of "Nabucco" was expertly crafted with edits on individual musicians until the big orchestral tutti allowed you to see the full view and effect of the orchestra (as a side note, perhaps we could get this kind of visual flair and elegance with the HDs in future seasons?).

Günther Groissböck's Set Design (And Low Note)

The Met Opera had a rather awkward moment when they cut to Günther Groissböck early due to some connection issues with Nicole Car and Étienne Dupuis. The bass-baritone was put on the spot awkwardly with Gelb fumbling the transition. But Groissböck managed elegantly, took the baton and performed and accompanied himself at the piano.

And while his singing was fantastic, capped with a fantastic lownote, it was impossible not to focus on what was a well-organized "set" for opera lovers. Posters from La Scala hung to his left and a small model of the Metropolitan Opera sat on top of the piano. When he finalized his performance, Gelb, in one of his brighter moments, engaged Groissböck in conversation about his set dressing, which the bass-baritone obliged. It was a very candid and refreshing save after what had been an awkward opening interaction between the two.

The Definition of Refinement

Is there an artist more refined than soprano Lisette Oropesa? This was undeniably demonstrated in her performance of an aria from "Robert le Diable," but in the overall production quality of everything around her. From having her accompaniment on a television screen behind her viewable to the audience, to the high quality of the image, to the chair in the background adding depth to the image and covering what would have been a distracting patch of wooden floor, Oropesa's performance was exquisite to behold.

Duets Abound

Arguably the most engaging moments of the gala were when several of the opera couples joined forces for performances, some often with other musicians; it added a respite from a solo aria marathon and gave the performance some degree of dynamism. But the most notable among these were Roberto Alagna and Aleksandra Kurzak's antics in a duet from "L'Elisir d'Amore," Étienne Dupuis and Nicole Car in "Thaïs" with the former at the piano," and Diana Damrau and Nicolas Testé in "La ci darem la mano" from "Don Giovanni."

Damrau and Testé, in particular, were rather engaging and homely in their approach, introducing audience members to their kitchen and then even letting their children make a cameo appearance.

One Misstep***

The general good feeling of the gala was slightly undercut by the elephant (missing) in the room - soprano Anna Netrebko. The soprano is one of opera's biggest stars and arguably one of the major selling points of the gala for fans the world over. Ultimately she did not appear live (she appeared in wonderful pre-recorded performance of a Romance by Rachmaninoff) but the utter disappointment of the situation was increased when Gelb launched lengthy and overwrought platitudes that culminated in claiming her as the Met's "reigning diva." This came off as disrespectful to the other singers, all of them at that level, who provided "generous support (per the gala's credits)" and time to perform from their homes. In many ways it seemed more a foible by Gelb more so than Netrebko or her husband tenor Yusif Eyvazov (who also appeared via pre-recorded performance), whose appearance or lack thereof, was made a bigger deal than it probably needed to be.
What were your favorite moments from the Met Opera's At-Home Gala?

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The Top 7 Moments From the Metropolitan Opera's At-Home Gala (And One Major Misstep) - Opera Wire

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The Metropolitan Opera's At-Home Gala was one of the most hotly anticipated performances of the first half of 2020; one might argue that given its sheer star power, the showcase, which was announced just two weeks ago, was more anticipated than any performance the Met had lined up as part of its regular season.

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The World After Coronavirus: The Future of the Fine Arts | Harvey Young

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The World After Coronavirus: The Future of the Fine Arts | Harvey Young

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The World After Coronavirus: The Future of the Fine Arts | Harvey Young

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The Post-Covid Concert Hall Catastrophe: Why Audience Attendance is the Least of Our Problems

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The Post-Covid Concert Hall Catastrophe: Why Audience Attendance is the Least of Our Problems

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When we return to the stage to present opera, dance, theatre, or symphonic works in our 2,000+ seat halls, will our subscribers be there with tickets in hand?

This is the question spreading like wildfire through every board meeting in America. It is the question keeping Artistic Directors, General Managers, agents, and artists up at night.

It is an interesting question.

But it is the wrong one.

The problem is not audience participation. It may drop, but, as my analysis to follow shows, even if it drops 20, 30, or even 40 percent, that is not the drop we should worry about.

What will matter more than anything else in consideration is that, without a vaccine, social distancing measures in large-scale venues must continue for months, potentially years.

The billion-dollar question that will determine the fate of Big Hall Classical Music in America is:
How do we present music to an audience in a socially distanced hall? Financially, is it even possible?
The following spatial and financial analysis will show that socially distancing a large concert hall would likely be a financial catastrophe for a presenter:

A 2,600-seat hall, under social distancing, may only seat fewer than 500.

If audience attendance holds at 2018 numbers, only about 25% of the audience could fit in a socially-distanced symphony hall. That is a mandated drop of 75% in audience attendance, not even taking into account the public's attitudes towards attending socially distanced performances.

To break-even with last year's ticket revenue over the same number of concerts, based on the lowered attendance ceiling, a company would have to charge more than four times the price of last year's tickets.

Barring a donor miracle or a government intervention, there are only bad and worse options available for big hall concert presenters: either leave the large halls temporarily and present pared-down programs until a vaccine is available, making significant cuts to programming, staff, and artists; or stay in big halls and cut their budgets even further while raising ticket prices to stave off financial ruin.
Post-Covid Symphony Hall: A Quarter the Audience at 4 Times the Ticket Price
Below is a back-of-the-napkin spatial model of an American symphony hall. For a case study, I use the 2,625-seat home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. The model assumes the following, based on the six-foot rule of social distancing and the dimensions of the hall:

Patrons will be seated in, roughly, every other row.

Within rows, patrons will be seated every three seats.

At least part of the second balcony will be reserved for Wind and Brass instruments, based on the Czech Philharmonic system of strings and conductor on stage with masks, and instruments that require blown air as far away from musicians and patrons as possible.

Orchestra and Stage

The first floor of Symphony Hall, under social distancing rules, would fit fewer than 300 people out of the 1,486-seat capacity, or about 20% of total seats.

The conductor and roughly 25-40 strings and percussion would fit on stage in face masks, all standing with monitors to the balcony for winds and brass.

First Balcony

The first balcony would fit 1-4 people per row on the sides and 4-5 per row in the back.

With a balcony capacity of 598, we would expect to have fewer than 130 seats available or 21% of total capacity.

Second Balcony

Wind and brass players, for a safe distance, would have to be moved to the upper balcony and to fit roughly 30 players, you would need to remove the first three side balcony rows on each side:

Overall, the 2,625-seat Symphony Hall in Boston would seat only 492 people under this plan, roughly 19% of capacity.
The Boston Symphony, according to its 2017-2018 financial report, sells out about 81% of the 96 concerts in their BSO Winter Season, or around 2,100 seats a concert. And a mid-tier BSO Symphony Hall subscription ticket, according to my average calculation, costs about $57 a concert.

If the Boston Symphony were to switch from a 2,625-seat model to the social distancing model above, they would lose the capacity to seat 77% of their current audience.

For the 96 concerts in the BSO's Winter Season, only about 16% of their entire yearly programming, the social distancing ticket model could result in a drop of nearly $9 million in a few months.

Now pulling back to Symphony Hall again: how much would the symphony have to charge to make the same as in the 2018-2019 season (2,120 seats sold, $57 a ticket)?

If we consider $57 the average ticket price, they will have to charge over four times as much for the average ticket to maintain the same revenue as last season: $246 a ticket.

To recap, to maintain a presence at a 2000+ seat symphony hall, a large presenter would need to cut about three out of every four audience members; and, keeping the number of performances the same, would have to increase the price of tickets, and even then it would likely result in a major net revenue loss for the company.

(Check my math for this section .)
The Road Ahead for Big Hall Presenters.
Even if these estimates are off -let's say we can fit 30-50 more people in a concert hall by adding a standing room or moving the horns to the stage, and average ticket prices were $75 before, not $57- the direction of change is still way, way in the red.

A well-endowed, superbly managed organization like the BSO may be able to maintain distance measures for years until a vaccine is readily available. But how can a mid-size seasonal presenter who uses 800, 1,000, and 1,500-seat halls maintain these measures for even a few months without facing catastrophic loss?

There are two paths for Big Hall Presenters when live music returns, and both will require tremendous sacrifice.

The first path is to leave the large symphony or opera hall and perform smaller works in smaller venues with a smaller orchestra or chamber group, paired with large scale performances posted online, with no audience attending in the symphony hall until social distancing is lifted. Live performances of major classical masterworks -Beethoven 9, the Verdi Requiem, the Messiah- that require 50+ person orchestral players, 100+ choral singers, and soloists will likely need to pause for the foreseeable future.

A symphony hall exit may not be possible for some organizations: the Canadian Opera Company, for example, not only owns its building -a smart investment in boom times- but rents it to other large presenters and makes a significant part of its revenue on concessions and parking. Likewise, such an exit may not be possible for companies with strong unions who require a certain number and type of performances.

It is a distinct possibility for financially robust organizations like the BSO, with chairs endowed in perpetuity and hundreds of millions in assets, to wait this out with professional videos online and small chamber works.

For everyone else, there is the second path, the concert hall catastrophe: raise prices and cut labor and management to the bone.

Not including a government bailout or a hail-Mary unprecedented donation, those stuck in large halls are left with only bad and worse options:

Artists would need to perform more often for fewer wages. If the COVID-19 crisis has shown us anything, it is that, in most cases, artist fees are the first cut. Not only will fees or salaries need to be slashed to account for reduced audiences, but in the cases where halls are sunk costs, rented weekly or monthly or owned by the organization, artists will likely need to perform more frequently on less rehearsal for lower pay.

Marketing budgets would be slashed to near zero and staff will likely need to be furloughed again or laid off. The idea of advertising a concert on TV, radio, and print, or hiring dozens of sales people to drum up subscriptions makes no sense when fewer than 500 can attend. A $5 million advertising budget would likely drop a few zeros, with concerts promoted on paid social media buys, Google ads, and through email marketing campaigns and online personal networks.

Ticket prices would need to increase markedly to present a viable season with so few people able to attend. Double the price of every ticket would be a start, in conjunction with additional performances. The wealthiest and most privileged would be able to see symphonic or opera works in person. A disaster for equity and the disadvantaged, but it may be the only way to bring in enough revenue in the medium-term to stay afloat.

The way forward will exact tremendous losses for everyone involved in the arts community, and it will likely hit the largest institutions, with major fixed costs of labor and capital, extraordinarily hard. It will be nearly impossible to make the financials of large concert hall performances work until the uncertainty of social distancing is solved and a vaccine is readily available. I pray it comes soon.

ZF

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The Post-Covid Concert Hall Catastrophe: Why Audience Attendance is the Least of Our Problems

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Will Audiences Come Back to the Concert Hall? When we return to the stage to present opera, dance, theatre, or symphonic works in our 2,000+ seat halls, will our subscribers be there with tickets in hand? This is the question spreading like wildfire through every board meeting in America.

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Trump Recommends Injecting Disinfectant to Cure COVID-19, but It's a Mozart Recit

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Trump Recommends Injecting Disinfectant to Cure COVID-19, but It's a Mozart Recit

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Trump Recommends Injecting Disinfectant to Cure COVID-19, but It's a Mozart Recit

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Watch LES MISERABLES Casts Unite for an Epic 'One Day More'

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Watch LES MISERABLES Casts Unite for an Epic 'One Day More'

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What happens when cast members from Les Miserables' 33-year history unite? An epic sing-a-long, of course! Watch below as members of Les Miserables companies, from 1987 to the present, return to the stage to share this anthem of hope in these challenging times, until stages around the world light up once more.

Seen by over 120 million people worldwide, Les Misérables is undisputedly one of the world's most popular musicals. It is based on the novel by Victor Hugo Music by Claude-Michel Schönberg Lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer Original French Text by Alain Boublil and Jean-Marc Natel.

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VIDEO: Watch LES MISERABLES Casts Unite for an Epic 'One Day More'

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What happens when cast members from Les Miserables' 33-year history unite? An epic sing-a-long, of course! Watch below as members of Les Miserables companies, from 1987 to the present, return to the stage to share this anthem of hope in these challenging times, until stages around the world light up once more.

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Louis Armstrong foundation launches $1M COVID-19 fund for jazz musicians

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Louis Armstrong foundation launches $1M COVID-19 fund for jazz musicians

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The Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation has launched a $1 million relief fund to aid freelance jazz musicians in New York City who have been affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

In addition, The Louis Armstrong Emergency Fund for Jazz Musicians, announced by the organization's board of directors last week, will award each recipient a one-time grant of $1,000.

Wynton Marsalis, the foundation's president and artistic director of jazz at Lincoln Center, said that closing jazz venues had left many musicians with no steady income.

"The entire jazz ecosystem has been shut down, and the jazz community is devastated," Marsalis said. "To mitigate some of the loss, this fund will award an unprecedented $1,000,000 to assist qualifying musicians in need."

The organization was founded in 1969 by Louis and Lucille Armstrong to support jazz musicians, performances and educational programming. Armstrong, known as "Pops," was a trumpeter, composer and musician whose prolific career spanned five decades. He died in 1971 at the age of 69.

Musicians can apply for the fund until Monday evening, the foundation's website said.

"This is a very large fund for an institution of our size," said Marsalis. "But we are doing what we know 'Pops' would do."

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Louis Armstrong foundation launches $1M COVID-19 fund for jazz musicians

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The Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation has launched a $1 million relief fund to aid freelance jazz musicians in New York City who have been affected by the coronavirus pandemic. In addition, The Louis Armstrong Emergency Fund for Jazz Musicians, announced by the organization's board of directors last week, will award each recipient a one-time grant of $1,000.

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Music has emerged as one of our most powerful weapons in the fight against COVID-19

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Music has emerged as one of our most powerful weapons in the fight against COVID-19

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Saleema Nawaz's most recent novel is Songs for the End of the World.

When people imagine the soundtrack of the apocalypse, they may well expect sirens, gunshots, screaming. There's a trope in Hollywood disaster movies and dystopian fiction of society breaking down in a crisis - something bad happens, systems start failing and suddenly people begin turning on each other.

Reality, however, has turned out rather differently - at least as far as the soundtrack goes. As this pandemic continues to unfold, I have taken comfort in the fact that music still brings people together. The songs we sing in our darkest hours may be the consolation that keeps us from feeling alone.

I recently published a novel, which I began writing years ago, in which a novel coronavirus spreads across the globe. In my novel, I imagined songs becoming a touchstone for people in important ways during a pandemic. After all, music unites us across borders, politics, even language. It connects us across time and place, in rituals both sacred and profane. People throughout history have turned to music during plague times, and I embedded this notion in my book by way of an indie rock band that releases a song that becomes an unofficial anthem for the people living through my fictional pandemic. And yet, I was taken aback by how moved I would be by the videos that started going viral during the COVID-19 lockdowns, showing Italians joining in song from their balconies, orchestras across the globe performing separately but together via the magic of technology. I was also unprepared for just how essential music would become for me personally.

I sing with a neighbourhood choir in Montreal - the aptly and unpretentiously named Monday Night Choir - and our director made the early decision to continue practices at a distance. The first time we convened virtually on Zoom, just a few days into the lockdown, I felt tears unexpectedly welling up. I was blindsided by the emotion and fumbled to momentarily flick off my video feed. The physical distancing I felt I ought to be so prepared for - I'd spent seven years imagining and writing about it, after all - was taking a toll I hadn't yet admitted or even detected. It seemed that no amount of research and imagination could prepare me for the visceral realities of living through physical distancing, for the emotions that would take up residence in my bones.

Like many of us, the entirety of my former schedule - meals, sleep, work - has been upended. I can't seem to make one day resemble the next. Now choir practice is the only hour of my life that endures from before the pandemic. Thirty-odd familiar faces on my screen remind me I'm not alone. The director's calm encouragement and good humour provide a much-needed sense of normalcy, as does my usual impatience to hurry through the (important and necessary) warm-ups and start singing. Every part of it, even my impatience itself, is a privilege. As a choir, we don't discuss what, if anything, we are now working toward. The inevitable lag means we even have to mute our microphones. But it is enough to be together.

These days, the sustained concentration of reading and writing has mostly eluded me, so I've been working on a different project: a musical. For me, this work feels essential and therapeutic - a blessed break from what journalist Karen K. Ho has dubbed "doom-scrolling." Kind and talented friends are helping me put together demos - a pianist in Toronto, a tenor in Cowichan Bay, B.C. We send recordings back and forth, and I piece everything together in Garageband, as amateur as you can get. I'm learning the program as I go; therefore: slowly. Every day the work feels more like a heavy-handed metaphor for the way that we will get through this - bit by bit, with sustaining hope, together.

As the singing in Italy went viral, I read several online debates about which song could bring Montreal - a city divided by language, but united by pride in its music and unique civic spirit - together. A Facebook event circulating for a collective balcony droning of the note C registered 1,500 attendees, but a more melodic proposal came from POP Montreal and singer-songwriter Martha Wainwright, who led a virtual singalong of Leonard Cohen's So Long, Marianne and Le coeur est un oiseau by Richard Desjardins from the balcony of Ursa, her community art, café and event space. (These streamed performances have continued throughout the month of April under the title Alone Ensemble.) The night of the first singalong, at the end of March, it was cold and nearly dark at seven in the evening. My five-year-old daughter gamely donned her winter coat and boots to go out with me onto our back balcony, where, as we waited for the live feed to begin, she immediately began belting out Into the Unknown from Frozen 2. Though she has been singing the song constantly for months, this time it felt strangely appropriate.

When Ms. Wainwright began playing, my daughter drew close to the glow of the screen, and though she didn't really know the words, she joined in and we sang out together into the night, clapping and stamping our feet to stay warm, comforted by the thought that there were many other people out there raising their voices to sing along.
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Opinion: Music has emerged as one of our most powerful weapons in the fight against COVID-19

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Saleema Nawaz's most recent novel is Songs for the End of the World. When people imagine the soundtrack of the apocalypse, they may well expect sirens, gunshots, screaming. There's a trope in Hollywood disaster movies and dystopian fiction of society breaking down in a crisis - something bad happens, systems start failing and suddenly people begin turning on each other.

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The 1918 Pandemic’s Impact on Music? Surprisingly Little

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The 1918 Pandemic’s Impact on Music? Surprisingly Little

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The 1918 Pandemic's Impact on Music? Surprisingly Little

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Unlike the existential threat posed by the coronavirus outbreak, cultural life returned swiftly to normal after the flu.

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Wind Instruments May Not Be As Contagious As We Thought

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Wind Instruments May Not Be As Contagious As We Thought

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There are more questions than answers right now regarding the spread of COVID-19 while playing woodwind or brass instruments in musical ensembles around the world. That may change by the fall.

A document was published by the Freiburg University of Music on April 25, 2020 entitled Risk Assessment Regarding Corona-Infections in Music Making . A section regarding wind instruments is quoted below.

To the best of our knowledge, there are no measurements of the viral load in the blowing air of wind instruments at present. It is known, however, that wind instrument playing requires an intensive exchange of air in the lungs and respiratory tract with sometimes high air pressures. To what extent the viral load is reduced by the airway in the instrument is unclear. It is to be assumed that the release of the breathing air into the environment during playing can lead to virus-containing aerosols. In addition, playing wind instruments causes condensation of the exhaled air in the instrument, which is to be regarded as another potentially virus-spreading material.

Then, a study regarding aerosol spread by The Bamberg Symphony published today shows preliminary results that look promising for trombone, bassoon, clarinet, oboe, and horn players. Excerpts from this report are below.

"We (The Bamberg Symphony) believe that playing a clarinet or a horn, for example, hardly releases any aerosols because the air flow in the instrument is slowed down where the sounds are generated." said Marcus Axt, Director of the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra

Initial investigations revealed hardly any measurable breathing air movements with woodwind and brass players. Neither on the bell of a bassoon nor on the bell of a trumpet were there any turbulences in the artificial fog. If, on the other hand, you blew or coughed directly and without an instrument, there was severe turbulence. ( watch video)

Professor Bernhard Richter from the Freiburg Institute for Musicians' Medicine commented on the first examinations: "This confirms our expectations and makes us confident about the future of making music in public."

Experts from an Erlangen-based company for fluid mechanics were commissioned to measure the air flows using sensors that escape from an instrument while playing. They were also made visible with artificial fog. The experiment was observed by two scientists from the Freiburg Institute for Musicians' Medicine, who have so far recommended a distance of three to five meters for wind instruments.

After the measurements in the concert hall in Bamberg, further tests are to be carried out in the laboratory. The results will then be presented to virologists in Berlin and Munich, who will then formulate policy recommendations for action, according to the plan of the music director Marcus Axt.

At this preliminary stage of the Bamberg study, strong social distancing is still recommended (three to five meters) but results about aerosols were not as bad as anticipated. The videos provided from the study are also interesting to watch.

Bamberg Symphony bassoonists test aerosol spread: Source

It is unclear if the study tested flutes or not. The instrument is not mentioned in the report nor seen in the video they provided. The recommendations for social distancing only mention brass players.

Transverse flutists require ample space between chairs to play comfortably in normal times. Social distancing practices for transverse flutes in musical ensembles would at least double the usual space needed - unless flutists played vertically.

Transverse flutes face specific issues.
See: We Can't Wear Masks in Band Class
Could playing the flute vertically instead of transversely be a safer and easier way to perform in crowded sections while adding the recommended social distancing?

Dreligner Headjoints designed a vertical flute headjoint already. It is called the UpRite® headjoint with Suspended Instrument Technology.™ . Their website has a detailed description for its normal purpose. An excerpt from the description is provided below. However, this entire brochure is worth reading.

Drelinger Headjoint Company is continually working to develop new and innovative headjoints. We originally began work on the UpRite® for those having physical issues playing the transverse flute. As it turned out the UpRite not only heartily met this goal, but also filled other niches making it the flute of choice for many playing situations.

The vertical option could be used not only for its original purpose but also to reduce risk of viral spread and minimize social distancing. However, the high price of this novelty headjoint might pose a problem unless more companies start making them. Flute is one of the most popular wind instruments. In states like Texas, school bands usually have at least two rows of flute players. It is not uncommon to see bands with ten to fifteen flute players on stage playing very close together.

A specific scientific study focusing on flutes could corroborate the theory that a vertical flute versus a transverse flute poses less risk of contagion within a large flute section and would also make social distancing easier.

Managing condensation was also not mentioned in the Bamberg study report. Perhaps manufacturers could modify brass instruments to empty spit valves in a safer way?

Scientific studies that focus on wind instruments and the spread of COVID-19 are just beginning in the United States. Organizations like the College Band Directors National Association (CBDNA) and The National Association for Music Education (NAfME), among others, are working together with experts in the fields of instrumental music and science to spearhead this desperately needed research.

There are many forthcoming studies in the near future to gather stronger evidence. Although, it is encouraging that these preliminary results reported from Bamberg regarding aerosols presume that some wind instruments are not as contagious as we originally thought. However, social distancing will not go away anytime soon. It is still strongly recommended.
Author's Notes The contents of this article are for reporting and sharing of information only. Musicians should adhere to For a beautiful performance of vertical flute playing, I recommend this wonderful video. "The Ergonomic Flute" Demo: Syrinx by Aralee Dorough. guidelines as well as federal and state recommendations regarding social distancing.

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Wind Instruments May Not Be As Contagious As We Thought

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There are more questions than answers right now regarding the spread of COVID-19 while playing woodwind or brass instruments in musical ensembles around the world. That may change by the fall. A document was published by the Freiburg University of Music on April 25, 2020 entitled Risk Assessment Regarding Corona-Infections in Music Making .

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Eric Whitacre's Virtual Choir 6: Sing Gently

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Ten years ago we created the Virtual Choir with a simple question: is it possible to make beautiful music together, no matter how far apart we are? After multiple virtual choir projects featuring over 20,000 singers from 124 different countries, the answer is a resounding yes.

For Virtual Choir 6, we continued with a new piece I wrote especially for the Virtual Choir during the pandemic, "Sing Gently".

Submissions for Virtual Choir 6 closed on May 22, 2020. Our stats at that time:

We'll be announcing the date of the premiere of the film soon. Check back here for more information.

It's amazing to think that the Virtual Choir started as a simple experiment some ten years ago. We have all known its special purpose over that decade - joining people from around the world through music - and it has brought us particular comfort this year. That said, we all look forward to the day when we can safely make music together, in person.
Eric Whitacre

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Eric Whitacre's Virtual Choir 6: Sing Gently

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Ten years ago we created the Virtual Choir with a simple question: is it possible to make beautiful music together, no matter how far apart we are? After multiple virtual choir projects featuring over 20,000 singers from 124 different countries, the answer is a resounding yes.

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How Coronavirus Is Threatening The Arts And Culture Ecosystem — And May Usher In A New Period Of Art

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How Coronavirus Is Threatening The Arts And Culture Ecosystem — And May Usher In A New Period Of Art

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Artists and arts organizations were quick to adapt to quarantine and coronavirus. Museum tours, operas, Broadway shows, author talks, home concerts and classes for kids sprung up online shortly after closures were announced.

But as the dust begins to settle on our new normal, many worry about the long-term economic impact and outlook for the artists, performers and independent organizations essential to the cultural ecosystem.

Doug Shipman, president and CEO of the Woodruff Arts Center, joined On Second Thought to share how the pandemic is affecting the arts world - economically, culturally and artistically.

Unsurprisingly, one of the major concerns is the financial stability of arts and culture organizations, big and small.

"It's been a huge economic loss," Shipman said. "The industry across the entire region employs tens of thousands of people. And I think in many cases, 30, 40, 50% of folks may have been furloughed already simply because of the inability to operate."

While federal loans and expanded funding may offset some economic losses in the short-term, Shipman says the uncertainty of when things could return to normal makes it impossible to predict the full economic effects.

"Really, I think the long-term impact and especially how patrons feel about coming back are really going to determine the depth of this crisis," he said.

Shipman is just as, if not more, concerned about the artists themselves. That's because their primary income sources - both the arts industry and the gig economy - have halted.

"I hope that those industries don't have a tangential impact on artists and cause them to not make as much work - or even leave their art-making," he said.

Because, as he points out, a global pandemic like this could create a new period of art. Major themes that might crop up? Shipman predicts reflections on isolation, inequality, and mortality.

"Artists spend months, maybe even years with a work - perfecting it, grappling with it, usually with very big questions about life and society and mortality and humanity," he explained. "Because this is what artists do."

And there may be an increased hunger for the arts overall, caused by quarantine. Shipman noted that many people seem to be tapping into their creative side, whether that's through traditional arts, like painting and writing, or through other pursuits, like gardening or cooking.

"I think that, in any sort of disruption, we revisit what it means to be human - and artistic expression is at the center of that," Shipman said. "I think there will be a lasting effect in people wanting to create and be around creation."
INTERVIEW HIGHLIGHTS On how the Woodruff Arts Center is managing a move to online content offerings
Well, there are a couple of different parts to that. One is, we actually knew, as we were closing down, that we might be closed for a while, so we were able to record some things that were happening right at the end of performances. Some of those performances were not only filmed, but filmed in a way that are very streamable. We've also opened up the archives. There is a lot of archival material that exists, but there's also been new material created - curators talking about works and such. But one of the interesting pieces of this is that there's been a real breakthrough. For a long time, contracts with actors, with producers, with musicians really didn't allow for streaming content very easily. And those have been opened up. I think everybody is understanding that we have to innovate in this time period. And that's been one of the innovations that's happened at the Woodruff Arts Center, in some of our agreements, but also nationally.
On whether audiences will return to arts organizations after the pandemic, if they get used to watching content online
I think the experience of a live show is much different or interacting with a live exhibition is much different than at home. I think we see this in entertainment. You can see almost any musical artist somewhere online, even in a live concert format. But people still flock to concerts because that energy is so acute. I think the bigger question for us is from a health standpoint, when people are going to feel comfortable being in the same room together and close together. I think that's the bigger question, not the one around whether or not they'll come back if they have the live streaming option. In fact, some studies have shown that the livestreaming option actually increases demand.
On the pandemic's impact on artists
It's been devastating for artists. There was a survey that came out this week that said that two-thirds of artists have had a significant impact to their work, and 90% have lost income, whether it's galleries, performances or such. And for instance, actors get their health care as they work. They get credit through the actor's union. So there's a huge impact on individual artists. Atlanta has had success in the last 10 years or so, keeping artists here in their mid-careers. I desperately hope that we can continue that, and I worry that artists may not be able to sustain themselves. The other piece of that is the gig economy is one that artists use to help augment themselves as they're doing new work or as they're in between gigs or in between jobs. If that part of the economy doesn't come back, especially restaurant servers and such, that's long been a place that artists work, you know, during the day so they can act at night or vice versa. I hope that those industries don't have a tangential impact on artists and cause them to not make as much work or even leave their art-making. That's my number one concern in this whole time period.
On how artists might respond to the pandemic in their work, over time
I definitely think there'll be responses - and I think the responses won't only be over the next few weeks or months, but I think this kind of situation usually creates a period of time, over a few years. I think there are a couple of things. One, this has been a very isolating experience for a lot of individuals, so I think there'll be some commentary on isolation. I think certainly inequality and its effects, its devastating effects, during this [will be] showcased in many ways. And frankly, how widespread the deaths associated with this are. If it is, you know, very extensive, and over a very long period of time, then I think it will also include memorials and reflections on mortality, like you would have in a postwar kind of situation. You know, it's interesting in being in my role for the last several years, I've been able to see artists up close. And the thing is, artists spend months, maybe even years with a work - perfecting it, grappling with it, usually with very big questions about life and society and mortality and humanity. Because this is what artists do. Even in times of non-pandemics, this is what artists think about and this is how the creative process works.
On how artists are responding to quarantine now, in real time
I see them really thinking about what it means to be able to be connected - and then the loss associated with not having that connection. So I see a lot of artists talking about that, reflecting on what they miss. Reflecting on the role of nature. I think one of the interesting things is that people have had to slow themselves down and become much more localized. You see artists sketching things that are near their homes on their daily walks, photographing things nearby - as opposed to, you know, having the ability to travel and do things elsewhere. So, I think that they're responding in real time to the stimulus that is occurring in an isolation kind of situation.

Get in touch with us.

Twitter: @OSTTalk
Facebook: OnSecondThought
Email: OnSecondThought@gpb.org
Phone: 404-500-9457

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How Coronavirus Is Threatening The Arts And Culture Ecosystem - And May Usher In A New Period Of Art

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Artists and arts organizations were quick to adapt to quarantine and coronavirus. Museum tours, operas, Broadway shows, author talks, home concerts and classes for kids sprung up online shortly after closures were announced. But as the dust begins to settle on our new normal, many worry about the long-term economic impact and outlook for the artists, performers and independent organizations essential to the cultural ecosystem.

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Without Federal Aid, More than 1,000 U.S. Music Venues Are in Danger of Closing

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Without Federal Aid, More than 1,000 U.S. Music Venues Are in Danger of Closing

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It's been nearly two months since live music shut down. For large concert companies, the revenue slippage has been a major burden. For independent venues, which have no corporate parent to fall back on, it's an "existential crisis," says Dayna Frank, board president of the newly formed National Independent Venue Association ( NIVA).

NIVA is a new coalition of independent venues across the U.S. that includes California's Troubadour and New York's Hammerstein Ballroom; despite never having worked together before, its member venues banded together for the first time to seek federal support such as tax relief and business recovery grants. The organization tells Rolling Stone on Wednesday that 90% of its 1,300 member venues report they do not have cash on hand to last more than six months without federal intervention, and 55% say they do not have enough to last more than three months.

Rolling Stone spoke with Frank, who is also president and CEO of Minneapolis live music company First Avenue Productions, about why independent venues are in such particular peril.

What is the situation like for independent venues right now? Are some holding on better than others?
The range of situations goes from bad to worse. You can't really sugarcoat it; that's the unfortunate reality. NIVA is a 27-day-old organization, and all of our members are proudly and fiercely independent, so we don't have access to their books or finances - but you can tell what the situation is because even some of the most storied institutions in music are in danger, including the Troubadour.

It's really depressing what the landscape looks like. We are in a low-margin business just like the restaurants, but it is a high-liability business and capital-intensive business. We have massive spaces of retail - giant storefronts and high rents. We are located in popular neighborhoods and most of our members are in expensive districts. We still have to carry insurance, because we know that when the economy gets bad, people get more litigious. We are still rearranging shows and trying to return product, but most people are carrying full health insurance benefits for furloughed employees and we still have HVAC repairs, capital improvements, debt obligations. We have sales tax, property taxes. And we have zero cash flow.

By virtue of being independent businesses, we don't have vertical integration. No sponsorship arms, management agencies, ancillary revenue, ticketing companies. We gather people who have a love of music and want to pay for it. That's all we do. And we don't have any business right now, only the expenses. In surveys, we've found many venues [90% as of May 6th, per a rep] aren't sure if they can operate beyond six months.

NIVA's focus is asking for federal aid for venues. What are your conversations with politicians like?
We've been doing a lot of education - talking with a lot of folks in politics just trying to explain what we do. It is such a specific industry and sometimes you forget how insular or unusual it is because its our daily life. We are explaining what a talent buyer is, a booker, a promoter - and how they all fit together. I've been doing a lot of explaining on why the timing of the shutdown literally could not be worse.

Can you explain what you mean about the timing?
As venues, we pre-pay our insurance at the end of the year, and we take December, January, and February - especially in Minnesota where it's cold and people don't go to as many shows - to spend a lot of capital on organizational projects. We can see our ticket sales and usually predict within a couple percentage points how our year is going to go, so we outlay cash and we make expenditures based on that. We can usually predict from our ticket counts [how much we'll bring in that year].

But now, venues have given their bonuses, pre-paid their insurance, laid out improvement projects based on that - and then all revenue stops right when your business is about to kick off.

"We are all going to do what we need to do to protect public health ... We were prepared to be down for three months. Six months. But now, is it starting to look like 12 months, 18 months? That's when the existential crisis ensues."

How are you communicating with your member venues?
We have a daily email blast, a weekly town hall, and organizing committees. We're working out six-month and five-year plans for the organization. What's been really special is that we have 1,300 members, but a huge percentage of them - I'd say 600 - are actively engaging almost every day.

And have the talks on the Hill been going?
Everyone's starting to distribute letters. Just Tuesday, over 24 hours, we had 200,000 messages going to Congress. The hashtag on social media is #SaveOurStages. Senator Cornyn, Senator Carper, Senator Klobuchar, Congressman Cleaver, and Congressman Williams have been amazing champions.

What happens if live music is still shut down for the next few months?
We are all going to do what we need to do to protect public health, because this is a public health crisis. We were prepared to be down for three months. Six months. But now, is it starting to look like 12 months, 18 months? That's when the existential crisis ensues.

We all have personal guarantees out on all this debt. We have no corporate parent. If we can't pay this debt, they take our personal assets. I think that's a six-month timeline from here.

That's why we are focused on getting federal funding for our businesses that are shuttered with absolutely no way to have income. If we can't get venues the type of support they need until they can start operating at full capacity, where are the artists going to play? They're going to get on a bus and have no place to pull over to.
This interview has been edited for clarity.

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Without Federal Aid, More than 1,000 U.S. Music Venues Are in Danger of Closing

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It's been nearly two months since live music shut down. For large concert companies, the revenue slippage has been a major burden. For independent venues, which have no corporate parent to fall back on, it's an "existential crisis," says Dayna Frank, board president of the newly formed National Independent Venue Association ( NIVA).

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Baltimore streamed concerts during coronavirus just aren’t cutting it. Here’s why they shouldn’t.

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Baltimore streamed concerts during coronavirus just aren’t cutting it. Here’s why they shouldn’t.

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Violinist Samuel Thompson remembers his awe in the early days of YouTube. With the click of a button, he could pull up otherwise hard-to-come-by archival footage of Wanda Wilkomirska premiering Krzysztof Penderecki's "Capriccio for Violin and Orchestra" in 1967. He remembers discussing the dizzying possibilities with a colleague: "You can live anywhere and do serious study of the violin because we have this tool."

Fifteen years later, we regard this kind of access as commonplace. But the indefinite suspension of live performances brought about by the COVID-19 quarantines have put the promises of the digital revolution to the test.

Audiences have never had so many musical resources and high-quality performances at their disposal as now, but are streaming concerts worthy substitutions for the real thing? And while digital content lowers barriers to access for audiences, does it in turn create them for performers - who find their home concerts vying for listeners that could just as easily cue up top-quality productions from organizations like the Metropolitan Opera or Berlin Philharmonic?

Katherine Needleman, oboist for the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, was among the first wave of musicians to adapt their musical offerings for quarantined audiences. On March 19, she launched the first in a series of weekly "Lockdown Oboe Solo Concerts" streamed live from her home on her Facebook page.

For an orchestral musician, March is typically a month packed with performances. When the BSO canceled upcoming performances on March 12 and Needleman found herself at home with a cleared calendar, she "felt a little useless. I didn't pick up my oboe for four or five days." The concerts were a way "to get [herself] to do something."

Since then - May 1 marks Needleman's seventh concert - the performances have taken on deeper meaning. Needleman has been using them to make her way through the Telemann oboe fantasias as well as to showcase the work of some of her favorite living composers. Through pre-recorded interviews, these composers even make appearances on her webcasts (Thea Musgrave and Viet Cuong were two of her recent guests); the result is the kind of depth and curatorial insight one would expect from the best live performances.

The biggest hang-up? It's, by now, the old refrain: the sound quality, the technology. "The oboe is a very pungent instrument," said Needleman. "For me, it's probably the most difficult to record well." Needleman's felt a little better about the sound of her concerts since upgrading her equipment (she uses a Coles 4038 ribbon microphone and an Apogee Duet audio interface), but she still spends "hours and hours" every week worrying over the technology.

Under normal circumstances, Needleman wouldn't even consider sharing a full program of solo oboe music with the public without practicing it for one to two years. But the coronavirus pandemic has brought about a shift in priorities: Today's live concerts, such as they are, are less about showcasing artists at the top of their game than they are about providing baseline support to those artists and connection with their audiences. To that end, there are the perks of streamed performances: Over 12,000 viewers, a number of them flung across the globe, tuned in for one of her lockdown concerts, which is, in Needleman's words, "unheard of" for a solo oboe concert - "It's this sort of esoteric thing."

But it raises another question: What does it mean to be a musician of a particular place anymore, when all of one's public performances can theoretically be accessed by anyone in the world? It's a question that Douglas Buchanan, director of music ministries at St. David's Episcopal Church, has been thinking about a lot as he's prepared a digital choir of sorts for his church's livestreamed services.

"If you want to worship at the Washington National Cathedral, or at some big cathedral [elsewhere in] the world, you can do that now," he said in a phone interview. "So there's the question of, why choose to view your parish church? It doesn't have to be religious. Why view your local string quartet when you could watch whoever might be streaming that day, or all the millions of hours of archived footage that we have access to?"

For Buchanan, the answer is similar to why we still have, and need, librarians in the age of the internet. "You need them because they're curators. They know where to look and how to look." For musicians, there's even more to it: "You still carry with you the community that you had before."

So, sure, the faithful could tune in to streamed services from any number of world-renowned places of worship - but they're still not actually there, craning their necks to make out details on the vaulted ceilings, listening to voices echo against the walls. If they tune in to their own parish, they can, at the very least, "see the faces of the people they know."

But Buchanan, too, has grappled with the technology. St. David's has been streaming what they call services of morning prayer every Sunday, which include performances by their staff choir. At the appropriate moments, two columns, each showing four singers, appear on either side of the screen; as the choir sings the hymn, the text appears in the center.

The effect is that of a live performance - but it's not. And neither are any of the videos (many of which have gone viral) of musicians "coming together" to make music despite the lockdowns. These videos are created by musicians recording themselves separately, while listening to a click track or other instrumental recording to maintain tempo, and the final result is the product of hours of labor by a mixing engineer.

Buchanan has become that engineer for St. David's, as well as their video editor. He estimates that editing a service can take anywhere from seven to 12 hours. He doesn't question the value of the work: For him, it provides a sense of ritual to the week, it allows the St. David's choir to keep getting paid, and he still sees his role as the same as before COVID-19: "I'm trying to create meaningful and high-quality music ... geared towards the community that I serve."

But the work does exact an emotional toll. Buchanan remembered that the first time the choir sent him their files and he began editing them together, "it was really hard. It really hit me because I knew this was how I was going to be interacting with my singers for a long time to come."

He worries, too, about the wider ramifications of the rush to provide digital content, pointing out that "for most concerts that have archival footage, there aren't mechanical rights that are included in the contract" for that performer. In other words, if a musician agrees to perform and get paid for a live gig, but their contract does not have a clause addressing redistribution - and the concert is recorded and later streamed - then that musician will not receive any additional payment, even if the streamed recording is generating additional income for the organization.

Kerry Holahan, a full-time freelance vocalist whose gigs include singing for St. David's and the Baltimore Choral Arts Society, worries about another unintended effect of digital concerts. "I'm worried that we're giving our audiences a false sense of normalcy," she said in an interview. Specifically, the simulations of live performances might imply that "musicians have innovated and bounced back in the way that artists tend to do when they're faced with challenging situations - when really it's anything but."

By now, Holahan has developed her own best practices for recording for streamed concerts - she works with her cell phone attached via a rubber band to her music stand - but her frustrations with her limited technology and her fear about the future has made for some draining recording sessions.

"Our recording equipment is very subpar," Holahan said. "I'm using my cell phone and my laptop, neither of which was ever designed to do real recording. I'm in my mother's living room. There are dogs barking and lawnmowers in the background. Certainly our parishioners don't care about any of that. They just care about the camaraderie and the feeling of connection, so that aspect of it I'm very happy to maintain. But for the musicians themselves it's kind of hell. It's really uncomfortable."

"It's uncomfortable because the quality is so subpar," she explained, "but it's also incredibly emotional. The first time I was trying to record pieces, I cried for 20 minutes. I couldn't steady my voice."

For all of the mind-boggling technological innovations that have expanded our abilities to make and listen to music, our now utter reliance on that technology has revealed a glaring lack: We do not have the ability to recreate simultaneous performances. We still can't make music together if we're not in the same place - not really, not at the same time.

It's worth asking whether that technology ever could exist. Because even if you managed to eliminate latency issues, even if you managed to somehow replicate the acoustic blending of discrete instruments in real time, could this kind of ensemble work ever be anything more than a simulation - a mock-up?

Buchanan reflected on one of the hardest things for his choir to go without: taking a breath together. "It's this very basic, visceral thing that is bodily and it's also emotional. For different people it's mental or spiritual. It's these resonant bodies acting together in space."

Elizabeth Nonemaker covers classical music for The Baltimore Sun as a freelance writer. Classical music coverage at The Sun is supported in part by a grant from the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation, the Rubin Institute for Music Criticism and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. The Sun makes all editorial decisions. Nonemaker can be reached at nonemakerwrites@gmail.com.

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Baltimore streamed concerts during coronavirus just aren't cutting it. Here's why they shouldn't.

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Violinist Samuel Thompson remembers his awe in the early days of YouTube. With the click of a button, he could pull up otherwise hard-to-come-by archival footage of Wanda Wilkomirska premiering Krzysztof Penderecki's "Capriccio for Violin and Orchestra" in 1967.

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Nessun Dorma...alla Corona - Daniel Emmet

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Nessun Dorma...alla Corona - Daniel Emmet

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Nessun Dorma...alla Corona - Daniel Emmet

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Better Than Unemployment: How The Government Supported Musicians During The Great Depression

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Better Than Unemployment: How The Government Supported Musicians During The Great Depression

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The Los Angeles WPA Symphony plays the Hollywood Bowl in 1937 (Courtesy of the National Archives)

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America in the late 1920s was much like America in early 2020 - the stock market was up ; unemployment was low . But toward the end of the decade, everything changed. The over-inflated stock market crashed, taking millions of jobs with it. The Great Depression had begun.

While the downturn affected nearly every sector of the economy, musicians were among those hit the hardest. With no concerts to play, many fell into poverty. It would take three years, a new Congress and a new president before fortunes started to shift.

In March 1933, Congress passed the , a series of reforms aimed at pulling America out of the depression, which soon gave rise to the Works Progress Administration. The program didn't just benefit laborers, it also established the Federal Music Project aimed at helping musicians.

"The primary goal was simply to put professional musicians back to work," said Peter Gough, author of the book, "Sounds of the New Deal: The Federal Music Project in the West."

"They had sold their instruments, some of them even before the Great Depression, because of the advent of the technology of the 1920s," he said, referring to the phonograph, which cooled demand for live musicians in places like movie theatres and dance halls.

The Mexican " Tipica Orquesta" of the San Diego Federal Music Project in 1937. (Courtesy of the National Archives)

Gough says the music project would become one of four arts programs that received federal funds, and one of the few that enjoyed bipartisan support.

"You know, the Los Angeles papers in the 1930s were very, very conservative and Republican, and they tended to see art projects or cultural projects as what they called 'boondoggling,'" Gough said. "But there were several articles that said, 'Look, we don't like all this WPA boondoggling, but this Federal Music Project, it's a good thing. We need to keep that.'"

Under the project, public concerts were subsidized by the federal government. Musicians were given a regular paycheck. And black and white artists were paid the same wages.

T he program contributed to a veritable time capsule of music - some of it with political undertones.

"I think people were reassessing what it meant to be an American in the 1930s," Gough explains. "There was a very popular song called ' Ballad for Americans ' sung by Paul Robeson on national radio and it expresses all of these views."

In the work, a suspicious female voice interrupts Robeson's patriotic tale to ask: "Are you an American?"

Am I an American? I'm just an Irish, Jewish, Italian, French and English, Spanish, Russian, Chinese, Polish, Scotch, Hungarian, Swedish, Finnish, Greek and Turk and Czech and double-check American!

Gough says music by Robeson and other artists of color would help erode racism in America, just in time for World War Two; diverse ensembles crossing the nation, playing music together gently reminded audiences that they were in the depression together.

By the time the program was defunded in 1943, over 250,000 concerts had been performed. Over 7,300 works had been composed.

The Federal Music Project Los Angeles "Colored Mixed Chorus" (Courtesy of the National Archives)

As the country stares down another economic whirlwind, musicians face the months ahead with none of the assurances afforded their forebears; the federal Paycheck Protection Program offers limited funds and it's unclear how long the latest injection of cash will last.

It might be a long time, at least half a year estimates suggest, before concerts are allowed to resume.

In California, unemployment insurance and Pandemic Unemployment Assistance can help make up for some lost earnings, but all of those programs come with significant hangups for performers.

Peter Gough says the time might be right for a program similar to the Federal Music Project, to help the many musicians struggling financially during the pandemic.

"I think now, given the situation, [the fact that] musicians who [used to make the majority of their income] playing in venues that people can no longer attend should definitely be a consideration," he said.
Listen to the full story below: MORE STORIES ON UNEMPLOYMENT AND THE ARTS:

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Better Than Unemployment: How The Government Supported Musicians During The Great Depression

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Our news is free on LAist. To make sure you get our coverage: Sign up for our daily coronavirus newsletter . To support our non-profit public service journalism: Donate Now. America in the late 1920s was much like America in early 2020 - the stock market was up ; unemployment was low .

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The Coronavirus Means Curtains for Artists

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The Coronavirus Means Curtains for Artists

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EDITOR'S NOTE:&nbsp The Nation believes that helping readers stay informed about the impact of the coronavirus crisis is a form of public service. For that reason, this article, and all of our coronavirus coverage, is now free. Please subscribe to support our writers and staff, and stay healthy.

In attempting to understand the impact of the pandemic on artists and the arts, we need to start by recognizing that this new crisis has collided with an arts economy that was already severely weakened by 20 years of digital assault. The assault has taken the form, specifically, of demonetization. Any content that can be transmitted over the Internet-music, text, still images, video-has seen its price severely cut, often to zero. Across a wide range of fields, major revenue sources have crumbled: for musicians, recorded music sales; for writers, freelance fees and book advances; for publications, advertising revenue; for the movie business, ticket sales as well as DVD sales and rentals.

As a result, artists and cultural institutions have learned to seek their income from sources that cannot be digitized, meaning physical objects and live experiences-especially live experiences. Musicians tour, tour, tour. Writers give readings and talks, teach classes, do residencies. For visual artists like illustrators, animators, and cartoonists, classes and workshops have also been key. Publications monetize their brands with panoplies of live events. Festivals of all kinds (music, film, comedy, books) have proliferated, as have art fairs (a major venue now for the sale of high-end visual art) and fan conventions like Comic-Con (which are huge for a range of creative fields).

None of that, of course, can happen now. The crisis has not just hit theaters, though their closure has been devastating for orchestras and ensembles; opera, dance, and theater companies; and the artists who create and perform for them. It has not just hit museums, galleries, art spaces, and the artists whose work they show. The major basis of much of the contemporary arts economy-live, in-person, face-to-face events-has been destroyed. And even the one art that was not weakened before the pandemic, the one creative arena that had been thriving financially in the 21st century, television, has suspended production, throwing tens of thousands out of work.

But the loss of revenue from live events is only the start of this particular disaster. Artists typically piece together their livings from a multiplicity of part-time income sources. As one writer put it to me, you stack up a bunch of small checks. Full-time jobs do not generally allow sufficient time to make one's art, nor do they permit the kinds of extended absences (touring, residencies, performance runs in other towns) that are necessary for pursuing one's career. So artists do a lot of one-offs and short-term gigs: commissions, client work, adjunct teaching. Much of this is likely to dry up as businesses and institutions, including universities, tighten their belts. (The fate of art schools and departments during a time of virtual instruction is not likely to be pretty.) Artists also drive for Uber and Lyft, pull shots, wait tables, tend bar, and engage in many other varieties of low-wage service work. A lot of that is now shut down or severely curtailed. And very little of it (the day jobs or the art-related work) comes with health insurance.

Artistic careers are also such that you cannot just put them on hold-for three, six, 12, 24 months-and expect to pick up where you left off. Artistic work is project-to-project. Your album or your play can make a splash, but then it is back to square one. Attention and momentum quickly fade and must be constantly regenerated. Many of us are hoping to go back, eventually, to some kind of normal, but for artists, with few exceptions, there is nothing there, no job or position, to "go back" to. You are the job. You are the small business. For actors, writers, and directors who have had their productions shut down, comedians and bands who've had to cancel tours, visual artists who were looking forward to a gallery show (all after years of preparation, deprivation, and uncertainty), the pandemic may be killing opportunities that won't come back. In the arts, far more than almost any other field, success requires luck. Even in the best of times, the extent to which you can simply get randomly screwed is heartbreaking. The pandemic is a random screwing on an epic scale.

For artists, the disease's effects on the larger economy, both now and whenever the crisis is over, are also likely to be grim. However much we value the arts, spending on them is discretionary. As we slide into our new depression, many people will have precious little left over for things like books or vinyl. With the rise of free content, spending on the arts has also largely come to be voluntary. The most hopeful financial development for independent artists over the past decade has undoubtedly been the emergence of crowdfunding platforms, especially Kickstarter and Patreon. Crowdfunding is the patronage model updated for the digital age, and it has become a lifeline for creators, a crucial part of many a financial picture. But like all patronage, crowdfunding depends on the existence of benefactors who feel they have the economic breathing room to give.

The truth is that digitization has not really demonetized the arts. Someone has been making money, but that someone isn't artists: For those who are counting the clicks and selling the resulting data, "free content" is a gold mine. Silicon Valley in general, and the tech giants in particular-above all, Google, Facebook, and Amazon-have engineered a vast and ongoing transfer of wealth, on the order of tens of billions of dollars a year, from creators to distributors, from artists to Big Tech. They have been able to do so because of their monopoly positions and the unparalleled power and wealth these have brought them. With the destruction that the current crisis is wreaking on brick-and-mortar retail, along with the way the pandemic is shifting even more of our existence onto screens, signs are strong that this upheaval will only serve to strengthen the hegemony of Big Tech in the post-pandemic world.

Things were already bad for artists. Even for those who are lucky enough to survive this with some semblance of their professional lives intact, they are likely to be worse.

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The Coronavirus Means Curtains for Artists

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EDITOR'S NOTE:&nbsp The Nation believes that helping readers stay informed about the impact of the coronavirus crisis is a form of public service. For that reason, this article, and all of our coronavirus coverage, is now free. Please subscribe to support our writers and staff, and stay healthy.

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Family Plays Beatles' 'Come Together,' And It Totally Slaps

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Family Plays Beatles' 'Come Together,' And It Totally Slaps

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There's a lot of musical talent here, but we all know that the girl dancing in the foreground stole the show.

ALL WORK AND NO PLAY INCREASES JACK'S BUDGET

Jack is a troubled writer looking for solitude; Wendy is a stay-at-home mom constantly worried about her gifted son. Their budget is $6.5 million. This probably won't end well.

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Family Plays Beatles' 'Come Together,' And It Totally Slaps - Digg

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There's a lot of musical talent here, but we all know that the girl dancing in the foreground stole the show. ALL WORK AND NO PLAY INCREASES JACK'S BUDGET Jack is a troubled writer looking for solitude; Wendy is a stay-at-home mom constantly worried about her gifted son.

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Light Shall Lift Us: Opera Singers Unite in Song

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Light Shall Lift Us: Opera Singers Unite in Song

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Light Shall Lift Us: Opera Singers Unite in Song

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Scientists translate coronavirus spike protein into music, revealing more about its structure

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Scientists translate coronavirus spike protein into music, revealing more about its structure

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By this stage, you will have seen plenty of artists' impressions of the new coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2. Now, you can hear one.

One of the distinguishing features of SARS-CoV-2 is the crown, or corona, of spikes on its surface. Zoom in to those infinitesimal spikes further and they're made up of chains of proteins, looping and folding over one another.

In an attempt to understand this new pathogen better, musician and engineer Markus Buehler and his colleagues at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have assigned each protein and structural form a musical equivalent.

The result, generated by artificial intelligence, is a surprisingly soothing musical score that Professor Buehler said revealed detail that microscopes couldn't.

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"Our brains are great at processing sound. In one sweep, our ears pick up all of its hierarchical features: pitch, timbre, volume, melody, rhythm, and chords," he said.

"We would need a high-powered microscope to see the equivalent detail in an image, and we could never see it all at once.

"Sound is such an elegant way to access the information stored in a protein."

The SARS-CoV-2 virus spike is a particularly complex assembly - it involves three protein chains folded together in an intricate pattern.

The volume, duration and rhythm of notes in the score reflect how the amino acids that make up the proteins are arranged, and the entangled chains are rendered as intersecting melodies.

"These structures are too small for the eye to see, but they can be heard," Professor Buehler said.

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It's pretty, but what's the point?

There's more to this piece of music than a pretty melody with a nerdy origin.

Translating proteins into sound gives scientists another tool to understand and manipulate them, Professor Buehler said.

"Even a small mutation can limit or enhance the pathogenic power of SARS-CoV-2."

It's the spike protein on the outside of the virus that fits to the receptors inside our bodies and allows the virus to infect us.

In creating the music, Professor Buehler and his team analysed the "vibrational structure" of this protein.

"Understanding these vibrational patterns is critical for drug design and much more," he said.

"Vibrations may change as temperatures warm, for example, and they may also tell us why the SARS-CoV-2 spike gravitates toward human cells more than other viruses."

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Taking a musical approach could also be used to design drugs to attack the virus, he said.

For example, scientists could search for a new protein that matches the melody and rhythm of antibodies that could interfere with the virus's ability to infect.

A musical analogy

So yes, this music has function. But it's also a product of creativity and artistic expression.

And, just like any art form, it highlights aspects of the world around us that we might otherwise miss.

"As you listen, you may be surprised by the pleasant, even relaxing, tone of the music," Professor Buehler said.

"But it tricks our ear in the same way the virus tricks our cells. It's an invader disguised as a friendly visitor.

"Through music, we can see the SARS-CoV-2 spike from a new angle, and appreciate the urgent need to learn the language of proteins."

Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume.

The Virus

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The coronavirus has been translated into music, and it's surprisingly beautiful

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By this stage, you will have seen plenty of artists' impressions of the new coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2. Now, you can hear one. One of the distinguishing features of SARS-CoV-2 is the crown, or corona, of spikes on its surface. Zoom in to those infinitesimal spikes further and they're made up of chains of proteins, looping and folding over one another.

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The pandemic shut down choirs. We’re finding new ways to sing together.

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The pandemic shut down choirs. We’re finding new ways to sing together.

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A screenshot shows the choir Anima using a Zoom platform to rehearse on April 14. (Reuters Staff/Reuters)

I came of age as a young musician during the "dawning of the age of Aquarius," the period when Broadway musicals such as " Hair" and Stephen Schwartz's " Godspell " became hits. I had never heard a song of lament that had strong meaning for me until my first encounter with Schwartz's "On the Willows," which paraphrases the Hebrew scriptures' Psalm 137 with these words:

For our captors there required of us songs

And our tormentors, mirth

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Saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion

But how can we sing the Lord's songs in a foreign land?

The question "How do we sing the Lord's songs in a foreign land?" still haunts me. And during the covid-19 pandemic, providing an answer to it feels insurmountable. Over the past few weeks, those of us in the singing community have pondered how, in a practical way, we are to sing anything in this newly found "strange land" caused by a worldwide pandemic. How in a spiritual way, can we sing anything at all in this time of despair and hopelessness? And who will listen?

Full coverage of the coronavirus pandemic

The logistical challenges are most immediate. Choral music is, by definition, a group activity. But after a choir rehearsal in Washington state appeared to be a spreader event, and as worship services have been closed down by government order, the community that choirs foster has been placed out of reach.

It is not clear when we will be able to gather again. In my capacity as director of the American Choral Directors Association, I facilitated a recent webinar on what science tells us about the future of singing: The medical experts we spoke to explained that speaking and singing produce aerosols that spread the virus, and that cannot be fully contained by masks.

The leaders and singers in the choral community responded to these revelations with passion and a tremendous sense of loss. Yet even now, we've been able to learn from each other's individual voices.

We have worked with a software company to develop a program that allows singers to sing their part of a choral score into their computer or phone; the software evaluates whether or not they are singing the right pitch and rhythm. As choral directors, we can assess their progress and speak directly to the spots where they need help.

We are also creating "virtual choirs" in which individual singers record their part in a video, and directors edit those files into an overall mix. While the result isn't a substitute for real choirs, these programs do allow us to hear each singer individually, and to coach musicians on how they fit into the overall performance even when they can't hear their fellow singers.

But there is a more emotional question before us: How can we find the spirit to sing in times like this?

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Over the past 12 years, I have witnessed the steady growth of choral singing in the United States - not just in our educational system, but also in refugee choirs, homeless choirs, hospice choirs, prison choirs, Alzheimer's choirs, and a plethora of other unlikely places. Their example reminds me that singing gives something not just to the listener, but to the singer, as well. Singing requires us to use our bodies and connects us directly to our emotional lives. Every aspect of the singing process is visceral. And while the experience of singing is highly individual, choral singing blends and balances those individual sounds into a community.

As I try to come to terms with what has happened and what it means for the future of American singing, I take comfort in the creativity and optimism I find in our membership. These weeks of challenge have resulted in extraordinary new ways of working and teaching. We value more than any time in our collective history the beauty and power of our choral singing mission. We know as a society that we need to sing in community.

"How will we sing in this foreign land?" We will sing because we have to. Harmony, community and balance are not only characteristics of choral art. They are aural examples of our human aspiration.

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Opinion | The pandemic shut down choirs. We're finding new ways to sing together.

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I came of age as a young musician during the "dawning of the age of Aquarius," the period when Broadway musicals such as " Hair" and Stephen Schwartz's " Godspell " became hits.

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Shure - “It Don’t Matter” using household items only

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Shure - “It Don’t Matter” using household items only

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Shure - “It Don’t Matter” using household items only

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DJ Brings Queens Neighbors Together for Songs, Showing Gratitude for First Responders

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Mario Robles has been throwing porch parties for his neighbors during the coronavirus pandemic. Old and new music has brought his Flushing, Queens, neighbors closer in these tough times.

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2020: An Isolation Odyssey | 40 musicians play epic intro from Kubrick classic during UK lockdown

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2020: An Isolation Odyssey | 40 musicians play epic intro from Kubrick classic during UK lockdown

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2020: An Isolation Odyssey | 40 musicians play epic intro from Kubrick classic during UK lockdown

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Disney is bringing fans a magical one-hour television special starring some of our favorite Disney stars.

The Disney Family Singalong will air on ABC on Thursday, April 16, 8 pm-9 pm EST and will be hosted by Ryan Seacrest. The Disney Family Singalong will feature an incredible lineup of celebrities and Disney stars (alongside their families) who will come together and perform some of their favorite Disney songs right from their own homes.

Disney fans tuning in can expect to see celebrities such as Disney Legend Christina Aguilera, Erin Andrews, Bobby Bones, Michael Bublé, Kristin Chenoweth, Auliʻi Cravalho, Luke Evans, Jordan Fisher, Josh Gad, Derek Hough, Julianne Hough, Carrie Ann Inaba, Little Big Town, Disney Legend Kenny Ortega, Donny Osmond, Thomas Rhett, Amber Riley, John Stamos, and many others who are all involved with The Walt Disney Company - including The Walt Disney Studios, Walt Disney Television, Disney Music Group, Disney Theatrical Productions, and others.

Karey Burke, president, ABC Entertainment stated "If there's something that we've all learned in the past few weeks, it's to cherish every moment and the importance of connection, whether through laughter, stories, or music. We hope that we can help create some new unforgettable moments in everyone's homes in a way that only the magic of Disney can."

If you aren't sure of the lyrics word for word - Don't fear because this is a sing-along after all! During the shows, there will be an animated character who will guide the on-screen lyrics so that the fans at home can sing along with some of your favorite Disney stars. Get ready to sing songs from Disney classics such as Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, Toy Story, Moana, Frozen, and even High School Musical (Because we are all in this together!)

The Disney Family Singalong will air on ABC on Thursday, April 16 from 8 pm-9 pm EST.

Will you be tuning into The Disney Family Singalong? Let us know in the comments.

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Just Announced: 'Disney Family Singalong' Starring Josh Gad, John Stamos, and More | Inside the Magic

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Disney is bringing fans a magical one-hour television special starring some of our favorite Disney stars. The Disney Family Singalong will air on ABC on Thursday, April 16, 8 pm-9 pm EST and will be hosted by Ryan Seacrest.

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School choir comes together to sing "Over the Rainbow" from their own separate homes

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School choir comes together to sing "Over the Rainbow" from their own separate homes

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School choir comes together to sing "Over the Rainbow" from their own separate homes

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Artists may need a Depression-era jobs program today

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Artists may need a Depression-era jobs program today

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Written by Ryan Prior, CNN

As the coronavirus pandemic drastically undermines the economy, arts administrator Deana Haggag finds herself in brand new territory.

Haggag, the president and CEO of United States Artists (USA), told CNN that a few weeks ago it became clear to her that "most cultural organizations were going to be shut down." She set in and just started "monitoring the layoffs."

In the art world, like in many sectors, the job losses were brutal.

"For many of us, we've never been here," Haggag said in a phone interview. "This is the biggest crisis our country has faced in many of our lifetimes."

She set to work behind the scenes to do something about it.

On Wednesday, her organization announced a $10 million collaborative grant program called Artist Relief. USA is working in coalition with six other major arts non-profits including Academy of American Poets, Artadia, Creative Capital, Foundation for Contemporary Arts, MAP Fund and the National YoungArts Foundation.

They're offering $5,000 grants to at least 100 artists per week, from poets to architects to weavers. They're hoping to be able to expand the program to more artists if funds allow.

She was deeply proud of getting so many organizations to agree on something so big so quickly.

"This is cause for celebration," she said. But at the same time, she acknowledged launching the program was bittersweet. "Reading these applications is gut-wrenching, it's absolutely heart-breaking."

She said in the first three hours, the group's portal received 2,200 applications from artists in need, and they expected to receive 10,000 on the first day.

From sound technicians to illustrators to ticket sellers, more than five million Americans are employed in the arts and culture sector, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis.

And programs like the one Haggag leads can only do so much to address the tidal wave of need.

The arts are indicative of the wider economic situation

April's unemployment numbers showed an historic spike in the number of Americans filing for unemployment. The Department of Labor said that for the week ending March 28, some 6.6 million Americans filed for benefits, a 3,000% spike over the claims numbers from last month. And businesses continue to lay off and furlough workers.

As we enter a global recession, it's worth a look back at how Americans rallied during previous times of economic hardship, and to consider how it might inform our response to our present dilemma.

Active from 1935 to 1943, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) was a New Deal program designed to give Americans paid work during the Great Depression while jobs were scarce.

The program would employ some 8.5 million Americans involved in 1.4 million public works projects, according to the Library of Congress.

In addition to the nationwide infrastructure projects, for four of its years of existence the WPA housed Federal Project Number One. That project organized Depression-era work programs for thousands of artists, musicians, writers, theatrical performers and historians.

And its legacy goes beyond getting cultural workers back into employment.

The Works Progress Administration helped unemployed artists

The WPA would "give some of the best writers of the 20th century their first job writing," author David A. Taylor told CNN over the phone.

Taylor penned the book "Soul of a People: The WPA Writers' Project Uncovers Depression America," which was also turned into a documentary with the same title, chronicling one aspect of the WPA, the Federal Writers' Project.

That program alone employed as many as 7,500 people during its existence from 1935 to 1939.

The Writers' Project is perhaps best known for its American Guides, a series of locally written travel guides for cities and states.

Those on its payroll included would-be literary luminaries such as Richard Wright, Zora Neale Hurston, Ralph Ellison and Saul Bellow -- who would go on to win the Nobel Prize in Literature.

During her time with the WPA, Hurston used her BA in anthropology to chronicle life histories in the American South. She wrote her classic novel "Their Eyes Were Watching God," published in 1937, while doing her WPA-funded field work in Florida.

Ellisson's 1952 classic "Invisible Man" was drawn from character studies from his time interviewing people during his job on the Federal Writers' Project in the late 1930s, Taylor said.

The Federal Writers' Project also preserved histories of African American folklore and life that otherwise wouldn't have been recorded. Some are memorialized in the Slave Narrative Collection at the Library of Congress.

In the film "Soul of a People," Maryemma Graham, a professor of English and African American Studies at the University of Kansas argues that "the largest single impact on black writing before the civil rights movement was really the WPA, not the Harlem Renaissance."

The WPA's Federal Art Project, Federal Theatre Project, Federal Music Project and Historical Records Survey employed Americans across the liberal arts spectrum.

In his early 20s, a pre-Hollywood Orson Welles directed a nationwide WPA-funded theatrical tour of Shakespeare's "Macbeth," with an all African American cast.

Under the Federal Art Project, visual artists were often put to work creating murals or posters. Many of their works can be see via the New Deal Art Registry.

Before they achieved wider recognition, the program provided a financial backstop for young visual artists such as Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko and Willem de Kooning, who would go on to become major art-world figures.

The iconic Griffiths Observatory in Los Angeles was built under the WPA.

Taylor pointed to novelist Nelson Algren's summation of the WPA's impact on artists and writers: "Had it not been for the Project, the suicide rate would have been much higher. It gave new life to people who had thought their lives were over."

It employed creative Americans during a crucial time

Nick Taylor (no relation to the above David Taylor) wrote about the overall WPA jobs programs in his book " American Made: The Enduring Legacy of the WPA -- When FDR Put the Nation to Work."

"It really built the world that generations experienced after World War II," Taylor said over the phone.

He added that if the current social distancing policies drive the economy into a prolonged recession, a larger economic program could be necessary.

"To the extent that government spends money on infrastructure, it should anticipate who we'll be when this is over," he said, emphasizing the need to see these types of programs not as spending, but rather as investments.

Today those necessary programs might include anything from broadband access and the electric grid to voting systems and social media projects.

"We need to imagine what life will be like when we emerge from social distancing and what we're going to need," he said.

And those programs can be tailored by sector to each person's individual skills. Noting a New Deal-era comment from his book, he said, "There's no sense making a good violinist a bad ditch digger."

The recent stimulus is a little different this time -- which could help artists

It's unclear how long or deep a coronavirus-related economic recession could last. But it might not be too early to think about how a new national arts job program might look.

So far, Congress has responded by passing Cares Act, a $2 trillion economic stimulus bill, the largest aid package in US history, and President Donald Trump signed the bill on March 27.

The bill has several major components, including direct stimulus checks to individuals, extension of unemployment benefits, small business grants, and loans to industry.

One key provision for artists was the extension of unemployment benefits for independent contractors who file their taxes on the IRS's 1099 forms. Many independent artists, those likely to be hit hardest by a faltering economy, fit into that tax category and are thereby eligible for benefits.

"Independent contractors aren't traditionally included in the stimulus," Jamie Bennett, the executive director of the non-profit ArtPlace America said over the phone. That's already a big step forward this time, helping everyone from blues guitarists to visual artists to Uber drivers.

"It was artists who invented the gig economy," Bennett said, noting that term's roots refer to jazz musicians playing shows.

Despite some good news around individual stimulus checks being sent as early as mid-April, and expanded unemployment benefits, the arts are uniquely vulnerable to social distancing guidelines.

"The vast majority of arts and culture is consumed in person with other people," Bennett said, explaining that a post-pandemic artistic renaissance will have to be scaled up slowly and carefully. It would start with small theaters or galleries, once public health officials give the green light, and society would only much later get back to filling large arenas for rock concerts and sporting events.

"We aren't going to flip a switch and have people immediately going back to sitting in a 1,200-seat theater," he said. "It will require an 18-month strategy."

In the meantime, arts institutions will need to beef up virtual offerings, and have faith that while valuable, visiting a museum or symphony performance via technologies like virtual reality or film wouldn't replace the joy of visiting those places.

"I am not someone who ever worries that technology will replace the live experience," Bennett said.

Virtual museum tours, unemployment checks, and direct stimulus aid are helpful Band-Aid solutions in the short term. But they're still short of the activist role the government played in actually creating artistic jobs nearly a century ago.

But for now, those measures may be the only thing that artists, and art institutions, have to rely on.

Various government programs can help

The coronavirus recession has different financial roots than the Great Depression, and stimulating the economy can't change the fact that some jobs simply can't be done while the pandemic is uncontrolled. But we can at least rely on public agencies and policies left in the wake of the New Deal, and a patchwork of civil society programs that weren't available in the Depression.

"The National Endowment for the Arts didn't exist in the 1930s," Taylor said. "We don't have to start from scratch like the Federal Writers' Project did."

Taylor said programs such as the American Journalism Project, a program that employs recent college graduates at local newspapers around the country, carry the spirit of the Federal Writers' Project.

A 21st century program from artists "wouldn't have to look like the big monolithic program the WPA was," he said.

One ray of hope: last week, the Getty Trust also announced a $10 million relief fund to be released in amounts ranging from $25,000 to $200,000 by the California Community Foundation. Those grants would prop up small and midsize arts institutions.

Bennett, of ArtPlace America, said that community development block grants would likely be a key way to help agencies and organizations that can employ artists in projects ranging from community to public health campaigns, all vital to holding society together in the face of the pandemic.

Art can be a balm for the nation in troubled times

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and prominent fixture of the coronavirus response, told CNN's Sanjay Gupta he was worried about how this pandemic would affect the nation's psyche.

"I could hear it in the inflections in my daughters' voices when I speak with them on the phone," Fauci said. "This is going to be imprinted on the personality of our nation for a very long time."

"I think there's going to be some subliminal post-traumatic stress syndrome that we're all going to face," Fauci said.

While nearly everyone on the planet is feeling some version of what Fauci's daughter feels, it's unlikely that we can all enter therapy to sort through some of the complex emotions. Artists could help address those traumas in ways that healthcare professionals might not be able to.

"Art reminds you that you belong to others and helps you build an identity based on shared community," Haggag said. "When we're done with this, we're going to need art and religion and also sports."

"I don't know how we recover from the collective PTSD of this," Haggag said. "I think we need to be together for that."

Like so many aspects of the economy, from restaurants to travel to sports, the arts are strained in ways they've scarcely been before. While the situation is dire, it also directly feeds the new forms of creative expression that inevitably must come from social distancing.

Today, keeping expression -- and healing -- alive might entail investments that expand what art means under our current conditions, whether that be writing or video games or virtual reality.

"One of the things I find fascinating about the human condition is that under any circumstances, human beings will create," Bennett said. "We haven't yet discovered conditions by which they stop being creative."

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artists and writers may need a pandemic jobs program - cnn

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Artists may need a Depression-era jobs program today

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Written by Ryan Prior, CNN As the coronavirus pandemic drastically undermines the economy, arts administrator Deana Haggag finds herself in brand new territory. Haggag, the president and CEO of United States Artists (USA), told CNN that a few weeks ago it became clear to her that "most cultural organizations were going to be shut down."

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All Decisions Will Be Made By Committee (A Zoom Opera)

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All Decisions Will Be Made By Committee (A Zoom Opera)

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DENNIS DEYOUNG formerly of Styx sings Best of Times from home

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DENNIS DEYOUNG formerly of Styx sings Best of Times from home

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DENNIS DEYOUNG formerly of Styx sings Best of Times from home

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Happy Friday everyone! Bringing to you another @Carmelschools music department #socialdistanced ensemble video! @adavey024 @Gfmssings @budwelljones @PBallantoni @band_mcabral @MPES_music @kps_music1 @MrsMadMusic

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Happy Friday everyone! Bringing to you another @Carmelschools music department #socialdistanced ensemble video! @adavey024 @Gfmssings @budwelljones @PBallantoni @band_mcabral @MPES_music @kps_music1 @MrsMadMusic https://t.co/v1dPViObDb

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Something went wrong, but don’t fret — let’s give it another shot.

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Happy Friday everyone! Bringing to you another @Carmelschools music department #socialdistanced ensemble video! @adavey024 @Gfmssings @budwelljones @PBallantoni @band_mcabral @MPES_music @kps_music1 @MrsMadMusic pic.twitter.com/v1dPViObDb
— Carmel CSD Music (@CarmelCSDMusic) April 10, 2020

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Happy Friday everyone! Bringing to you another @Carmelschools music department #socialdistanced ensemble video! @adavey024 @Gfmssings @budwelljones @PBallantoni @band_mcabral @MPES_music @kps_music1 @MrsMadMusic https://t.co/v1dPViObDb

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Happy Friday everyone! Bringing to you another @Carmelschools music department #socialdistanced ensemble video! @adavey024 @Gfmssings @budwelljones @PBallantoni @band_mcabral @MPES_music @kps_music1 @MrsMadMusic https://t.co/v1dPViObDb

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Happy Friday everyone! Bringing to you another @Carmelschools music department #socialdistanced ensemble video! @adavey024 @Gfmssings @budwelljones @PBallantoni @band_mcabral @MPES_music @kps_music1 @MrsMadMusic

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Black Thought Of The Roots: Tiny Desk (Home) Concert

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Black Thought Of The Roots: Tiny Desk (Home) Concert

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The Tiny Desk is working from home for the foreseeable future. Introducing NPR Music's Tiny Desk (home) concerts, bringing you performances from across the country and the world. It's the same spirit - stripped-down sets, an intimate setting - just a different space.
While our culture adjusts to the New Normal, artists are revealing the threads of our common humanity as they find new ways to bring their work to virtual communities. In this installment of Tiny Desk (home) concerts, hip-hop wordsmith Tariq Trotter, aka Black Thought of The Roots crew, took the occasion to premiere three new songs.

On "Thought Vs. Everybody," Thought calls for unity in response to the conditions of an encroaching dystopia. Next up is "Yellow," a song from his upcoming off-Broadway musical Black No More, an adaption of the 1931 Afrofuturist novel by George S. Schuyler, set during the Harlem Renaissance. The track is co-written with Anthony Tidd. He closes with "Nature of the Beast," a cross-genre collaboration with alternative music sweethearts Portugal. The Man, who pop up on screen from a remote location. "Thought Vs. Everybody" and "Nature of the Beast" are produced by Sean C and will appear on Streams of Thought Vol. 3, which will be released as an EP.
SET LIST

"Thought Vs. Everybody"

"Yellow"

"Nature of the Beast (feat. Portugal. The Man)"

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The Roots' Black Thought Premieres Three New Songs In A Tiny Desk (Home) Concert

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The Tiny Desk is working from home for the foreseeable future. Introducing NPR Music's Tiny Desk (home) concerts, bringing you performances from across the country and the world. It's the same spirit - stripped-down sets, an intimate setting - just a different space.

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Jimmy Fallon, Sting & The Roots Remix "Don't Stand So Close to Me" (At-Home Instruments)

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Jimmy Fallon, Sting & The Roots Remix "Don't Stand So Close to Me" (At-Home Instruments)

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Jimmy Fallon, Sting & The Roots Remix "Don't Stand So Close to Me" (At-Home Instruments)

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Quarantine Music Video - "Dance Song (for the End of the World)" - Lizzy & The Triggermen

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Quarantine Music Video - "Dance Song (for the End of the World)" - Lizzy & The Triggermen

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Quarantine Music Video - "Dance Song (for the End of the World)" - Lizzy & The Triggermen

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Coronavirus Rhapsody (based on Bohemian Rhapsody) - Covid19

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Coronavirus Rhapsody (based on Bohemian Rhapsody) - Covid19

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Coronavirus Rhapsody (based on Bohemian Rhapsody) - Covid19

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That Thing You Do puts the band back together for coronavirus relief fundraiser

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That Thing You Do puts the band back together for coronavirus relief fundraiser

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Oneders fans, unite!

That Thing You Do star Tom Everett Scott announced Monday that his big-screen band the Oneders (pronounced like "the Wonders") are getting back together for one night only, and everyone is invited. Everett will be joined by costars/bandmates Steve Zahn, Ethan Embry, and Johnathon Schaech as well as unnamed special guests ( Liv Tyler, perhaps?) for a livestreaming watch party April 17, in support of MusicCares' COVID-19 relief fund.

"Calling all Oneders fans!! Join the band and special guests for a LIVE #ThatThingYouDo watch party in support of @MusiCares COVID-19 Relief Fund this Friday, April 17 at 7pmEsT/4pmPST on our YouTube channel," Scott tweeted.

The 1997 musical comedy follows the rise and fall of the fictional one-hit-wonder group in the 1960s. Tom Hanks played as the band's manager, Mr. White, while also pulling double duty as the film's director.

Hanks and his wife, Rita Wilson, recently battled the novel coronavirus while in Australia, where Hanks was preparing to begin work on Baz Luhrmann's untitled Elvis Presley biopic. Hanks and Wilson made a joint announcement about their diagnoses March 11 and have since returned to their home in Los Angeles after being under quarantine for two weeks.

Adam Schlesinger, who wrote the That Thing You Do theme song and earned Oscar and Golden Globe nominations for his work, died from complications of COVID-19 on April 1. Both Embry and Hanks shared personal tributes to the honorary Oneder member, who was just 52.

The That Thing You Do watch party will mark the latest reunion for the fictional band. In 2017, Embry, Scott, and Schaech got together for a special performance in Los Angeles. Zahn had a scheduling conflict and was unable to attend, though he said he'd love to be part of a future event alongside his former costars.
For the latest information on coronavirus (COVID-19), including how to protect yourself and what to do if you think you are sick, please visit coronavirus.gov. Related content:

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'That Thing You Do' puts the band back together for coronavirus relief fundraiser

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Oneders fans, unite! That Thing You Do star Tom Everett Scott announced Monday that his big-screen band the Oneders (pronounced like "the Wonders") are getting back together for one night only, and everyone is invited. Everett will be joined by costars/bandmates Steve Zahn, Ethan Embry, and Johnathon Schaech as well as unnamed special guests ( Liv Tyler, perhaps?)

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Healthcare workers across the globe are dedicating their lives to care for those affected by #COVID19. NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital is no exception,...

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#COVID19 Concert
Healthcare workers across the globe are dedicating their lives to care for those affected by #COVID19. NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital is no exception, where for some, their own colleagues, mentors and loved ones have become their patients. In the midst of these unprecedented times, a group of front line staff recognized the healing power of music and decided to share their talents, in hopes that it would offer comfort at a time when it is needed most. From classical music to Broadway hits, this socially distanced concert was one that our team will never forget: https://nyphosp.co/3aUZ0qg CC: Columbia University Irving Medical Center
Posted by NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital on Thursday, April 9, 2020

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Coronavirus: Healthcare expert predicts concerts and festivals will not return until autumn 2021

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Coronavirus: Healthcare expert predicts concerts and festivals will not return until autumn 2021

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NME Music News, Reviews, Videos, Galleries, Tickets and Blogs | NME.COM

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In light of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, festivals and concerts will likely not return until autumn next year, an American healthcare expert has predicted.

In a recent roundtable discussion, hosted and transcribed by the New York Times, bioethicist and professor of healthcare management Zeke Emanuel says he has "no idea" how promoters that are rescheduling arts and music events for later this year "think that's a plausible possibility". Read the full video conference transcript here.

"Larger gatherings - conferences, concerts, sporting events - when people say they're going to reschedule this conference or graduation event for October 2020, I have no idea how they think that's a plausible possibility. I think those things will be the last to return," Emmanuel said in the video conference.

"Realistically we're talking fall 2021 at the earliest."

Several music festivals around the world - including BST Hyde Park, Glastonbury and Governors Ball, to name a few - have cancelled their 2020 events.

However, some festivals have postponed them to later in the year. These include Coachella, which pushed its April events to October, the South American editions of Lollapalooza, J. Cole's Dreamville Festival, Live at Leeds Festival and more.

When discussing re-opening the American economy as a whole within the next few months, Emanuel said he was not "wildly optimistic", as consistent, nationwide shelter-in-place policy and quicker testing practices haven't been introduced yet.

"Restarting the economy has to be done in stages, and it does have to start with more physical distancing at a worksite that allows people who are at lower risk to come back," he said.

"Certain kinds of construction, or manufacturing or offices, in which you can maintain six-foot distances are more reasonable to start sooner."

Last month, the Music Venue Trust told NME that they were in need of £1million in donations to save grassroots music spaces effected by ongoing coronavirus closers and prevent "a disaster that will last 10 years" - and called upon successful artists and the music industry at large to help.

Donations to the Grassroots Music Venue Crisis Fund can be arranged by contacting Beverley Whitrick at beverley@musicvenuetrust.com, by calling 07809 155388, or by visiting their GoFundMe page here.

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Coronavirus: Healthcare expert predicts concerts will not return until autumn 2021

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In light of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, festivals and concerts will likely not return until autumn next year, an American healthcare expert has predicted. In a recent roundtable discussion, hosted and transcribed by the New York Times, bioethicist and professor of healthcare management Zeke Emanuel says he has "no idea" how promoters that are rescheduling arts and music events for later this year "think that's a plausible possibility".

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It’s a Streaming World After All: Scuttled Benefit Is Back.

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It’s a Streaming World After All: Scuttled Benefit Is Back.

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It's a Streaming World After All: Scuttled Benefit Is Back.

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The Broadway Cares fund-raiser, featuring a concert of Disney songs, has been rescheduled after the musicians union dropped a demand that members be compensated.

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Shut by Virus, Met Opera Announces Starry ‘At Home’ Concert

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Shut by Virus, Met Opera Announces Starry ‘At Home’ Concert

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More than 40 artists will participate in the April 25 event, which comes as the company faces up to $60 million in losses because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Metropolitan Opera on New Year's Eve last year. With performances canceled because of the coronavirus outbreak, the company will stream a gala concert online. Credit... Krista Schlueter for The New York Times

Starry (and often epically long) concerts are a Metropolitan Opera stock in trade.

In 1966, the Met bid farewell to its old theater with an all-hands-on-deck gala, and cast-of-dozens spectacles have been mounted over the years for retirements, anniversaries and the company's centennial, in 1983 - a concert that lasted 11 hours, with dinner break.

All those events, while sometimes shot through with melancholy, were celebratory in spirit. The "At Home Gala" the company is planning for Saturday, April 25, is far different, coming as the Met has been forced to cancel the final two months of its season and begin an urgent effort to raise the tens of million dollars it is losing because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Met announced on Monday afternoon that the concert will feature more than 40 artists, including stars like Anna Netrebko, Jonas Kaufmann and Renée Fleming, performing from their homes and streamed on the company's website, metopera.org. (In true operatic style, it is an international bunch, with singers hailing from as far afield as Poland, Wales and New Jersey.)

"It will have a homespun quality," said Peter Gelb, the Met's general manager, who will host the concert from New York, alongside Yannick Nézet-Séguin, the company's music director, who is in Montreal.

The New York Times Neediest Cases Fund has begun a special Covid-19 relief campaign. All proceeds will go to nonprofits that provide assistance to those facing economic hardship. Make a tax-deductible donation via GoFundMe.

Donate

The event - estimated to run around three hours, a blink of an eye by opera gala standards - will begin at 1 p.m., and the program will be available on the company's website until Sunday evening. It is not explicitly a benefit: "It's not a fund-raising telethon," Mr. Gelb said. But it is part of the Met's attempt to keep up its profile while its stage is dark.

The company has been attracting robust audiences for nightly streams of performances from its Live in HD archives. But its situation - like that of other institutions that rely on large gatherings - is grim. The Met expects to lose up to $60 million because of its closure, and its orchestra, chorus and stagehands stopped being paid at the end of March, though they have retained their health benefits.

Cultural performances seem unlikely to go forward even well into the summer, if not beyond. "We're still hoping the Met will open in September," Mr. Gelb said. "But clearly that is becoming increasingly questionable as things progress."

"I don't think potential audience members are going to want to return to any large performing arts venue until they know it's safe," he added. "And that's going to require a situation where it really is safe."

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Shut by Virus, Met Opera Announces Starry 'At Home' Concert

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More than 40 artists will participate in the April 25 event, which comes as the company faces up to $60 million in losses because of the coronavirus pandemic. Starry (and often epically long) concerts are a Metropolitan Opera stock in trade.

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Bruce Springsteen Livestreams Concert from Home

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Bruce Springsteen Livestreams Concert from Home

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LOS ANGELES - Since he can't pop into the Stone Pony to play a surprise set, Bruce Springsteen will livestream a performance from home that will broadcast on SiriusXM's E Street Radio on Wednesday at 10 a.m. ET, according to Rolling Stone.

"Bruce will be playing songs and sharing thoughts about the times we live in," confirmed E Street Radio host Jim Rotolo on Twitter.

Springsteen recently spoke up for the New Jersey Pandemic Relief Fund along with Jon Bon Jovi, Jon Stewart, Whoopi Goldberg and others.

"These are uncertain times," he said in the charity's video. "What is for certain is the pain, the fear and the real needs of many of our neighbors, our friends, and certainly all of those who are on the front lines of this pandemic."

Springsteen had planned on releasing an album and touring with the E Street Band in 2020, but those plans seem to have been at the very least delayed by the coronavirus pandemic. He surprised fans last year by dropping the news into a Q&A with filmmaker Martin Scorsese about the concert film "Springsteen on Broadway," from his long residency in New York.

"It's like I've spent about seven years without writing anything for the band," Springsteen continued. "I couldn't write anything for the band. And I said, 'Well, of course ... you'll never be able to do that again!' And it's a trick every time you do it, you know? But it's a trick that, because of that fact that you can't explain, cannot be self-consciously duplicated. It has to come to you in inspiration.

"And then about a month or so ago, I wrote almost an album's worth of material for the band. And it came out of just... I mean, I know where it came from, but at the same time, it just came out of almost nowhere. And it was good, you know. I had about two weeks of those little daily visitations, and it was so nice."

He laughed out loud at the memory. "It makes you so happy. You go, 'F-, I'm not f-ed, all right? There'll be another tour!"

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Bruce Springsteen to livestream concert from home on Wednesday

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LOS ANGELES - Since he can’t pop into the Stone Pony to play a surprise set, Bruce Springsteen will livestream a performance from home that will broadcast on SiriusXM’s E Street Radio on Wednesday at 10 a.m. ET, according to Rolling Stone.

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Disney Broadway performs emotional rendition of "Go the Distance."

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A Virtual Social Distancing Experience

Want to get produced by Serenbe Playhouse? Now is your chance.

We're known for our groundbreaking, site-specific theater. Right now, we can't all get outside, but we have a new site: the internet! We are having the first ever play festival written specifically for the digital world.
SUBMISSIONS NOW OPEN:
See application guidelines and timelines below:

WHAT: Seeking scripts for creative short plays and/or musicals. Final productions should be between 10-30 minutes in length.

CONTENT: Serenbe Playhouse is known for reinventing classic stories. We are seeking plays that use a classic fairy tale as a base, and provide a modern re-telling. All base stories should be open domain. Some examples include: Hansel & Gretel, Rapunzel, Goldilocks and the 3 Bears. The play submission is expected to be a modern twist and does not necessarily need to be family friendly. The amount of the original tale that is preserved is entirely up to the author(s).

WHERE: The twist and challenge is we are looking for submissions that take into consideration a way for one or more actors to perform live, even without being in the same location. This is not intended to be a play reading, and not intended to be a short film, but a virtual theater experience. We ask authors to use creativity in the use of digital mediums of communication. Some examples may include, but are not limited to, video conferencing, social media, text messages, etc. (We'll figure out how to produce it, just be creative).

HOW: All play submissions will be evaluated by a panel of Serenbe Playhouse staff. 5 finalists will be chosen and have their plays produced (digitally) and streamed by Serenbe Playhouse as part of the COVID & Chill Play festival.

WHEN:

April 13 - Submissions Open

April 20 - Deadline for first draft feedback (not required)*

April 25 - Play submission deadline

April 28 - Finalists announced

May 5-10 - COVID & Chill Digital Play Festival performances
SUBMIT:
Please submit scripts and questions to Mickey McGuire, Managing Director at mickey@serenbeplayhouse.com
*First draft feedback is not required, but if you would like to submit a proposal or script for feedback before judging, we are giving you an opportunity to do it. Send us your script, partial script, outline, or even just idea or proposal and our judging board will provide feedback on what to move forward on.

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COVID & Chill: a digital play festival - Serenbe Playhouse

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A Virtual Social Distancing Experience Want to get produced by Serenbe Playhouse? Now is your chance. We're known for our groundbreaking, site-specific theater. Right now, we can't all get outside, but we have a new site: the internet! We are having the first ever play festival written

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I'm a Composer, and I am Choosing Not to Create Original Art Right Now

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I'm a Composer, and I am Choosing Not to Create Original Art Right Now

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This feeling? The one I've felt since my birthday on March 16th-the day when New York City's Mayor de Blasio closed all performance venues, and a day that marked the beginning of what already feels like an eternity of isolation? It's a feeling that can make it difficult for me to find the capacity or even the desire to write. It's one that questions my sense of purpose as a composer. This is a familiar feeling. It's one I had hoped I'd grown out of.

In the past couple years, I have hesitated to share much of my personal life on the internet (aside from silly photos with friends whom I adore, my two furballs of constant comic relief, and posts related to projects). As musicians, self-promotion can seem like the difference between being relevant or being forgotten, but I removed myself from Facebook, made my Instagram private, and have found myself leaning on a small circle of dear friends who make me feel safe and let me be vulnerable when I'm around them. If you know me, these boundaries-these choices-are clearly marked by a very public and painful loss of the most extraordinary human I had been lucky enough to have in my life.

With the isolation brought on by COVID-19 through social distancing and the uncertainty of what tomorrow brings to our world, our economy, our careers, our loved ones, and ourselves, this familiar feeling has found its way back. And so, I think it's time to get a little personal with you, because it's my hope that sharing something I struggle with might help somebody during this strange time. This feeling? For me, this feeling that's saturated with solitude, that makes it difficult to be productive, see beyond the present moment, or even to to think beyond what's happening now, feels an awful lot like grief. It feels an awful lot like depression.

Depression is a complex word that we often hide under embarrassment. "If others know I am depressed, will they still call on me for work? Will they think they can't count on me professionally? Will they look at me with pity? Will they see me differently ?" After experiencing loss, this feeling changed my entire relationship with composition. Most of my music explores trauma, which wasn't an environment I wanted to drop my thoughts into at the time. In fact, I had no relationship with composition at all, and felt zero desire to create ever again, which isn't exactly the kind of thing one announces to their professional colleagues. Feeling ashamed, I kept this to myself, and for a period of time, music had really lost its meaning to me. The air around me felt heavy, but as I sat in my grief, the world appeared to continue on. Contracted deadlines began to approach, my dissertation year passed before it even began, and with my household income suddenly reduced from two to one, I had to force myself to write. And so I did... with immense frustration.

While we're often encouraged to push through writer's block and just write something- -that period of grief is when I learned a valuable lesson: writing before you're ready can cause damage. The difficulty can eat away at your confidence, and the self-imposed pressure and potential dissatisfaction with the work you create during a period of trauma can be hard to shake. Out of necessity, I wrote before I was ready, and felt disconnected from my work. I became desperate to connect with music somehow. I sought out music that felt far away from my own practice and spent an entire year listening to Carly Rae Jepsen's on repeat (with no regrets). I'd tag along with friends to their students' recitals to remember, through the lens of children, what those first exciting discoveries of sound felt like. I began to question my identity: "If I'm not composing, then who the hell am I, and what do I possibly have to offer to the world?" Hours, days, weeks, and months would go by in which I battled the guilt of either not writing at all or writing music I wasn't proud of until that guilt became exhausting to carry. And then, one day, I thought to myself, "Fuck it. For as long as I am able, I am not to write."

Without a doubt, choosing not to write is the decision that saved my relationship to my creative work. In this choice, I gave myself permission to simply be a . The future had become hard to visualize, so I only lived in the immediate present. In a time in which I felt I had very little left in me to say, I made a shift from putting out material to receiving experiences-instead of speaking, I listened. It took time and patience, but that desire and inspiration to write thankfully reappeared. I experimented with new ways to create, felt proud of my work again, met my deadlines, and had performances with musicians whom I'm continually grateful to have as collaborators. You can imagine my relief! In learning to navigate through grief, I had learned something very important about composition: Just because you are not actively writing does not mean that you are not actively composing . I'll explain.

To me, composition requires inspiration and reflection. It sounds simple, but like all of those sourdough starters we've recently been feeding to bake the most perfect loaf of bread during our quarantines, compositions need to be fed by these two ingredients. But feeding your art starter (your stARTer? *insert face-palm emoji*) takes time. What you choose to do with that time is up to you, and for me it involves watching and listening to the world around me. It involves experiencing and making space for the non-musical parts of my life that shape my identity, focusing on my relationships old and new, connecting with nature, spending more time with my goofy dogs, signing up for long-distance runs to train for, seeing art in disciplines outside of my own, and saying "yes" to experiences beyond my routine and comfort zone. It also involves focusing on my physical, emotional, and mental health, making sure I exercise somewhat regularly, practicing opening my heart to new people, and not carrying my challenges alone when I am lucky enough to have people to lean on. If we are constantly writing, if we are constantly speaking, when do we listen? When do we process? Are we really learning things to our fullest potential? What could it look like to not write for a period of time in order to really prepare yourself for your next work?

And why does it take something like trauma to give ourselves permission to make a choice like this? What could it look like to choose not to write at any other period of our lives, whether it's for a single afternoon or for a longer stretch of time? I use the word "choose" because I want to distinguish between those days in which we set out to write and "fail" to do so, and those in which we make a predetermined decision to take a step back. There are logistical reasons why we can't do this all the time, many of them tied to financial need and responsibility. I am by no means encouraging you to recklessly abandon your commitments that are providing for you and your families, especially as our economy shakily enters the unknown, but I invite you to consider how the following questions might fit into life on any kind of scale that makes sense for you:

What could it look like to choose not to write in order to allow the time, space, and clarity to position yourself for that next project? To prioritize the other parts of yourself that make you a full and well-rounded individual? To receive the world around you? To gain perspective? To learn? To stretch your imagination? To become inspired? To rest? Or... to simply just be?

Last week on Twitter, I shared my choice to not create original art for the time being, after which many of you generously shared your own stories of how you've felt pressure to be productive, and how difficult it's been to find the desire to write while navigating our current crisis. (Thank you for sharing so openly.) This is a gentle reminder that what we're experiencing right now in the midst of this COVID-19 crisis is not bonus time off. This is not a vacation or an artist residency that just happens to be in our own homes. This is a global pandemic, and the harsh truth is that very real and large populations of our countries, our states, our cities, our neighborhoods, and our homes are dying. As I type this from home in Brooklyn, neighbors are leaning out of their windows cheering on our healthcare workers and first-responders for their immense sacrifice, sirens have become our primary soundtrack, and my city is building overflow spaces to treat the living and carry the dead. This is not normal . This is horrific. This is real, and a lot of us are mourning.

And we are mourning the loss of so many different kinds of things-our projects, jobs, incomes, homes, education, social lives, public spaces, arts organizations, physical touch, the world as we've known it, and in the worst case, our very loved ones. Some people may find genuine comfort and processing in the productivity of chipping away at projects during this time, much like how some people choose to hop back into work the morning after a funeral or begin rapidly completing chores left behind by the deceased. That's incredible, but I am not that person. When I'm not responsible to other people (i.e. when I'm not teaching my super amazing and resilient students), I need to confront my thoughts and focus on very basic functions of living in order to support myself for a healthy and creative life-simple things like re-learning how to responsibly engage with people, how to go grocery shopping, and how to safely walk outside.

If you're like me and need to hear this, I am here to say it: There is no shame in choosing to prioritize your health. There is no shame in choosing to prioritize the people and parts of your life that do not include creating art. This does not make you any less of an artist . It just makes you human. My humble hope is that after all this, there will be a wild explosion of art to celebrate. The Black Plague gave us the vitality of the Renaissance. The Great Depression gave us bursts of experimentation in cinema and music. Crisis after crisis, the flowers continue to bloom, artists create new work, we find the stamina to go forward, and life carries on. But let's process this as best as we are able. Let's be kind to our hearts. Let's choose to take care of ourselves now, however that individually manifests itself to each of us, so that we may best position ourselves for those projects we care so much about. With this choice, I am beginning to daydream again. I had forgotten what that felt like.

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I'm a Composer, and I Am Choosing Not to Create Original Art Right Now

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This feeling? The one I've felt since my birthday on March 16th-the day when New York City's Mayor de Blasio closed all performance venues, and a day that marked the beginning of what already feels like an eternity of isolation? It's a feeling that can make it difficult for me to find the capacity or even the desire to write.

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A Million Dreams, performed by the Collins Hill High School Orchestra Seniors, Class of 2020

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A Million Dreams, performed by the Collins Hill High School Orchestra Seniors, Class of 2020

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A Million Dreams, performed by the Collins Hill High School Orchestra Seniors, Class of 2020

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Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood delight fans with coronavirus concert at home studio: 'The comfort I needed'

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Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood delight fans with coronavirus concert at home studio: 'The comfort I needed'

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Leave it to Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood to bring homebound families some peace and joy amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The country stars delighted fans on Wednesday night with an at-home concert special that aired on CBS right from their very own recording space known as Studio G.

The couple's one-hour long concert succeeded the married couple's at-home performances they first streamed on Facebook last month.
GARTH BROOKS ADMITS THINGS CAN GET 'INTENSE' WITH WIFE TRISHA YEARWOOD AFTER 14 YEARS OF MARRIAGE
As the special aired, fans from all over took to Twitter to praise the pair for bringing a dose of positivity on families as COVID-19, the novel coronavirus, continues to claim thousands of lives across the globe.

"Watching Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood taking requests & singing to camera with just a guitar feels like the early days of tv. The comfort food I needed. Shallow. To Make You Feel My Love. What a nice surprise," one user tweeted Wednesday night.

"Watching Garth Brooks And Trisha Yearwood what a pleasant change of pace that the corona virus depressing news , thanks guys!!" another excitedly wrote.
COUNTRY STARS TO PERFORM AT HOME AS CBS ANNOUNCES REPLACEMENT SPECIAL FOR AMA AWARDS
"Not gonna lie, definitely got goosebumps watching Garth Brooks perform "Shallow" with Trisha Yearwood," one satisfied viewer said.

Brooks and Yearwood have been married since 2005. Late last year, Brooks spoke to Fox News and gushed about his second wife, saying he has been "lucky enough" to be married to his "best friend."

One fan admitted Wednesday that the couple has made her "believe in love."

Another user claimed the couple's TV performances helped to "heal her soul" amid the pandemic.

"I didn't realize how Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood could heal my soul, but I'm chugging a bottle of wine and just feeling alive for the first time in three weeks. #GarthAndTrishaLIVE #GarthAndTrishaLIVE."
GARTH BROOKS AND TRISHA YEARWOOD CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS WITH THIS 'QUIET' TRADITION
Fans were so enthralled by the country singers' special that some even pleaded for it to occur every day.

"Petition to have this Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood social distancing concert/singalong show nightly?" one tweeted.

One particularly joyful experience for fans watching at home was the ability to use social media to submit song requests.

The singers melted America's hearts with Brooks performing his hit "When You Come Back to Me Again." The pair were also praised for their renditions of Fleetwood Mac's "Landslide" and Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper's "Shallow" from "A Star is Born."

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After the concert wrapped, Brooks took to his own Twitter to thank fans for tuning in.

"Thanks for letting us be part of the healing! We love you all, g & T #GarthAndTrishaLive," the singer wrote.

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Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood delight fans with coronavirus concert at home studio: 'The comfort I needed'

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Leave it to Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood to bring homebound families some peace and joy amid the coronavirus pandemic. The country stars delighted fans on Wednesday night with an at-home concert special that aired on CBS right from their very own recording space known as Studio G.

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"It's a way to bring money in," says the Metronomy bassist, Olugbenga Adelekan, who is preparing to give an online lesson from his home studio. "It's not going to be loads of money because I've said to people it's pay what you can afford, but at least it's a way to combat the looming spectre of full isolation."

The Brighton band Metronomy were supposed to be playing sold-out dates in Portugal, Spain and France at the start of their European tour when the Covid-19 outbreak meant all their shows were cancelled. This week, instead of taking to the stage in Madrid, Adelekan has started giving online tutorials in bass and music production.

After announcing the lessons on Instagram, Adelekan has got more than a dozen confirmed bookings and he is joining a growing number of acts who are using social media to continue their careers now coronavirus has put their plans on pause.

This week, Neil Young, Chris Martin of Coldplay, Keith Urban and pop-punk act Yungblud have all put on or promised impromptu online performances as most major concerts, festivals and gigs are cancelled until at least after the summer.

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Chris played a mini gig at home earlier today on IG Live. @glblctzn @WHO @JohnLegend #TogetherAtHome

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Martin played a 30-minute set on Instagram Live for fans while using the #TogetherAtHome hashtag and encouraged peers to do the same. John Legend and Charlie Puth both performed at-home streaming concerts as did Pink, Charli XCX, Demi Lovato and Miley Cyrus.

It's a trend that looks likely to continue as long as the crisis does with more coronavirus concerts planned until the end of the month. Erykah Badu announced the "Apocalypse One: live interactive experiment from badubotron" gig, which will take place on the neo-soul star's Instagram account on Friday.

Young announced a series of streaming gigs called the Fireside Sessions that will be recorded in his home by his wife, Daryl Hannah and be available on the Neil Young Archives website. "Because we are all at home and not many are venturing out, we will try to do a stream from my fireplace with my lovely wife filming," a statement read. "It will be a down-home production, a few songs, a little time together."

Christine and the Queens began performing live shows from a recording studio in Paris and will continue the ad hoc sessions online. "Why not meet everyday at 6pm EST on my Instagram? I'll find a way to deal with the ennui," she wrote in an Instagram post.

More traditional cultural channels also shifted towards the at-home model. Jonty Claypole, the director of BBC Arts, said the broadcaster needed to give "British culture an audience that can't be there in person" when announcing forthcoming culture content. He promised guides to exhibitions or permanent collections in museums and galleries which are now closed; performances from musicians and comedians; and new plays created especially for broadcast.

Other acts used working from home as a way to stay creative. The Scottish DJ Keith McIvor AKA JD Twitch has put out free online "tranquillity mixes" designed to create calming background music for those in self-isolation or working from home for the foreseeable future. McIvor said the mixes, which include songs by the pianist Erik Satie and German ambient group Popol Vuh, will keep him busy as gigs disappear overnight.

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JD Twitch (left) and Jonnie Wilkes: 'It's touring that pays the bills'

The DJ said the impact would be "cataclysmic" for him and his DJing partner Jonnie Wilkes - who play together as Optimo - because about 90% of their income comes through touring and gigging. He said: "I'll have no income whatsoever now. Some of our record labels bring in a tiny bit of money or I might get the odd sound design job but really it's touring that pays the bills."

'Instagram, how we feeling!' Can livestreaming replace cancelled gigs?

Adelekan said his band have had to discuss the financial implications of missing the entire summer festival circuit, which for many acts is the most lucrative period of any year or album cycle. "It's highlighted quite a glaring thing that is missing in our society: a safety net for people who work in the creative industry," says Adelekan.

"People like going out to restaurants, people go to pubs and music festivals but the people who work in those worlds have a precarious life. Most people have a month before they're in serious financial trouble."
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Musicians head online as Covid-19 puts live shows on pause

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"It's a way to bring money in," says the Metronomy bassist, Olugbenga Adelekan, who is preparing to give an online lesson from his home studio. "It's not going to be loads of money because I've said to people it's pay what you can afford, but at least it's a way to combat the looming spectre of full isolation."

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Scientists say they can distinguish the sound of a COVID-19 cough.

Researchers with the Embedded Systems Laboratory at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne are developing a diagnostic test on a smartphone app that works by "listening" to the sound of the user's cough.

The World Health Organization reports that two-thirds of COVID-19 patients exhibit a dry cough as opposed to the typical wet cough people often experience with the common cold or allergies.

Scientists have used cough sounds to diagnose whooping cough, asthma and pneumonia in the past. This new diagnostic test uses machine learning algorithms "to determine what kind of frequencies the cough is made up of," says Lara Orlandic, a research assistant on the project.

The mobile app has not been developed yet, but volunteers can upload their cough recordings to the project's website. Users are kept anonymous, but they are asked for permission to save their location, Orlandic says. The end goal is to share that information with local governments so they can understand where the virus is spreading.

Many experts say testing for the coronavirus is key to containing its spread and reopening the country. But there have been concerns about nasal swab testing delivering false negatives, and Orlandic says the acoustic testing method her team is developing is no different.

"Our system can never be 100% perfect because ... there's that one-third of patients who are asymptomatic, so they don't show any cough symptoms at all," she says. "What this app can do is it can serve as a sort of preliminary screening tool to first maybe put people at ease in case they're at home, wondering whether or not they have coronavirus."

Right now, Orlandic says the team needs more data in order to make the method more accurate. This study is extra challenging because researchers can't record people in the same room with the same device.

"You have people with all sorts of different devices from around the world in different - perhaps some noisy, some quiet - environments sending in their recordings," she says. "We need lots of data to be able to train the algorithms to distinguish between the types of coughs despite all the additional noise."
Chris Bentley produced and edited this interview for broadcast with Tinku Ray. Samantha Raphelson adapted it for the web.

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Scientists Developing App Based On Sound Of COVID-19 Cough

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Scientists say they can distinguish the sound of a COVID-19 cough. Researchers with the Embedded Systems Laboratory at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne are developing a diagnostic test on a smartphone app that works by "listening" to the sound of the user's cough.

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Will more people learn to play instruments because of Corona?

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Will more people learn to play instruments because of Corona?

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Fender is offering free guitar lessons through their app right now. Assuming people have access to a guitar, this could be a really fun outcome to a not-so-fun situation.

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The Zoom Where It Happens - A Hamilton Parody performed the Broadway Cast!

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The Zoom Where It Happens - A Hamilton Parody performed the Broadway Cast!

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Stayin’ alive! How music has fought pandemics for 2,700 years

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Stayin’ alive! How music has fought pandemics for 2,700 years

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Disease is on the prowl. As residents hide behind locked doors, barely a footstep is heard on Milan's cobbled streets. A strict quarantine is in effect, and all commerce, trade and public life have vanished. The area around Il Duomo, the city's ornate cathedral, stands empty.

Fearing contagion, all religious gatherings have been banned. But when it comes to their faith - and, importantly, their music - nothing can stand in the people's way. Following a call to "go to church in spirit", they launch a collective act of social and musical defiance. Windows are opened, doors unlocked and balconies perched on as thousands of men, women and children start to sing.

No, this is not Milan during the coronavirus lockdown. It's the summer of 1576, and the plague of Saint Charles has devastated much of the Italian north.

"It was a sight to see," one commentator reported, "when all the inhabitants of this populous city, numbering little short of 300,000 souls ... [sent] up together an harmonious voice." It was such a sight, he wrote, that Milan appeared as "the heavenly Jerusalem" itself.

"Just think, in walking around Milan, one heard nothing but song," another remarked wistfully. "One almost wished for these tribulations to last longer."

The parallels to the current pandemic are striking. People in Italy, Spain and the wider world have used music to bring their communities together on a truly impressive scale: videos of balcony concerts - in which quarantined musicians perform for other nearby residents - are going viral, and covers of Nessun Dorma, Valerie, Imagine and even a spirited run-through of Lewis Capaldi's Someone You Loved have emerged.

In a poignant echo to the plague of St Charles, one Milanese trumpeter offered his soulful rendition of O Mia Bela Madunina, the city's hymn to the golden Virgin Mary atop Il Duomo. The UK's recent Clap for the NHS is another example. In that case, it didn't matter if you were a musician: pots, pans, hands and shouts were enough.

Such gestures of communality offer us much-needed consolation. But in the broader landscape of history, it would be an anomaly if we weren't playing music in this way.

From as early as ancient Egypt, Greece and the Babylonians, music has been a reliable tool for spiritual healing and social bonding for thousands of years amid disease. When plague struck Sparta in the 7th century BC, city leaders petitioned the poet Thaletus to sing hymns, and Terpander, another noted ancient Greek poet, was called up during a plague in Lesbos. Even Pythagoras, the creator of every schoolchild's favourite theorem, used music as a therapeutic device, playing the lyre to calm drunken hooligans.

In medieval Italy, music went far beyond singing from windows, too. Before knowledge of contagion was widespread, the medieval "plague procession" was a recurrent sight on Europe's streets. Entire towns marched, sang and prayed under icons of local saints, with call-and-response litanies designed to encourage participation. Remi Chiu, a musicologist at Loyola University, finds a parallel in these processions with the "Wuhan jiayou!" - or 'Stay strong, Wuhan!" - chants that took off in January in the Chinese city where the pandemic began and likewise with the appearance of local patriotic songs on Italian balconies.

Chiu says music's ability to overcome our egos is a "very powerful" tool in a quarantine. "When you're making music, you're submitting yourself - your mind, your body - to its regulation. And when you're making music communally, or even dancing or doing the Macarena with your neighbours, you're simultaneously contributing and submitting yourself to the larger goal of the group." Technology can extend this communality - through a tweet or Facebook post, what would have become a column inch or a forgotten memory can inspire global solidarity.

Neighbours play instruments from balconies as Italy stays under coronavirus lockdown - video

Religion is playing a far less tangible role today than it did in medieval Italy. While the importance of religion varies from country to country and city to city, that Lewis Capaldi appears at all in our musical response is a significant development. Religion can be a very strong social glue in localised groups, but non-religious music may encounter fewer obstacles in our collective identity politics: if you like Céline Dion, it doesn't matter if you're Catholic, Jewish, Protestant or Jedi.

Plus, even in the climate of medieval Europe, religious fanatics were known to take things too far. The " flagellants" found the source of disease in their own sinfulness, and responded in kind through vivid displays of violent masochism. With music again as a driving pulse, flagellants would whip their backs with chains and ropes for hours on end, and to the singular horror of most who saw them.

Social bonds aren't the beginning and end of music, either. In our response to the coronavirus, balcony concerts have been just one of a range of musical tools we've deployed. Virtual gigs, " pandemic pop" and a corona-themed Bono single have so far appeared, but music's role can be considerably more basic. So long as we use any kind of music to restore balance and reduce our suffering, we'll be walking in the footsteps of our forebears.

Viewing our minds and bodies as intrinsically connected, medicine since the time of ancient Greece has claimed that maintaining a positive state of mind can offer the conjoining effect of treating physical disease. During the Renaissance, patients were encouraged to compose and study art, joke and laugh with their friends, and also to play music, because the resulting energy would flow favourably to their "humours": ethereal substances believed to form the building blocks of our constitutions.

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'Music does not care for melancholy' ... 14th-century poet-composer Guillaume de Machaut never referenced the Black Death, which ravaged France. Photograph: Universal Images Group via Getty

Indeed, when plague approached England, it's no coincidence that Henry VIII chose his organ player as one of the five men he quarantined with; Boccaccio's Decameron, now a classic of historical fiction, describes a circle of Italian aristocrats who retreat from a mainland plague for days of sex, music and drinking. And as Dr Chris Macklin, a former professor of musicology at Mercer University and an authority on plague music, notes in a blog post, the 14th-century composer Guillaume de Machaut was deeply troubled by the Black Death but none of his music referenced it. Why? "Music is a science which asks that one laugh, and sing, and dance," he wrote. "It does not care for melancholy, nor for the man who is melancholy."

Talk of "humours" may seem fanciful now, of course. But this is no reason to do away with the music. "Music is proving to be a true antidote to fear, just as Renaissance doctors claimed," says Chiu. For patients with schizophrenia, cancer, multiple sclerosis and others - and even those on ventilators - music therapy can significantly reduce in anxiety, depression and sometimes the underlying symptoms of disease.

Macklin writes that "music was not a luxury in times of epidemic uncertainty - it was a necessity". Now that we're equipped with technology, science and a global identity, music may be more valuable - and more necessary - than ever.
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Stayin' alive! How music has fought pandemics for 2,700 years

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Disease is on the prowl. As residents hide behind locked doors, barely a footstep is heard on Milan's cobbled streets. A strict quarantine is in effect, and all commerce, trade and public life have vanished. The area around Il Duomo, the city's ornate cathedral, stands empty. Fearing contagion, all religious gatherings have been banned.

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Tyga x Curtis Roach - Bored In The House (Official Video)

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TikTok Dance Challenge Created to Fight Coronavirus Spread

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Celebrities Singing Imagine by John Lennon

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Celebrities Singing Imagine by John Lennon

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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - SEPTEMBER 20: (L-R) Singers Howie Dorough, Kevin Richardson, AJ McLean, Brian ... [+]
Getty Images

Backstreet's back... in the hearts of fans of all ages after Sunday's iHeartRadio Living Room Concert for America performance of their 1999 hit "I Want It That Way" from the album Millennium.

The Backstreet Boys' 21-year-old (!) song, which topped the Billboard charts at No. 11 on October 12, 1999, tugged on the nostalgic feel-good heartstrings exactly the way cooped-up Americans were unknowingly craving, filling up Instagram Stories and Twitter feeds of both boy band aficionados and former skeptics alike.

What made that performance so compelling was that - besides the fact that many may not have realized that all five members are now in their 40s and also Backstreet Husbands and Backstreet Dads - was that each individual member sang (and danced!) their part from their own homes: 42-year-old Brian Littrell from Atlanta, 40-year-old Nick Carter from Las Vegas, 46-year-old Howie Dorough from Orlando, 42-year-old AJ McLean from Los Angeles and 48-year-old Kevin Richardson, also from L.A.

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - APRIL 12: (L-R) Singers Brian Littrell, AJ McLean, Howie Dorough, Nick Carter ... [+]
Getty Images

Singing for a Cause
Each of the Backstreet Boys was quarantined with his own family, but with the magic of technology and video conferencing, the singers managed to put on a united performance from five different living rooms (or in Carter's case, a poolside backyard), in perfect harmony.

Before their performance, Elton John, who served at the host for the evening (but didn't perform since he happened to be in the only home of his that didn't have a piano) introduced the two organizations the concert was raising money for - Feeding America and First Responders Children's Foundation - before saying: "Our next performers are coming to us from five different homes across the country. Get ready to watch the one and only Backstreet Boys."

Then Littrell joined from his living room in his studio in Georgia. "We live in unprecedented times today with the COVID-19 virus," the father of 17-year-old singer Baylee Littrell said. "I want to thank iHeart for putting this together. I want to thank Fox for airing it. I want to thank all the frontline responders that are donating their time and putting themselves in harm's way to take care of their fellow citizens. So, stay safe, stay home, protect yourself and let's try this. I don't want AJ to be late on this intro but I hope you want it that way."

The guys then launched into the three-minute song, which featured guest appearances by Richardson's kids, Mason, 12, on drums, and Maxwell, 6, on the guitar, as well as cameo by Carter's son Odin, 3.

Watch the Backstreet Boys' performance here:

NANJING, CHINA - MARCH 4: (CHINA OUT) Members of US vocal group Backstreet Boys (L-R), Alexander ... [+]
Getty Images

Their DNA Tour was Halted By Coronavirus Concerns
The five bandmates had just been together in South America weeks ago, where they were in the midst of their DNA World Tour - their 11th concert tour to celebrate their eighth U.S. studio album, DNA, which was released January 23, 2019.

Canceling their São Paulo, Brazil, show on March 15, because of coronavirus concerns, they flew back to their individual hometowns.

Before the event on Sunday, McLean did a Twitter takeover for iHeartRadio and just happened to be talking about family when his daughter Lyric, 3, walked into the room and said, "Hi America!" (He also has a daughter Ava, 7.)

The next day, they returned to family time, with the youngest band member Carter - who also has a daughter Saorise, born last October - showing off his baking skills.

Meanwhile, Richardson took time out to thank the doctors on the frontlines.

Here, watch the full concert with the Backstreet Boys' segment cued up at the -2:20:30 mark:

... Read More

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Backstreet Boys' iHeartRadio Living Room Performance Was The Quarantine Break We All Needed

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Backstreet's back... in the hearts of fans of all ages after Sunday's iHeartRadio Living Room Concert for America performance of their 1999 hit "I Want It That Way" from the album Millennium. The Backstreet Boys' 21-year-old (!) song, which topped the Billboard charts at No.

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MusiCares Coronavirus Relief Fund: Read more about this and other MusiCares news at GRAMMY.com

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A couple in the San Francisco Bay area, who are musicians and music educators, rely on bookings at schools and libraries, which are now closed by coronavirus distancing measures.

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

We've been bringing you the stories of people, families whose livelihoods have been turned upside down because of this pandemic. It's affecting all walks of life - all kinds of industries.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "CLAVELES")

CASCADA DE FLORES: (Singing in Spanish).

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

That's the music of Arwen Lawrence and Jorge Liceaga. They make a living playing the music of Mexico, performing in schools and libraries in San Francisco. They are constantly interacting with young people in the Bay Area.

ARWEN LAWRENCE: Jorge tends to be the funny man and I, the straight woman (laughter). He has this old humor that is just beautiful and clean and really fun for even little kids of today.

GREENE: Of course, all those schools and libraries they depend on are closed right now. The duo, who are known as Cascada de Flores, had about 70 appearances booked over the next couple months.

LAWRENCE: And they're all being canceled. This is over 50% of our income for two people for the year. So we are scrambling, starting from zero. This is the only way that we were making any money at this time.

MARTIN: Arwen says the couple had hoped to expand into other ventures this year and beyond.

LAWRENCE: We have big plans for the future, to record a CD of our own music and to record Jorge's songs and to create a book of our story for children. But those will have to be put on hold, so it's a very, very scary time for us.

MARTIN: But these are artists. They are naturally creative, and they have come up with some creative solutions.

GREENE: That's right. Jorge says they've devised this online curriculum, but it has been challenging.

JORGE LICEAGA: It's a new form to learn how to do it. And sometimes I hear - oh, I don't see you. Oh, now I can hear you. Like...

(LAUGHTER)

LICEAGA: Yeah, it's a new step for us to learn how to manage this life...

LAWRENCE: Yeah.

LICEAGA: ...In this moment.

GREENE: Arwen has been taken aback by the response that they have been getting.

LAWRENCE: The kids' reactions have just been so heartwarming for us. It's - the reaction has just been lovely, and it's really helped us be joyful through this time.

MARTIN: Arwen Lawrence and Jorge Liceaga, who make up the Mexican musical duo Cascada de Flores, making the most of uncertain economic times.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

CASCADA DE FLORES: (Singing in Spanish).

Copyright © 2020 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information.

NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by Verb8tm, Inc., an NPR contractor, and produced using a proprietary transcription process developed with NPR. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR's programming is the audio record.

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Musical Duo's Bookings Disappear During COVID-19 Pandemic

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A couple in the San Francisco Bay area, who are musicians and music educators, rely on bookings at schools and libraries, which are now closed by coronavirus distancing measures. DAVID GREENE, HOST: We've been bringing you the stories of people, families whose livelihoods have been turned upside down because of this pandemic.

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Country music stars to perform intimate sets from home for CBS special 

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Country music stars to perform intimate sets from home for CBS special 

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The Academy of Country Music Awards show was recently postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak, but it turns out the performances will go on - in the comfort of everyone's homes.

On Thursday, the academy announced "ACM Presents: Our Country," a CBS television special that will feature at-home conversations and acoustic performances from country music stars. The program, which airs April 5 and will feature clips from former ACM celebrations, will replace the postponed awards show.

The performers have not yet been announced.

The ACM Awards ceremony that had been scheduled for April 5 in Las Vegas was pushed to a September date.

Dozens of musicians have canceled or postponed shows and tours as concerns over the coronavirus have swept the world, and many more events, including Austin's South by Southwest, have also been called off or rescheduled.

Live Nation Entertainment and AEG Presents, chief promoters of events from massive festivals such as the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival to hundreds of shows each year at sports arenas, theaters and clubs, both said they would halt events at least through the end of March.

But many musicians are taking to social media to keep fans' spirits up during world-wide social distancing measures. John Legend, Pink, Keith Urban and Coldplay frontman Chris Martin are among the A-list singers who've streamed concerts from home.

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Country music stars to perform intimate sets from home for CBS special

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The Academy of Country Music Awards show was recently postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak, but it turns out the performances will go on - in the comfort of everyone's homes. On Thursday, the academy announced "ACM Presents: Our Country," a CBS television special that will feature at-home conversations and acoustic performances from country music stars.

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WTVD) -- Annelle Staal sends out peaceful good vibes through the airwaves with a soulful and spirited voice.

She works as a musician. She lived in Nashville for a while before moving back to North Carolina.

Since COVID-19, the singer-songwriter has found herself with a slew of canceled gigs, so she's had a bit of time on her hands.

This temporary moment of pause has brought about inspiration to the young crooner. The boredom with those she's living with lead to a brainstorming session, then a songwriting competition, and eventually a catchy song, " Dear Corona."

"Our house has gone in and out of moments of tension... and in a hard situation, I think it's important to remember to find the humor... you know, like find the optimism," Staal said. "I wanted to write about the more difficult things, like were all snacking a little bit more or the opening line about texting your ex. It's just the silly little things."

Staal says that a lot of other full-time musicians are seeking new ways to reach audiences during this time of Stay-At-Home orders. "We've had to get more creative, so, like, a lot of musicians and performers that relied on these crowds gathering are doing things online."

The temporary suspension of work has allowed Staal time to be still and create.

"I've been using this time to create and write. I think that's why 'Dear Corona' song came to be, I have this time to write, you know I'm not out working."

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NC musician looks to share positivity amid COVID-19 with 'Dear Corona' song

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WTVD) -- Annelle Staal sends out peaceful good vibes through the airwaves with a soulful and spirited voice. She works as a musician. She lived in Nashville for a while before moving back to North Carolina. Since COVID-19, the singer-songwriter has found herself with a slew of canceled gigs, so she's had a bit of time on her hands.

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DIR EN GREY - The World You Live In [Live Concert Behind Closed Doors  2020.3.28]

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HOW UNIVERSAL MUSIC GROUP IS RESPONDING TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

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HOW UNIVERSAL MUSIC GROUP IS RESPONDING TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

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At times of global crisis, any industry will naturally want to know how the largest company amongst its ranks is responding. Today (March 30), we learned what Universal Music Group - the world's biggest music rightsholder - has set in place amid the global COVID-19 pandemic.

In a note to employees and partners, UMG has clarified a number of steps it's taken in response to Coronavirus, in what the company terms a "global commitment".

MBW understands this initiative is costing UMG multiple millions of dollars, with more to be announced as time moves on.

One of the standout measures for the worldwide industry within UMG's response comes in a note on 'supporting our artists and songwriters': UMG says that its labels and other entities, across publishing and independent distribution, are now offering interest-free royalty advances and waived fees to eligible artists, songwriters and independent labels in need.

In UMG's words: "Our companies - including our labels, Universal Music Publishing Group, Universal Music Enterprises, Bravado as well as our independent distribution services - are offering various forms of assistance (such as interest-free royalty advances and fee waivers, among others) to help qualifying artists, songwriters and independent labels affected by COVID-19 weather these challenging times. We are also providing our artists with tools and platforms to reach fans and generate income when touring and other live appearances are not possible."

Another key section of UMG's response regards its support for both its own employees, and for the wider music community.

In addition to implementing programs to protect workers' pay and offer enhanced benefits to these employees, Universal has launched the UMG All Together Now Foundation which, it says, will support employees who face "extraordinary needs".

On top of this, UMG has launched All Together Now: Stay Connected, a philanthropic program to "support those in the music community most deeply impacted by the virus" in two ways:

1. Direct financial support from UMG to organizations such as MusiCares' COVID-19 Relief Fund and Help Musicians UK that provide relief to impacted music workers; and

2. Matching the contributions that our U.S. employees donate to qualifying charities.

The MusiCares' COVID-19 Relief Fund was launched earlier this month. It has raised a multi-million dollar figure to help artists and industry figures hit by the effects of COVID-19, and in addition to UMG, those contributing funds have included Warner Music Group, Amazon Music, Pandora / SiriusXM, Spotify, TIDAL and YouTube Music.

OneRepublic (pictured) and UMG's Interscope are providing a portion of proceeds from the streaming of new single Better Days to the MusiCares fund through September 2020.

In addition, Selena Gomez and Bravado are donating a portion of the proceeds from Gomez's Dance Again merchandise.

The 'tools and platforms' UMG is offering to artists, MBW understands, include equipment, software and guidance to create professional audio and video content that can then be distributed across more than 400 digital platforms worldwide.

Other tools are designed to help UMG artists maximize streaming revenue and better engage with their fans across social media and direct-to-consumer opportunities.

UMG has already helped facilitate a number of live streams by its artists, the vast majority of which, we're told, have intended to raise money and awareness for organizations combating COVID-19 and/or assisting those most impacted.

Universal's note today adds: "UMG's artists and songwriters are giving their time, energy and resources to help all those affected by the pandemic, including making financial commitments to supporting a range of organizations. And whether it's a special performance, a new song, a helpful message or something else, UMG is backing numerous artist and songwriter initiatives to help those in need. You can find the growing list of artists and their initiatives here."

MBW understands that London-based Universal Music UK has, in addition to support given to staff, agreed to expedite payments to all smaller suppliers (including video producers, photographers, stylists etc.) - resulting in a rush of payments for all approved invoices.

Universal Music UK is also making good on payments to freelance musicians and crew for any future tour and/or recording sessions that were due to take place before the COVID-19 lockdown.

Universal Music Group CEO & Chairman, Sir Lucian Grainge, tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this mont h, and was consequently admitted to Los Angeles' UCLA Medical Center.Music Business Worldwide

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How Universal Music Group is responding to the COVID-19 pandemic - Music Business Worldwide

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At times of global crisis, any industry will naturally want to know how the largest company amongst its ranks is responding. Today (March 30), we learned what Universal Music Group - the world's biggest music rightsholder - has set in place amid the global COVID-19 pandemic.

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The Heartbreaking Cost For Musicians As COVID-19 Stops The Music

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The Heartbreaking Cost For Musicians As COVID-19 Stops The Music

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"Our industry has almost ground to a halt," reveals Olga FitzRoy, the award-winning recording engineer and campaigner who counts and the TV shows and amongst her clients. "The recording industry has been badly affected by the pandemic, and many studios are completely shut down now." FitzRoy is also an executive director of the Music Producers Guild , the trade body for music producers, remixers, engineers and mastering engineers, and she sees some dark and challenging times ahead for the industry. "I think people often only see the glamorous side of the music business, forgetting that musicians, studios and engineers usually live at the bottom of the supply chain, and are often living hand-to-mouth with not much in the way of savings."

The repercussions of COVID-19 are already being felt at every level of the industry. Devotional "kirtan" music performer, TV composer and session guitarist Matt Coldrick, who has worked with Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hahn and Benedict Cumberbatch, has already seen the sudden cancellation of all of his bookings in the next three months, with an instant loss of £3,600 in performance and rehearsal fees. While the U.K. remains under lockdown, he reveals that there are no apparent solutions to his immediate problem of cashflow, "That's where I'm scratching my head. In the past, if things got really tough, I'd go busking."

Rami Even-Esh, aka rapper Kosha Dillz, was scheduled to deliver a , join a tour with and Little Stranger , and also perform an important showcase at music festival in Austin, Texas. All of the events have been canceled, with an estimated loss of $20,000 from SXSW alone. "We are all in limbo," he admits, "but this is the new normal for indie DIY musicians." Despite the circumstances, and with admirable hustle, Even-Esh is offering remote music business consulting and coaching for improv rap, hosting a , and sharing exclusive content via his Patreon channel . "Just because the world is stopping doesn't mean we have to." He is also keeping busy during the lockdown by signing up for trumpet, singing and Hebrew lessons, and has just released songs with reggae legend Matisyahu and EDM super producer Kaskade.

South London band Meatraffle was also on course to play a showcase gig at SXSW, and raised £3.5k via a fundraiser gig with the Fat White Family and by selling new recordings and merchandise. The band's manager reveals that all of the money went towards flights, visas and accommodation. "United have refused to refund our £2.5k in flights. We feel awful for everyone affected by this turn of events, particularly those independent venues, bars and restaurants in Austin that are gonna suffer."

Jazz singer and burlesque performer Fraulein Frauke and her partner John-Paul Bichard , a photographer and filmmaker, are event organisers in Stockholm. "This crisis has all but wiped us out," admits Bichard, "Two weeks ago, our whole spring was busy with European bookings and commissions, now wiped, and our two upcoming events that we have invested a lot of time and money into are postponed at best, and possibly cancelled." Bichard confesses that t hey are struggling to stay afloat on their freelancers cashflow. "We live frugally under normal circumstances, but now we have had to cut everything to the bone and we are playing a waiting game. We see our buffer disappearing weekly and need to invest in order to get the next events back up and running, and make it through to the Autumn when our next chunk of contracts kick in. It's like a horrible game of poker."

Other initiatives to support the music industry include the Corona Musicians advice website put together by Help Musicians , the virtual festival being funded by Audio Assemble , and £160 million of emergency measures and funding being made available by the Arts Council Of England.

Rachel Millar manages artist Shabaka Hutchings, whose forthcoming tours have been canceled. She is candid about the scale of the losses and their impact. "The loss of income is in the tens of thousands and will tip into hundreds of thousands by the end of the year if the live industry doesn't recover quickly, meaning the musicians, agents and managers like myself have little to zero income. On top of that, the lack of touring will have a major impact on record sales and merchandise, equaling more loss of income. The government needs to provide support for the self-employed, to the same extent they're supporting the 'employed,' and the music industry as a whole needs to consider ways to support us financially during these times, whether through grants, loans, recoupment breaks or other paid opportunities. As it stands, if there are no changes and support put in place, this could do irreversible damage to people's careers and the industry overall." The Music Managers Forum is currently gathering evidence of the impact COVID-19 has on music makers and their representatives in an online survey .

Recording artist Sam Duckworth, aka Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly. agrees that the government needs to see the big picture. "Music is an ecosystem. For every one person holding a mic, there are 20 people in the chain, from promoter to crew, from ticketing staff to vendor. Within my professional circles and friendship groups, most of us have lost months of work. Whilst we are all disappointed, we understand what needs to be done for the good of us all. The U.K. government has declared itself the government of small business, and whilst the self-employed may be low in direct employee numbers they are still a large proportion of the £5.2bn generated by the industry for the U.K. economy last year. They are part of a network of thousands of sole traders and SMEs, who co-exist in the professional sphere. None of us are asking for special treatment, just for parity with other sectors, and a guarantee that once this thing is over the show can still go on."

The COVID-19 lockdown repents an almost total collapse of the most meaningful revenue streams for many musicians and other professionals working in the business. It remains to be seen how the government will support the mostly self-employed £111.7 billion creative sector during the current crisis. One would hope that the government's actions, or lack of them, will not forgotten in future elections.
Update: The day after the publication of this article Spotify Full coverage and live updates on the Coronavirus a financial contribution of up to $10 million to help the music community during the coronavirus pandemic.
... Read More

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The Heartbreaking Cost For Musicians As COVID-19 Stops The Music

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"Our industry has almost ground to a halt," reveals Olga FitzRoy, the award-winning recording engineer and campaigner who counts and the TV shows and amongst her clients. "The recording industry has been badly affected by the pandemic, and many studios are completely shut down now."

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Quarantine performances to help you through your day

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Quarantine performances to help you through your day

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Updated on June 18 at 1:33 p.m. ET. We are no longer updating or taking submissions for this page.
As more festivals, performances and concerts are canceled due to the coronavirus shutdown, musicians of all stripes and sizes are taking to social and streaming platforms to play live for their fans,

NPR Music is compiling a list of live audio and video streams from around the world, categorized by date and genre, with links out to streaming platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. Some will require registration or a subscription, but most will be free, often with digital tip jars and opportunities to directly support artists by buying music and merchandise.

June 18

classical

Jazz

R&B / Soul

Latin

Rock

Experimental

June 19

Classical

pop

Joe's Pub Live From The Archive: Purple Heart: The Music of Michael Callen
Time: 8 p.m. ET
Link: Public Theater

Latin

Folk

World

Country / Americana

Rock

Electronic

June 20

Classical

Jazz

Multi-Genre

Small Business Live: 2 Chainz, Brittany Howard, Brandi Carlile, Leon Bridges and more
Time: 4 - 10 p.m. ET
Link: LiveXLive / Twitch / YouTube / Twitter / Instagram / Facebook
For more details, check the festival's .

Round Midnight Preserves: Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Dave Grohl, Elvis Costello, Beck, Jim James and more Time: 8 - 10 p.m. ET
Link: Pres Hall Foundation

k-pop

Rock

Country / Americana

June 21

Classical

Jazz

k-pop

Multi-Genre

R&B / Soul

Rock

Country / Americana

Folk

Children's Music

June 22

classical

rock

k-pop

Country / Americana

Metal

June 23

classical

k-pop

Rock

Country / Americana

Folk

Electronic

June 24

Classical

Jazz

Rock

Country / Americana

June 25

Classical

Electronic

R&B / Soul

Rock

Latin

Experimental

June 26

Classical

Electronic

Folk

Country / Americana

Rock

June 27

Classical

Vienna Staatsoper: Alma Deutscher's Cinderella (Children's Opera)
Time: 1 p.m. ET
Link: Staatsoper Live

Folk

Country / Americana

Jazz

Electronic

June 28

Classical

Folk

Jazz

Electronic

June 29

Classical

Rock

Country / Americana

Metal

June 30

Classical

Rock

Country / Americana

Folk

Electronic

July 1

Classical

Jazz

Rock

Country / Americana

July 2

R&B / Soul

Experimental

July 3

Classical

Rock

Experimental

July 4

Jazz

July 5

Jazz

July 6

Rock

July 7

Classical

July 9

Classical

Experimental

July 10

Classical

July 11

Classical

Multi-Genre

Winnipeg Folk Fest at Home: Jason Isbell, Sheryl Crow, Brandi Carlile, Courtney Barnett, Waxahatchee, Tash Sultana and more
Time: 7 p.m. ET
Link: YouTube / Facebook
For a full lineup, check the festival's .

July 14

Jazz

July 16

Classical

Experimental

Fridman Gallery Solos: Rena Anakwe Time: 8 p.m. ET
Link: Fridman Gallery

July 17

Classical

July 18

Country / Americana

July 21

Jazz

July 23

Classical

Experimental

Fridman Gallery Solos: Diamanda Galás Time: 8 p.m. ET
Link: Fridman Gallery

July 24

Classical

July 25

Electronic

July 26

Electronic

July 28

Jazz

July 30

Classical

Experimental

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A List Of Live Virtual Concerts To Watch During The Coronavirus Shutdown

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Updated on June 18 at 1:33 p.m. ET. We are no longer updating or taking submissions for this page.

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When you can't go see Hamilton so John Krasinski brings Hamilton to you

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When you can't go see Hamilton so John Krasinski brings Hamilton to you

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john krasinski surprises young 'hamilton' fan with a cast reunion  - cnn

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John Krasinski reunited the cast of 'Hamilton'

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John Krasinski surprised one young Broadway fan with her ultimate wish on his "Some Good News" show.

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Coronavirus Rhapsody: isolation is catalyst for slew of parody songs

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Coronavirus Rhapsody: isolation is catalyst for slew of parody songs

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From a family in Kent reworking a Les Miserables song to Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody being turned into an ode to coping with Covid-19, self-isolation is proving the catalyst for a new breed of homemade viral songwriting.

The Marsh family's interpretation of One Day More clocked up 1.4m views, and made them internet stars with the lyrics (for example: "Our grandparents are miles away / they can't work Skype, we're brokenhearted") being reworked to reference life during lockdown.

Adrian Grimes and Dana Jay Bein's version of Queen's classic has clocked up 3.5m views, and turns it into " bleak pastiche " of the song with lines such as "I'm just a young boy, no job security". Both the songs share a dark sense of humour, are instantly recognisable to millions and have found an audience around the world.

The latest song to go viral is from a group of Chicago-based stand-up comedians who shot a lo-fi video inspired by this year's Icelandic entry to Eurovision, Daði Freyr's Think About Things.

Garrett Williams (@badboygargar)
Day 17: morale is weird pic.twitter.com/TW4Xdv0qJH

Garrett Williams and his housemates shot the video in two hours, edited it over a similar amount of time and then posted the results on Twitter - the video attracted more than 5m views within 24 hours of its release.

"My roommate sent me the song and we were like 'this song slaps'," said Williams. "From there we were dancing to it and thought this could be a fun video, we made some suggestions for dance moves and outfits and put it all together."

The method behind such a huge viral hit is surprisingly simple, according to Williams. He explained that the idea from the Michel Gondry-esque music video came from listening to the song and idly dancing before leaving the house to buy food.

"We were waiting to go pick up food or go to the store together and we started to play the song and one of us was bouncing," he said. "From that we thought 'oh let's just make a video where everyone is bouncing the whole time'. That's it."

Williams says he has had friends who have found work in comedy off the back of viral videos and usually timing posts to launch when your audience is largest is a key part of success. However, in lockdown conditions, Williams says there is a new captive audience at almost any time of day, thirsty for brazenly uplifting content.

"In our sphere there's a lot of talk about the best time to post," he said. "But now everyone is at home no one has any idea about when the best time to post is. I sat on it for a day, and then my friends said just go for it, post it. So I did and it's blown up in 24 hours."

Another motivation for Williams, Grimes and the Marsh family was to stay occupied while in isolation, with Williams saying the video "filled the void" of not having work to be busy with.

"Our group likes to be on the go, we're always doing shows and trying to keep busy with work," he said. "With the quarantine situation we haven't had a project, so last week we had a couple of ideas floating around and made this one."

There has been some negative reaction to the songs, particularly Grimes' cover of Bohemian Rhapsody. Grimes addressed criticism of the song's lyrics such as "Mama, I just killed a man / I didn't stay inside in bed / I walked past him, now he's dead," which were branded insensitive.

He explained that his wife was involved in healthcare and so he was aware of the impact Covid-19 was having on people. Grimes encouraged people to maintain their sense of humour and said he had also received many "comments from people already affected by coronavirus have told me how much they appreciate this".

Williams thinks the parody videos are proving so popular but people were looking for something fun to distract themselves during isolation and also spending more time online.

"At this time when there is a lot of bleak news, and really heavy stuff coming through people are looking for something that they can disassociate to," he said. "Something that people can say 'oh, this is fun'. We can still have fun and not have to be so scared all the time about everything."
Topics

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Coronavirus Rhapsody: isolation is catalyst for slew of parody songs

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
From a family in Kent reworking a Les Miserables song to Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody being turned into an ode to coping with Covid-19, self-isolation is proving the catalyst for a new breed of homemade viral songwriting.

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This article is published in collaboration with

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Why do we turn to music in times of crisis?

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From YouTube parodies to balcony duos, music and singing is helping lift spirits.

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Science's COVID-19 reporting is supported by the Pulitzer Center.
You've probably seen dozens of images of the novel coronavirus-now responsible for 1 million infections and tens of thousands of deaths. Now, scientists have come up with a way for you to hear it: by translating the structure of its famous spike protein into music.

The sounds you hear-the chiming bells, the twanging strings, the lilting flutes-all represent different aspects of the spikelike protein (above) that pokes from the virus' surface and helps it latch onto unsuspecting cells. Like all proteins, the spikes are made of combinations of amino acids. Using a new technique called sonification, scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology assigned each amino acid a unique note in a musical scale, converting the entire protein into a preliminary musical score.

But in real life, these amino acids tend to curl up into a helix or stretch out into a sheet. Researchers capture these features by altering the duration and volume of the notes. Molecular vibrations due to heat also get their own sounds.

But why would you set a virus to music? The new format can help scientists find sites on the protein where antibodies or drugs might be able to bind-simply by searching for specific musical sequences that correspond to these sites. This, the researchers say, is faster and more intuitive than conventional methods used to study proteins, such as molecular modeling. They add that by comparing the musical sequence of the spike protein to a large database of other sonified proteins, it might be possible to one day find one that can stick to the spike-preventing the virus from infecting a cell.

As for the instruments, they were entirely the researchers' choice. In this case, a Japanese koto plays the main notes-soothing sounds that might bring some comfort in a time of trouble.

doi:10.1126/science.abc0657

More from ScienceShots

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Scientists have turned the structure of the coronavirus into music

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Science's COVID-19 reporting is supported by the Pulitzer Center. You've probably seen dozens of images of the novel coronavirus-now responsible for 1 million infections and tens of thousands of deaths. Now, scientists have come up with a way for you to hear it: by translating the structure of its famous spike protein into music.

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Opera singer turns his porch into a stage and performs for his Grand Haven neighbors

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Opera singer turns his porch into a stage and performs for his Grand Haven neighbors

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GRAND HAVEN, Mich. - Carlos Seise says he was born to sing.

The world renowned singer had all of his shows around the world postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic. But that has stopped Seise from singing.

During a statewide stay at home order, the professional singer has turned his Grand Haven front porch into a stage by performing for his neighbors. This week Seise pulled out a speaker, a microphone and a stool and gave his neighborhood a show that lasted an hour and a half.

Seise said people walking and riding their bicycles stopped to listen, all while maintaining social distance. He lives near a school, and he said people were using that space to gather at a safe distance. Seise said he just wants to "enlighten" the days and he appreciates all the sacrifices everyone is making during this time.

"Help people stop thinking of the troubles and get entertained," Seise said.

The singer's last official concert was on March 3. He said he agrees with the decision to postpone shows. "I don't want to expose anyone to the virus," he said.

Seise has been singing for 37 years. His musical career started in 1981 as a guitar player for a band in Puerto Rico. After getting a scholarship to study music, he made his professional debut with a performance of "Carmina Burana" in 1983.

At a concert in Detroit, Seise met his wife. They moved to Grand Haven more than two decades ago.

Watch the performance here:
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Opera singer turns his porch into a stage and performs for his Grand Haven neighbors

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GRAND HAVEN, Mich. - Carlos Seise says he was born to sing. The world renowned singer had all of his shows around the world postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic. But that has stopped Seise from singing. During a statewide stay at home order, the professional singer has turned his Grand Haven front porch into a stage by performing for his neighbors.

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Music is Often Born Amid Crisis, so Coronavirus Could Be a Muse for Songwriters 

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Music is Often Born Amid Crisis, so Coronavirus Could Be a Muse for Songwriters 

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History has proven that hard times can inspire memorable songs.

We'll all be glad when the global coronavirus pandemic is over, but in the meantime, take some comfort in knowing that hard times have historically inspired great songs. If today's songwriters can tap all the emotions that this nightmare has stirred -- from sorrow for those who have been affected to gratitude for the many heroes in this story -- think of the tremendous songs that we'll be hearing in the aftermath.

"Songs are basically a way of expressing feelings, emotions, hopes and dreams," says Linda Moran, president/CEO of the Songwriters Hall of Fame. "In this time of self-reflection, where most people are asking life's important questions, songwriters are naturally going to delve a bit deeper into their hearts and souls to find a way to express their emotions. These are unprecedented times and as songs are the best at documenting history, I am sure great songs are being created right now."

This quick recap demonstrates how hard times throughout history have often inspired memorable songs.
9/11
Alan Jackson introduced "Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)" at the CMA Awards on Nov. 7, 2001 -- less than two months after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Bruce Springsteen's "The Rising" (2002) was also written in response to that tragedy. Both songs received 2002 Grammy nominations for song of the year.
HIV/AIDS Crisis
Springsteen's "Streets of Philadelphia," which he wrote for Jonathan Demme's 1993 film Philadelphia, perfectly captured the agony of that health crisis. The song won both a Grammy for song of the year and an Oscar for best original song (where it edged out another song from that film, Neil Young's "Philadelphia").

Burt Bacharach and Carole Bayer Sager won a 1986 Grammy for song of the year for writing Dionne & Friends' heartfelt "That's What Friends Are For," which resonated strongly as the AIDS crisis unfolded. (They had written the song a few years earlier for a film, Nightshift, that had nothing to do with it.)

Other memorable AIDS-themed songs include Cyndi Lauper's "Boy Blue" (1986), Lou Reed's "Halloween Parade" (1989), Elton John's "The Last Song" (1992), Sarah McLachlan's "Hold On" (1993), George Michael's "Jesus to a Child" (1995) and Paula Cole with Peter Gabriel's "Hush, Hush, Hush" (1996).
Vietnam War
Young wrote "Ohio" in response to the tragedy at Kent State University, in which four students were killed by National Guardsmen during an anti-war rally on May 4, 1970. Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young recorded the song just 17 days after the event. By the end of June, it was climbing the Billboard Hot 100. Other classic songs inspired by the war include Edwin Starr's "War" (1970, written by Barrett Strong and Norman Whitfield) and Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Fortunate Son" (1970, written by John Fogerty).

Other songs weren't written specifically about Vietnam but resonated because of that conflict. Pete Seeger wrote "Where Have All the Flowers Gone" in 1955, but it had its biggest impact during the Vietnam years. The Animals' "We Gotta Get Outta This Place (1965, written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil) was a favorite of American servicemen in that doomed endeavor.
The Civil Rights Movement
Bob Dylan's "Blowin' in the Wind" (1963), Seeger's "We Shall Overcome" (1963), Sam Cooke's "A Change Is Gonna Come" (1965), The Impressions' "People Get Ready" and "Choice of Colors" (1965 and 1969, respectively, both written by Curtis Mayfield) and Nina Simone's "Mississippi Goddam (1964) and "To Be Young, Gifted and Black" (1969) are some of the best-known songs from the civil rights struggle of the 1960s, but memorable songs on the topic both preceded and followed that era.

Billie Holiday's "Strange Fruit" (1939, written by Abel Meeropol) is based on unforgettable imagery: the odd taste of fruit that grows on trees irrigated by the blood of lynching victims.

Such classic hip-hop hits as Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five's "The Message" (1982, written by Chifton Chase, Edward Fletcher, Melvin Glover and Sylvia Robinson), N.W.A's "F--- Tha Police" (1988, written by Ice Cube, MC Ren and The D.O.C.) and Public Enemy's "Fight the Power" (1989, written by Carlton Ridenhour, Eric Sadler, Hank Shocklee and Keith Shocklee) carry the message into the modern era.
World War II
Many hits of this era were enriched by the deep sense of yearning caused by forced separations and tremendous uncertainty. Examples include Bing Crosby's "White Christmas" (1942, written by Irving Berlin) and "I'll Be Home for Christmas (If Only in My Dreams)" (1943, written by Kim Gannon, Walter Kent and Buck Ram), The Pied Pipers' "Dream" (1945, written by Johnny Mercer) and Les Brown's immortal "Sentimental Journey," featuring a 22-year old Doris Day (1945, written by Brown, Bud Green and Ben Horner).
The Great Depression
Crosby's "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?" (1932, written by E.Y. Harburg and Jay Gorney) may be the most famous song associated with this national ordeal. Others include Blind Alfred Reed's "How Can a Poor Man Stand Such Times and Live" (1930) and Woody Guthrie's "Dust Bowl Blues" (1937) and "Tom Joad" (1940). Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart wrote "Ten Cents a Dance" (a 1930 hit for Ruth Etting) about taxi dancers, but the song's weary tone perfectly captured the Depression era.

Other great albums and songs aren't tied to just one topic. Marvin Gaye's What's Going On (1971), was a virtual people's response to the State of the Union, touching on such topics as drug abuse, poverty, the Vietnam War and ecology.

Aretha Franklin's "Respect" (1967, written by Otis Redding) is claimed as an anthem for both civil rights and women's rights -- and for every other group or individual who wants a little respect (which is to say: everyone).

Sometimes hard times have inspired works of great beauty, almost as a counterpoint to the stresses of the era. Jackie DeShannon's "What the World Needs Now Is Love" (1965, written by Bacharach and Hal David) and Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World" (1967, written by Bob Thiele and George David Weiss), were both written during the tumult of the mid-1960s. Both songs have claimed the Songwriters Hall of Fame's Towering Song award (as has the aforementioned "A Change Is Gonna Come"). John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band's "Imagine" (1971, written by Lennon) is another lovely song informed by the gap between dreams and reality.

So songwriters: Bring on the songs. Dig deep. Let this frightening, unsettling, maddening time inspire your best work.
Note: Many of these songs have been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame and/or have been honored by the National Recording Registry. As noted, three received the Towering Song award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

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Coronavirus Could Be a Muse for Songwriters

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We'll all be glad when the global coronavirus pandemic is over, but in the meantime, take some comfort in knowing that hard times have historically inspired great songs. If today's songwriters can tap all the emotions that this nightmare has stirred -- from sorrow for those who have been affected to gratitude for the many heroes in this story -- think of the tremendous songs that we'll be hearing in the aftermath.

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In Quarantine - Under The Sea Parody (Songs about Coronavirus)  🐠🦑🐬

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Scientists Have Turned the Structure of the Coronavirus Into Music

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Scientists Have Turned the Structure of the Coronavirus Into Music

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Science's COVID-19 reporting is supported by the Pulitzer Center.
You've probably seen dozens of images of the novel coronavirus-now responsible for 1 million infections and tens of thousands of deaths. Now, scientists have come up with a way for you to hear it: by translating the structure of its famous spike protein into music.

The sounds you hear-the chiming bells, the twanging strings, the lilting flutes-all represent different aspects of the spikelike protein (above) that pokes from the virus' surface and helps it latch onto unsuspecting cells. Like all proteins, the spikes are made of combinations of amino acids. Using a new technique called sonification, scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology assigned each amino acid a unique note in a musical scale, converting the entire protein into a preliminary musical score.

But in real life, these amino acids tend to curl up into a helix or stretch out into a sheet. Researchers capture these features by altering the duration and volume of the notes. Molecular vibrations due to heat also get their own sounds.

But why would you set a virus to music? The new format can help scientists find sites on the protein where antibodies or drugs might be able to bind-simply by searching for specific musical sequences that correspond to these sites. This, the researchers say, is faster and more intuitive than conventional methods used to study proteins, such as molecular modeling. They add that by comparing the musical sequence of the spike protein to a large database of other sonified proteins, it might be possible to one day find one that can stick to the spike-preventing the virus from infecting a cell.

As for the instruments, they were entirely the researchers' choice. In this case, a Japanese koto plays the main notes-soothing sounds that might bring some comfort in a time of trouble.

doi:10.1126/science.abc0657

More from ScienceShots

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Scientists have turned the structure of the coronavirus into music

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Science's COVID-19 reporting is supported by the Pulitzer Center. You've probably seen dozens of images of the novel coronavirus-now responsible for 1 million infections and tens of thousands of deaths. Now, scientists have come up with a way for you to hear it: by translating the structure of its famous spike protein into music.

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Coronavirus Etude (for Piano and Disinfecting Wipe)

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Coronavirus Etude (for Piano and Disinfecting Wipe)

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Coronavirus Etude - for Piano and Disinfecting Wipe - WATCH UNTIL THE END!

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Tyler Perry - He Has The Whole World In His Hands

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Bill Withers’s ‘Lean on Me’ Has Been a Constant Comfort Through the Coronavirus

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Bill Withers’s ‘Lean on Me’ Has Been a Constant Comfort Through the Coronavirus

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Legendary soul singer-songwriter Bill Withers died from heart complications this week, leaving behind a catalogue of music with the enduring power to connect people. Never has that been more apparent than just these past few weeks, as people across the world have been singing his 1972 classic " Lean on Me " to spread positivity during the coronavirus pandemic. Inspired by quarantined Italians singing off of their balconies, people are singing the song in hospitals, in neighborhoods, and hanging out of windows. "Lean on Me" is bringing comfort to the world at a time where physically leaning on someone is discouraged by the Centers for Disease Control. Here are just a few of the hearts Bill Withers has continued to touch with his music.

A Michigan children's hospital created a "virtual choir" where 64 people recorded themselves singing "Lean on Me" on April 1, showing their support for patients during this stressful period. A music therapist at a hospital in Florida also led a rendition of the song for caregivers fighting the coronavirus.

94.9 KLTY's @BonnieOnAir was amazed by the Italians singing from their windows. 🇮🇹 So... with her friend, Danzel, she & her fellow residents in Downtown Dallas started something pretty inspiring too! 😄💕 #LeanOnMe #SpeakLove #TeamKLTY pic.twitter.com/nnln27GPr9
- 94.9 KLTY (@949KLTY) March 21, 2020

Residents of an apartment building in Dallas stuck their heads out of their windows to sing "Lean on Me," led by Danzel Barber, on March 20.

Canadian country singer Tenille Townes gathered a group of her musician friends to sing "Lean on Me" on April 1, like a country version of Gal Gadot's "Imagine." Similarly, members of an a cappella group at a university in Michigan sent their cover of "Lean on Me" to their classmates upon the disheartening news that the rest of their semester was canceled.

Dr. Elvis Francois, the singing surgeon sensation, performs live for @savannahguthrie and @hodakotb this morning! pic.twitter.com/bpcgPy10cx
- TODAY (@TODAYshow) March 26, 2020

Viral singing surgeon Dr. Elvis Francois sang "Lean on Me" live on the Today show on March 26, doing his part to help lift spirits.

Ivanka Trump reshared a video of Bostonians leaning out of windows and cars to sing "Lean on Me" together.

Biggest night so far for balcony singalong's in the #SouthLoop: "I Will Survive." (the nice weather doesn't hurt the turnout!) #SocialDistancingTogether #FlattenTheCurve #QuarantineLife #QuarantineActivities #Chicago #HelloSouthLoop pic.twitter.com/qRXnH5kEDo
- Matt Ragas (@mattragas) March 26, 2020

"Lean on Me" has been heard in neighborhoods across the world. One of the biggest, Chicago's South Loop, had the skyline blinking to the beat on March 26. Neighbors in Washington, D.C., had the same idea, gathering on their porches to sing "Lean on Me" on March 20.

A family in Providence, Rhode Island, got their neighborhood singing the Bill Withers classic at the first of their daily sing-alongs to pass the time. Out in Calgary, Canada, people sang in their cars outside a continuing care facility to brighten their loved ones' days while staying a safe distance away.

Really enjoyed my first @TheSofaSingers session led by James @jsillsmusic singing Lean on Me! I'm currently on lockdown in France. What a great way to bring us all together through the power of song! Thank you so much James! pic.twitter.com/uof04kCbNK
- Cathy Heaton (@ferg2000) March 20, 2020

Choir leader and vocal coach James Sills set up the Sofa Sisters, a live online event where anyone in the world can come learn a classic song and sing it with everyone. Hundreds of people came together and sang "Lean on Me" on March 20. In the weeks before his death, Bill Withers's song was there for people, just as he vowed in its iconic lyrics - and it will continue to be there.

In Memoriam 2020: Remember the stars we lost (via Photo Services):

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Bill Withers's 'Lean on Me' Has Been a Constant Comfort Through the Coronavirus

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Legendary soul singer-songwriter Bill Withers died from heart complications this week, leaving behind a catalogue of music with the enduring power to connect people. Never has that been more apparent than just these past few weeks, as people across the world have been singing his 1972 classic " Lean on Me " to spread positivity during the coronavirus pandemic.

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I teach Music 101 at a small private university in New England. The primary skill I teach, starting from day one, is non-judgement. For most students, the only thing standing between them and competent musical analysis is judgement: they hear a song, and it can cause an emotional response, and that emotion impedes their ability to do the work I ask them to do.

Let's be more specific about that moment of emotional response.

An emotion is a a cycle that happens in your body. That's it. It's a physiological response of neurotransmitters and electrical signals that has a pattern, a beginning, a middle, and an end. Most emotion happens below the level of conscious awareness, which is why I teach my students explicitly to notice their immediate emotional responses to music. I don't ask them to change their immediate judgments, because it doesn't matter to me whether they love or hate any particular piece of music. What matters is that they can recognize the response, and keep listening anyway. What they're really doing there is practicing non-judgement not just of the music, not also non-judgement of their own response to the music. Love it? Hate it? Fine. That's your nervous system suspecting that stimulus is either safe or unsafe, approach or avoid. But the reality is no music is dangerous. All music is approachable.

The reason they need this skill in MUS 101 is that some of those neural patterns interfere with other patterns your brain is usually in charge of. For example, when we are stunned by something, we literally get speechless. The parts of our brain in charge of language gets shut down by the parts of our brain that are dealing with whatever the shock was. That's an extreme example, but it happens in more subtle ways, too.

Let's say you hear a song you love. Your brain fills with activity! Intense neural activity changes how you feel, and even what kinds of decisions you make. We know from one experiment, for example, that students experiencing high allostatic load (the feeling that your brain is full) are more likely to choose cake as a snack rather than fruit, whereas fruit was the nutritious choice made by students in the "control" group who had space in their brains for making an intellectual choice of snack.

A lot of music is designed to evoke an emotional response, a physical response (again: emotions are in your body). We want to move, dance, clap, sing along. Or it makes us smile or cry or gasp. "OMG I haven't heard that song in forever!" That's our nervous systems telling us "there is an incoming stimulus that resonates with our familiar patterns." And now your nervous system is busy flooding you with those feelings, and it has no interest in completing the assignment from you Music 101 professor.

I anticipate that some of my students will be listening to a lot of music while they're sequestered. For many of them, music is a safe place for emotions. It reflects their feelings back to them, or it coaxes them into feelings they didn't know they had. If you didn't use music as stress relief before now, you may find that it's really effective not just at entertaining and distracting you, but potentially for guiding you all the way through the cycles of emotions.
But this is also the reason some of my students may find listening more difficult.
Music floods your nervous system with the chemical and electrical activity that is emotion. If you're already in a state of heightened emotion, and your nervous system suspects more emotion might be dangerous or exhausting, it's going to want to avoid music. You'll sit down to do your MUS 101 assignment, and your nervous system will say, "wouldn't you rather check social media or play a game or shop for fun socks or do your taxes or wash dishes or really anything else?!?!??!!!"

If that's happening, here's what you need to know: we've already learned the skill that will get you past that hurdle. It's non-judgement. Your nervous system is telling you the music and/or the emotions it evokes are dangerous. But they're not. Your nervous system is even more likely to be suspicious of intense emotion if you:

1. have a trauma history

2. experienced of childhood adversity

3. are in an insecure financial and/or housing situation

4. you don't have a solid network of emotional support at the moment...

Yeah, let's be real: almost all of you have at least one of those things going on. Which is why I'm writing this. I recognize that I'm asking you to engage with an internal experience that might have been no problem a few weeks ago, but is much harder now.

Remember that emotions are cycles that happen in your body. Only if you keeping ignoring them, stopping them in their tracks, never letting them go all the way through their cycles will emotions cause problems in your life, damage your health, or influence your decisions and behavior in negative ways. If you let an emotion go all the way through its cycle, you'll probably feel better afterward, no matter how uncomfortable the emotion itself was. Your protective, helpful, lovely nervous system might be shouting DANGERDANGERDANGER but it's a scared little hedgehog, freaking out and trying to keep you safe. You're a grown up human who knows better. Turn toward that hedgehog and tell it, "I know you think this is dangerous, but it's okay. It's just an emotion, and once its cycle is complete, we'll be comfortable again... as comfortable as we can be under the circumstances."
Here are instructions for what to do when your subconscious is telling you to avoid intense emotions, or when you're flooded with emotion.
Complete the emotion's cycle. The first step is non-judgement.

1. Notice the feeling, let yourself feel it even if it's uncomfortable.

2. Notice the discomfort and let yourself feel that, too. It's not dangerous, it's a cycle, and it will end.

3. Notice the physical sensations: heat, chills, tension, tears, fatigue, pain, etc.

Observe those sensations without evaluating them, because they're not good or bad, they're just sensations. The important trick is to notice when you're tempted to feed the sensations thoughts. Emotions thrive on thoughts, and they will keep going past your capacity to complete the cycle if you keep feeding them. So, for a few minutes, when you notice the thoughts about how mad your are, or how sad, or angry, or what someone said, or how someone acted... set the thoughts aside. You can think about them later, or vent about them to a friend on the phone in a little while. For now, g o back to observing the sensations. Heat, chills, tension, etc. Observe until it fades. It will just go away on its own. Because that's what emotions do. And if you're still overwhelmed after, like, ten minutes? Ask for help. Reach out to someone who will turn toward your feelings with kindness and compassion. For my students, that includes the mental health providers at school. They are available for exactly this kind of help, for exactly this reason.

If the emotion comes on in response to music, you might find it helpful to keep listening while you observe the physical sensations brought on by the emotional response. Or you may need to turn it off, then come back to it after the cycle is complete. If you turn it off, cry yourself out, then turn it back on and start crying again, then maybe the music is acting as a thought and feeding the sensation. In that case, try listening all the way through while noticing the emotion. But maybe do it after a break. You might need a nap or a snack to refuel all those chemicals and electricity.

Be gentle with yourself. Take your time. Ask for help. Do the best you can with the resources you have available. That's enough.

Bonus content: a photo of my dog, Thomas, when he was about two months old. Because puppies are soothing.

Thomas as a puppy, chewing on a toy bigger than his head

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I teach Music 101 at a small private university in New England. The primary skill I teach, starting from day one, is non-judgement. For most students, the only thing standing between them and competent musical analysis is judgement: they hear a song, and it can cause an emotional response, and that emotion impedes their ability to do the work I ask them to do.

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The Corona Virus Hasn't Slowed Classical Music

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The Corona Virus Hasn't Slowed Classical Music

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The Metropolitan Opera is streaming performances from its Live in HD archives, including Poulenc's "Dialogues des Carmélites," shown here. Credit... Nathan Bajar for The New York Times

Critic's Notebook

As closures give way to a deluge of live streams, performances have never been more accessible.

The Metropolitan Opera is streaming performances from its Live in HD archives, including Poulenc's "Dialogues des Carmélites," shown here. Credit... Nathan Bajar for The New York Times

A classical music critic in New York City could conceivably never spend an evening at home.

Carnegie Hall presents the world's leading artists virtually every night during its season; Lincoln Center's theaters are almost never dark. Then there are the dozens of smaller venues scattered throughout town. Planning a concert-going calendar, then, has always been a balancing act, full of disappointment that you can't be in multiple places at once.

Then came the coronavirus pandemic, which caused performances to grind to a halt earlier this month.

I haven't had the heart to delete events in my own calendar, even though in the coming week there's no chance I'll see the premiere of a Kate Soper opera in Montclair, N.J., or hear Mitsuko Uchida play Beethoven's "Diabelli" Variations at Carnegie.

But I also haven't had the time.

In-person performances have been replaced by a deluge of digital ones - live streams and recently unlocked archive recordings - that have made for a calendar hardly less busy than before concert halls closed. It's enough to keep a critic happily overwhelmed, yet also wondering whether the industry is making a mistake by giving away so much for free.

The live streams began immediately, with production values ranging from tinny iPhone videos to cinema-ready sophistication. On March 12, the day New York theaters shuttered, the pianist Igor Levit gave a lo-fi performance from his living room, while the Berlin Philharmonic and the Philadelphia Orchestra played to empty halls and audiences at home. (In retrospect, these groups of 100 or so musicians should probably have stayed as far apart as the rest of us.)

Since then, a day hasn't gone by without something to stream. In the past week alone, I've been able to watch older performances I missed; ones I had hoped to travel for this spring; ones that would otherwise seem unfathomable, like the pianist Maria João Pires coming out of retirement. If anything, I'm taking in more music than before; the only difference is that now I can be in multiple places - or at least multiple browser tabs - at once.

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The photographer Nathan Bajar's girlfriend, left, and cousin streaming a performance. Credit... Nathan Bajar for The New York Times

Many of these videos have had more charm than a typical classical concert, with banter, a casual dress code and imperfect production. Before a scorching streamed performance of Frederic Rzewski's "The People United Will Never Be Defeated!" for the 92nd Street Y - cut short because, hey, the technology isn't reliable - the pianist Conrad Tao worked through his feelings about the medium, talking to the camera in his apartment like a confessional vlogger.

On Monday, the publisher Boosey & Hawkes hosted a live score-reading of Stravinsky's "The Rite of Spring" on YouTube; alongside the video was a candid chat that included artists like the composer David T. Little and the conductors Teddy Abrams, Christopher Rountree and Marin Alsop. (Ms. Alsop was openly, hilariously critical of the often slow tempos in the chosen recording, Lorin Maazel and the Cleveland Orchestra.)

In breaks from live streams, you can watch archived films. The Industry, an experimental Los Angeles opera company, has made "Sweet Land," whose run was cut short by the closures, available on Vimeo for the more-than-worth-it cost of $14.99. (This is one of the few organizations putting a price tag on their work.)

Once you see how many operas are available online, your free time quickly evaporates. Beth Morrison Projects is putting one on its website every week; right now, you can watch Missy Mazzoli and Royce Vavrek's "Song From the Uproar." (Another Mazzoli-Vavrek piece, "Breaking the Waves," is streaming on SoundCloud.) Rai, the Italian public broadcaster, is playing Gyorgy Kurtag's widely hailed "Fin de Partie," filmed during its premiere run in Milan in 2018.

And a production of Beethoven's "Fidelio" at the Theater an der Wien in Vienna, originally planned for this month but then canceled, was thankfully recorded. The direction, by the actor Christoph Waltz, may be a bit chilly; but the sculptural set, by the architects Barkow Leibinger, is a subtle and mesmerizing reflection of the music, propulsive under the baton of Manfred Honeck.

Last weekend, live streams escalated to marathons. The cellist Jan Vogler organized a 24-hour event called Music Never Sleeps NYC, which coincided with Deutsche Grammophon's globe-trotting relay of solo performances for Piano Day. Never have I felt so productive spending hours on YouTube.

Among the Piano Day artists were Ms. Pires, out of retirement for an elegant and lucid reading of Beethoven's "Pathétique" Sonata; and Daniil Trifonov, both eerie and endearing in a mask and gloves as he introduced himself from the Dominican Republic with a selfie video. Music Never Sleeps was a feel-good miracle of coordination and collaboration across musical forms and genres. When it overlapped, at 7 p.m. Eastern time, with a moment for New Yorkers to applaud out their windows for those on the front lines of the pandemic, the conductor David Robertson and the pianist Orli Shaham cleverly offered Steve Reich's "Clapping Music." Later, Inon Barnatan gave an elegant, at times sublime performance of Schubert's Piano Sonata in B flat that I hope to one day hear in person.

The two marathons were studies in contrast. Music Never Sleeps was a soft fund-raiser - not quite a telethon, but presented with the suggestion that fans donate to the NYC Covid-19 Response & Impact Fund and the Local 802 Musicians' Emergency Relief Fund. Piano Day, however, was simply a celebration of top-shelf talent: artists who could - and have - sold out Carnegie, playing here at no cost to viewers.

Like almost every other live stream of the past month, Deutsche Grammophon's felt dangerously reminiscent of the internet's early days, when prestige journalism - including The New York Times - was available for free. Publishers later regretted not monetizing their work from the start; I hope the classical music industry doesn't end up in the same position.

Freelancers, whose incomes depend on live performance, are in crisis as even summer festivals begin to announce their cancellations. The New York Philharmonic is anticipating a loss of $10 million in revenue because of its closure; the Met Opera, up to $60 million.

And yet these are the same artists and organizations giving away their music for free. The Philharmonic launched a website of archived performances, NY Phil Plays On, and is broadcasting older concerts on Facebook every Thursday. The Met is digging into its collection of high-definition movie theater transmissions for nightly streams. It's heartening to witness, and the exposure may be helpful, but it doesn't even begin to cover lost revenue.

So if you like what you hear, donate. Think of the industry as a giant Central Park busker, happy to play but leaving that guitar case open and ready for tips.

The world of classical music has never been more accessible. Rarely, though, has it ever been so endangered. And it's up to all of us to decide just how much it's worth.

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The Coronavirus Hasn't Slowed Classical Music

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Critic's Notebook As closures give way to a deluge of live streams, performances have never been more accessible. The Metropolitan Opera is streaming performances from its Live in HD archives, including Poulenc's "Dialogues des Carmélites," shown here. Credit... Nathan Bajar for The New York Times A classical music critic in New York City could conceivably never spend an evening at home.

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Adam Schlesinger, Fountains of Wayne and 'Crazy Ex-Girlfriend' musician, dies of coronavirus at 52

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Adam Schlesinger, Fountains of Wayne and 'Crazy Ex-Girlfriend' musician, dies of coronavirus at 52

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Adam Schlesinger, a musician and songwriter highly regarded for his work as a member of Fountains of Wayne and an Emmy-winning songwriter for TV's "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend," has died as a result of coronavirus complications. He was 52.

Schlesinger had previously been reported Tuesday morning as "very sick and heavily sedated" by his attorney of 25 years, Josh Grier. Schlesinger has been in an upstate New York hospital for more than a week at that time, Grier said.

An EGOT contender, Schlesinger has been nominated for Oscars, Tonys, Grammys and Emmys and won the latter two awards. At the 2018 Emmys, he was up for two trophies for his "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend" work and picked up one, winning in the outstanding original music and lyrics category for the song "Antidepressants Are So Not A Big Deal" (shared with the show's star, Rachel Bloom, and Jack Dolgen).

He is a 10-time Emmy nominee in all, five of those for "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend," for which he served as executive music producer. Five more being nods for his contributions to the Tony Awards, "Sesame Street" and a Stephen Colbert Christmas special.

His Oscar nomination in 1997 was for co-writing the theme song for the Tom Hanks-directed film "That Thing You Do!," one of his first successful forays outside the realm of his own music-making with Fountains of Wayne. He was also nominated for a Golden Globe at that time.

Fountains of Wayne, the band he co-founded with Chris Collingwood, earned two Grammy nominations in 2003, for best new artist (many years after the band's actual recording debut) and for best pop performance by a group for the top 20 single "Stacy's Mom," a cheeky MTV staple that became the band's biggest hit. His lone Grammy win, though, came for best comedy album for his work on "A Stephen Colbert Christmas."

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Adam Schlesinger, Fountains of Wayne and 'Crazy Ex-Girlfriend' musician, dies of coronavirus at 52

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Adam Schlesinger, a musician and songwriter highly regarded for his work as a member of Fountains of Wayne and an Emmy-winning songwriter for TV's "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend," has died as a result of coronavirus complications. He was 52. Schlesinger had previously been reported Tuesday morning as "very sick and heavily sedated" by his attorney of 25 years, Josh Grier.

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The 4'33" Project - Putting The Band Back Together

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The 4'33" Project - Putting The Band Back Together

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Ellis Marsalis, New Orleans jazz piano legend hospitalized with coronavirus symptoms, dies

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Ellis Marsalis, New Orleans jazz piano legend hospitalized with coronavirus symptoms, dies

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Ellis Marsalis Jr., the jazz pianist, teacher and patriarch of one of New Orleans' great musical families, has died.

The 85-year-old jazz piano legend was hospitalized with pneumonia and symptoms of COVID-19, his son, Ellis Marsalis III said. He had been tested for coronavirus and results were pending.

"Pneumonia was the actual thing that caused his demise. But it was pneumonia brought on by COVID-19," Ellis Marsalis III said in an Associated Press phone interview.

He said he drove Sunday from Baltimore to be with his father, who was hospitalized Saturday. Others in the family spent time with him, too.

Mayor LaToya Cantrell issued a statement Wednesday night on his passing.

"Ellis Marsalis was a legend," she said. "He was the prototype of what we mean when we talk about New Orleans jazz. The love and the prayers of all of our people go out to his family, and to all of those whose lives he touched. He was a teacher, a father, and an icon ... This loss cuts us deeply."

Marsalis's performances and recordings have been a feature of the jazz scene in New Orleans for decades, but he may be even better known as a teacher to generations of Crescent City stars.

In his days on the staff of the New Orleans Center for the Creative Arts, Xavier University and the University of New Orleans, Marsalis taught and tutored several future stars, including Terence Blanchard, Harry Connick Jr., Irvin Mayfield, Jesse Davis, Charlie Dennard, Victor Goines, Donald Harrison, Marlon Jordan and Paul Longstreth, as well as his renowned musical sons, Branford, Wynton, Delfeayo and Jason. Marsalis retired from UNO in 2001.

Marsalis initially learned to play the saxophone in high school but switched to piano as he studied classical music at Dillard University. Ironically, at the time, jazz was not an esteemed art form at the university.

"When I was in school, you could get expelled for playing jazz, " Marsalis recalled in a 2001 interview. "The dean would get a report that we were over there ruining pianos playing jazz on them."

After graduating in 1955, he became Xavier Prep high school band director, then enlisted in the Marines where he performed as part of the "Corps Four" band during his two-year stint. In 1956, Marsalis met his future wife Dolores Ferdinand at Lincoln Beach. Both were there to attend a Dinah Washington concert with friends. In 1959, they married.

In the 1960s, Marsalis was part of the house band at the Playboy Club in the French Quarter, before joining trumpeter Al Hirt's band, then Bob French's Storyville Jazz Band. During that period, he recorded with Cannonball and Nat Adderley.

Marsalis's career as a teacher began in the 1970s. He first became an adjunct professor at Xavier University, where he taught classes in African American music and jazz improvisation. He later attended graduate school at Loyola University on the GI Bill, then was hired to teach music, with an emphasis on jazz, at the New Orleans Center for the Creative Arts, the city's renowned arts magnet high school.

In addition to teaching, Marsalis remained a working musician, playing in the atrium of the Hyatt Regency hotel. Throughout his teaching career, Marsalis made his students aware of the long-term challenges of earning a living as a musician.

At the start of the 1980s, Marsalis left New Orleans temporarily for a teaching position at Virginia Commonwealth University but returned in 1989 to help establish the influential jazz studies program at UNO. His already unquestioned credibility grew with the continued successes of his superstar sons Wynton and Branford who shared Ellis Marsalis's influence with the world.

Marsalis's wife Dolores died in 2017. He is survived by his sons Branford, Wynton, Ellis III, Delfeayo, Mboya Kinyatta and Jason.

Four of the jazz patriarch's six sons are musicians: Wynton, trumpeter, is America's most prominent jazz spokesman as artistic director of jazz at New York's Lincoln Center. Branford, saxophonist, led The Tonight Show band and toured with Sting. Delfeayo, a trombonist, is a prominent recording producer and performer. And Jason, a percussionist, has made a name for himself with his own band and as an accompanist. Ellis III, who decided music wasn't his gig, is a photographer-poet in Baltimore.

"He went out the way he lived: embracing reality," Wynton tweeted, alongside pictures of his father.

"My dad was a giant of a musician and teacher, but an even greater father. He poured everything he had into making us the best of what we could be," Branford said.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.

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Ellis Marsalis, New Orleans jazz piano legend hospitalized with coronavirus symptoms, dies

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Ellis Marsalis Jr., the jazz pianist, teacher and patriarch of one of New Orleans' great musical families, has died. The 85-year-old jazz piano legend was hospitalized with pneumonia and symptoms of COVID-19, his son, Ellis Marsalis III said. He had been tested for coronavirus and results were pending.

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Mayo Clinic Doctors Go Viral For Beautiful Rendition Of "Imagine"

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Mayo Clinic Doctors Go Viral For Beautiful Rendition Of "Imagine"

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You may remember a few years ago, two doctors at Mayo Clinic went viral for singing in the hospital lobby. Elvis Francois sings and William Robinson plays the piano. They went so viral that they even got to appear on Ellen!

Well, they are going viral again. The doctors shared a beautiful rendition of John Lennon's, "Imagine." Take a look at the video below.

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Mayo Clinic Doctors Go Viral For Beautiful Rendition Of "Imagine" | K102 | Minnesota News

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You may remember a few years ago, two doctors at Mayo Clinic went viral for singing in the hospital lobby. Elvis Francois sings and William Robinson plays the piano. They went so viral that they even got to appear on Ellen ! Well, they are going viral again.

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Bucky Pizzarelli, Master of the Jazz Guitar, Is Dead at 94

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Bucky Pizzarelli, Master of the Jazz Guitar, Is Dead at 94

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He became a mainstay of the New York jazz scene, often performing with his celebrated son John. He died of the coronavirus.

The guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli with the bassist Jerry Bruno in 2011. He was among the few guitarists of his day to play an instrument with seven strings rather than the customary six. Credit... Susan Stava for The New York Times

This obituary is part of a series about people who have died in the coronavirus pandemic. Read about others here.
Bucky Pizzarelli, who after many years as a respected but relatively anonymous session guitarist became a mainstay of the New York jazz scene in the 1970s, died on Wednesday in Saddle River, N.J. He was 94.

The guitarist and singer John Pizzarelli, his son and frequent musical associate, said the cause was the coronavirus.

A master of the subtle art of rhythm guitar as well as a gifted soloist, Mr. Pizzarelli was sought after for recording sessions in the 1950s and '60s and can be heard on hundreds of records in various genres, although he was often uncredited. He also toured with Benny Goodman and was a longtime member of the "Tonight Show" orchestra. But he was little known to all but the most knowledgeable jazz fans until he was in his 40s.

When Johnny Carson moved "The Tonight Show" to California from New York in 1972, Mr. Pizzarelli stayed behind. He explained at the time that he did not want to uproot his four school-age children from their New Jersey home. Freed of the responsibilities of a regular job, he began performing more frequently in New York nightclubs.

Among those clubs was a Midtown Manhattan spot appropriately named the Guitar, where he had already attracted attention in a duo with his fellow guitarist George Barnes in 1970. Reviewing one of their first performances, John S. Wilson of The New York Times wrote: "This is a brilliant and unique team. Mr. Barnes and Mr. Pizzarelli can be dazzling and they can be sensuously brooding. They sparkle with excitement, leap with joy or relax with a warm romantic glow."

After Mr. Pizzarelli and Mr. Barnes parted ways in 1972, Mr. Pizzarelli began performing and recording in high-profile settings: unaccompanied, as the leader of small groups, and as a sideman with leading jazz musicians like the saxophonists Zoot Sims and Bud Freeman and the violinists Stéphane Grappelli and Joe Venuti.

In 1980 he began performing with a new duo partner: his son John, 20 years old at the time, who went on to become a jazz star in his own right. "That's where he got his baptism of fire," Mr. Pizzarelli told an interviewer in 1997. "With me giving him dirty looks when he played a wrong chord."

Mr. Pizzarelli's sons survive him, as do his wife, Ruth (Litchult) Pizzarelli; two daughters, Anne Hymes and Mary Pizzarelli; and four grandchildren.

Mr. Pizzarelli was among the few guitarists to play an instrument with seven strings rather than the customary six. (His son was another; George van Eps is believed to have been the first.) The extra string, tuned to a low A, enabled him to provide his own bass line, an important advantage when he played unaccompanied or in a duo setting.

John Paul Pizzarelli was born on Jan. 9, 1926, in Paterson, N.J., where his parents, John and Amelia (DiDomenico) Pizzarelli, owned a grocery store. Two uncles, Pete and Bobby Domenick, played guitar and banjo professionally, and his uncle Bobby taught him some musical rudiments.

His unlikely nickname was bestowed on him by his father, who as a teenager had decided to explore the Wild West he knew only from movies and spent some time as a ranch hand in Odessa, Texas. He returned to New Jersey with a lot of memories and a lingering love for the West that would lead him to nickname his young son Buckskin. Shortened to Bucky, the name stuck.

Mr. Pizzarelli began his professional career in his teens, touring with the singer Vaughn Monroe, best known for his hit "Racing With the Moon." After serving two years in the Army, he rejoined the Monroe band in 1946 and remained until it broke up in 1953.

There followed a brief tenure with the popular instrumental group the Three Suns, a year with the singer Kate Smith's television show, and a long stint as a first-call studio musician. In addition to recording with singers like Frank Sinatra and Sarah Vaughan, Mr. Pizzarelli played on commercial jingles and numerous pop records, including Ben E. King's "Stand by Me" and a string of hits by Dion and the Belmonts.

He also became a staff musician at NBC, where, starting in 1964, he was a member of the "Tonight Show" ensemble, led at the time by Skitch Henderson and later by Doc Severinsen.(He also worked for a while in the band the drummer Bobby Rosengarden led for Johnny Carson's ABC competitor Dick Cavett.)

Mr. Pizzarelli began his long association with Benny Goodman in 1966, which lasted until Mr. Goodman's death in 1986. He worked frequently in New York with small groups led by Mr. Goodman and took part in four European tours with him in the 1970s.

Mr. Pizzarelli continued to perform into his 90s, even after a stroke and pneumonia led to hospitalizations in 2015 and 2016 and left him debilitated. "I don't remember any of it," he said. "I never knew it until it was over."

Friends and family members wondered if he would ever play again. But he recovered, and by the end of 2016 he was back in action.

Reviewing a June 2017 performance at the Jazz Showcase in Chicago, Howard Reich of The Chicago Tribune praised Mr. Pizzarelli's "uncommonly sweet and delicate tone" and "disarmingly straightforward approach to melodic line." "Even at his exalted age," Mr. Reich noted, "Pizzarelli brought considerable craft to his solos, dispatching practically every note with heightened care."

The guitarist Ed Laub, who studied with Mr. Pizzarelli in the 1960s and went on to perform with him, summarized Mr. Pizzarelli's philosophy in an interview with Inside Jersey magazine in 2016: "It's about making beautiful music. It's not about grandstanding. And that's what his whole personality is about."

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Bucky Pizzarelli, Master of the Jazz Guitar, Is Dead at 94

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He became a mainstay of the New York jazz scene, often performing with his celebrated son John. He died of the coronavirus. This obituary is part of a series about people who have died in the coronavirus pandemic. Read about others here .