Singing Through COVID: Two Choral Directors On Challenges They Met, And The Live Programs To Come

Tom's next guests today are two of his former colleagues in the world of choral music, an art form that has been particularly hard-hit by the pandemic. Early on in the Coronavirus crisis, it became clear to researchers that singing was one of the most dangerous activities one could engage in. Transmission of the virus among singers in choruses and in congregate settings in general were shown to be extremely high. How did choral organizations adjust during this last year, and what does the immediate future hold for them? Dr. Eric Conway is the Chair of the Fine and Performing Arts Department at Morgan State University, and the conductor of the famed Morgan Choir. He has led the choir in concerts all over the world and performed at events with the Pope, President Barack Obama, and many other notable figures. Eric Conway joins us on Zoom… Anthony Blake Clark is the Music Director of the Baltimore Choral Arts Society, an organization Tom Hall led for many years before Blake took over in 2017. Choral Arts will be giving its first live performance since the pandemic began, this Sunday evening (details below). Blake Clark joins us on Zoom as well… Follow the links to check out the Morgan Choir's most recent concerts, and for more information on events at the Murphy Fine Arts Center, as that schedule gets back to something like normal in the fall. Anthony Blake Clark will lead the Baltimore Choral Arts Society in an in-person concert this Sunday evening at the Catholic Community of St. Francis Xavier in Hunt Valley. The seating for that event is limited, and the concert is sold out. Click here for more information about other Choral Arts Society events.Email us at [email protected], tweet us: @MiddayWYPR, or call us at 410-662-8780.