Dear fellow-singers,

At the time of writing, choir rehearsals are permitted in the "Medium" and "High" alert level areas, provided that social distancing is observed and that there is no “mingling” between people who are not from the same household/support bubble. We realise that this could all change within days, but we are preparing to go ahead, with next Monday (26 October) the date of our planned first rehearsal of the season. If the alert level changes, we will follow the appropriate guidance.

Because of the precautions we have to take, we need to know exactly who is proposing to attend our in-person rehearsals when they resume. We will then allocate respondents to one of three or four bubbles (depending on total numbers), each bubble consisting of 20-30 singers and meeting one week in three (or four) for a rehearsal of approximately 1 hr and 20 minutes of singing; no interval; no mingling; just singing! Rehearsals will be streamed to the members at home – it will be a fairly basic setup, focused on David, so not quite the same as being at a rehearsal yourself but – we hope – the next-best thing.  

Therefore, if you are intending to attend in-person rehearsals this term, we ask that you first read and note the measures proposed in the risk assessment that we have prepared (see below). And then – if you are happy to proceed on the basis of the mitigations outlined – please complete the form to register to attend rehearsals. If you would like to be considered for the bubble rehearsing on 26 October, please submit the form by no later than 6.00pm this Friday (23 October), to give us time to allocate singers to the group and inform them. If you are happy to wait until the following Monday (or so) for a rehearsal “slot”, the deadline for completion of the form is midnight on Tuesday 27 October. 
Form

Programme
As David announced at the AGM, these rehearsals will focus on excerpts from the Mozart Requiem (the form mentioned above includes an opportunity to ask to hire a score) and Byrd's Hodie Christus natus est (a printable score will be sent to members). If you would like to follw along with the Mozaart from home and you need a score, please contact Katharine, our Librarian.

Risk assessment – please read!
With guidance from Making Music (the membership body for non-professional choirs and orchestras in the UK) and following discussions with Turner Sims, we've drawn up a risk assessment that reflects Turner Sims’ own. Sue and I met with their Head of Operations today to walk through some of the arrangements, and we have tweaked our risk assessment, accordingly. We have also undertaken to share a document (drawn up in conjunction with Turner Sims) that distils into a single page the key safety measures, and we ask you to read this, too.

The purpose of the risk assessment is to keep us, the staff at Turner Sims, and our contacts safe, and to avoid the spreading of Covid-19. So please read and note the contents of the assessment and the second document, and email me with any comments. It is particularly important that those members who are considering attending the in-person rehearsals are satisfied that the measures proposed adequately address any concerns that they have. But, even if you are unable to contemplate a return to in-person rehearsal for now, we would still like your views on the mitigations we've proposed; if there's something we haven't thought of, or something you think we could do better, we want to know.

Ventilation
One question that has already come my way relates to ventilation. The doors to the auditorium will be left open, as usual, for the rehearsal, but it is reassuring to note that the ventilation system is judged to be sufficiently safe and effective, such that a maximum capacity of 90 people (audience) applies, even when the auditorium doors are closed.

Singer’s masks
Because aerosols can quite easily escape beneath a visor, and we will be in tiered seating, masks are de rigueur for rehearsal. David’s talk last night (which was mostly about Shostakovich) began with a short piece about singing in a special mask, designed for singing, and a little demo. David mentioned that his mask was made according to a pattern shared by ‘Soprano Joan’. In case you are interested in making your own, here are the instructions and pattern. (Note that several people have added some helpful comments below the video.)
I am not a great seamstress, so I decided a few weeks ago to order one and give it a try. Mine was from an Ebay seller, and cost £10.00 including postage. It’s very capacious (!) and really comfortable, and I would recommend getting or making your own, but any mask will suffice.

Best wishes,
Deborah