Covid-19 Changes Everything
As a chorus, we had so many great plans for 2020, but Covid-19 put paid to all of them when Spain went into lockdown on 14 March.
We had planned to go to Mechelen in Belgium to compete in an a cappella festival on 2 April. Sadly, we had to cancel our hotel and flights, but we realised that our health and that of our loved ones is far more important than a trip abroad.
Municipal buildings were closed, our rehearsals ceased and we retreated to the relative safety of our homes. Some of us prayed, some of us baked, some of us painted, some of us sewed, some of us made face masks for the health service, but we were all there for each other.
A few of us developed symptoms of Covid-19 and we’re grateful that they have pulled through. We watched the daily statistics in our own country, scouring the news from our home countries and worrying about our friends and families there. Some of us lost friends to this wicked virus.
Through all this, we remain positive and support each other as much as we can. Needless to say, singing has been our solace, and we’ve stayed focused, thanks to the our MD, Valerie, who has given her time to work on individual coaching sessions two days every week. With her selfless dedication to the chorus, her enthusiasm and her encouragement, we have worked on new songs, as well as keeping our repertoire fresh.
The management team and section leaders have also worked tirelessly in the background to support everyone and to find new and interesting music that we can all love and look forward to singing together one day.
We’ve not quite mastered Zoom yet, but we’re getting there and we have our Happy Hour every Sunday evening. It’s not ideal, but we cheer each other on with a tipple of our choice, which keeps us connected, and we find time to laugh and catch up the gossip.
Lockdown has been extended in Spain until 9 May, with a plan to gradually lift lockdown sanctions from 27 April. We all know that this situation will end some day and meanwhile we stay positive and look forward to when we can all be together, doing what we love to do, and sing!
