On the 10th of March in 2020, I announced to the choir that we would need to go on hiatus “for a few weeks,” until “things got better.” I fully expected to be back by the end of summer. As it turned out, we spent our 3rd and 4th anniversaries in Lockdown, and the silence continues. However, if thing go well, we will return to meeting face-to-face (but at a safe distance) on the 6th of July 2021, 70 weeks after our last face-to-face meeting.

My hope is, by that time, the Government might see some sense, and finally admit that allowing professional choirs to sing indoors, but not amateur choirs, is a little, well, bonkers. Apparently—according to Government thinking—professional singers are immune to viruses. That being the case, I have the perfect solution that will ensure our ability to sing inside.

I am going to make our choir a “Professional Choir.”

What defines a professional is one thing and one thing only: money. If you do it for free, you are an amateur. If you get paid, you are a professional. Therefore, from here on, I am going to pay the members of the choir £5 for every session they attend. That means, of course, that I will need to raise the cost of the sessions to £10. So, if every member of the choir continues to contribute £5 per session, it will be the same as if they had been paid £5, and paid out £10.

I’m sure no one will mind. And if I get a good lawyer to argue my case in court, I might even avoid jail time.

Addendum: As you will have heard by now, the Government has decided to keep the current restrictions in place for the next few weeks. We will, however, return to “normal” choir as scheduled. We’ll just have to hope for good weather.