I’ve been busy adapting to our strange new world—and I’ve learned how to make and edit videos! Each week I record a prelude and postlude; Jean and I record a hymn; and I also provide something for the anthem, which can be a newly-recorded solo, a recording from past years, or a “virtual choir” piece. This last option, where each singer appears in a box, is very labor-intensive: first I make a video that the singers sing along to as they record themselves, then I combine all the individual videos into one big movie. This complicated process really does give listeners the feeling that we are singing together, and so we gladly do the extra work—we want to keep our community happy and healthy while we tune in from home, looking forward to the day when we can be together again safely.

Meanwhile, the choir has kept the practice of meeting on Thursday evenings, although the meetings are now on Zoom. Routine, and seeing one another, are very important during these uncertain times! Unfortunately, choir members cannot sing together over Zoom—the technology simply can’t do it—but they can sing along (muted) to recordings that I share from my computer, and this helps keep everyone connected.

Our next project will be the “Driveway choir,” singing together, live, from our cars in the parking lot using wireless microphones. The equipment and setup are complex, but after two sessions being helped by some very knowledgable people, we feel we are ready to move forward with the project. (Click here for a movie about our first rehearsal.) Together with Tom Vollaro, I am putting together a list of equipment to purchase, which will be paid for with a combination of gifts and money from restricted church funds. At a minimum, this will enable the to rehearse together again, and to make “live” recordings. After that—who knows? We are daydreaming about “drive-in church,” and maybe even a “drive-in evensong”!