The crazy year 2020 is slowly coming to an end, and it is clear that there will be no more performances for the German Rhine Philharmonic Orchestra until the end of the year. Here is an update on the projects and our hopes for the future.
At the moment, orchestral rehearsals would only be possible under the most difficult conditions. It would be unthinkable to work with choirs where the distance between the individual singers is even more important.
What could have been…
The concert in the anniversary year Engels2020 should have taken place in Wuppertal, as a large production with several choirs and the German Rhine Philharmonic Orchestra. Unfortunately, such a project is simply not feasible at the moment. Small consolation: we will make up for it! As soon as a new concert date is fixed, we will be happy to announce it!
Actually, the orchestra would have been on a concert tour through the countries of the Western Balkans last week. But as the Covid-19 pandemic progressed rapidly in spring, it soon became clear that a project of this magnitude would not be feasible. However, we hope that this will be possible again in the future.
…and what is yet to come
More concrete plans are currently being made for the new date of the International Choir and Orchestra Festival in Kassel. If the conditions allow, the orchestra will present contemporary music by local composers in September 2021. A concert in Düsseldorf is also being planned for this event. We see this as a ray of hope and are doing everything we can to realize the project! Hopefully, there will be an update on this as soon as possible.
Concern for the cultural industry
We all miss performing together, playing together, the social activities of the ensemble, the experiences, the music! However, as a project orchestra with few fixed costs, we are in a fortunate position compared to many other orchestras: we can ride out this year and trust that we can start again in the future. During this time, our thoughts are with the many independent musicians, concert halls, promoters and ensembles who are suffering enormously from the restrictions imposed on cultural activities as a result of Covid-19. We wish each and every one of them to emerge through these difficult times as unscathed as possible and not to lose heart!