The BC Choral Federation is proud to have offered a Virtual Town Hall series designed to explore the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on BC’s choral community in various ways. Your questions and curiosities were our guide in assembling these sessions to address everything from financial survival to solutions for the ‘new normal’.

This Virtual Town Hall series was open to BCCF members and non-members alike, and as a community we unpacked the challenges of COVID-19 in real time. For questions or comments, our townhall@bcchoralfed.com email address remains active.

Past conversations from all four sessions are now archived on our YouTube page, and below.

From here, we will transition into a series of round-table discussions for BCCF members only. (Annual membership is $40 for individuals and can be purchased conveniently online.) These roundtable sessions will be scheduled for Thursday evenings in late July and early August, covering various types of choirs. More info can be found here.

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Past Sessions

Session #1: Safe Singing
Thursday, May 21 – 7:30 to 8:30 pm

BC Choral Federation (BCCF) Executive Director Willi Zwozdesky (Vancouver Men’s Chorus) and Morna Edmundson (Elektra Women’s Choir/Enchor) are joined in conversation by Dr. Michael Schwandt (Medical Health Officer – Vancouver Coastal Health, and formerly with BC Centre for Disease Control).

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Session #2: We’ll Sing Again – Don’t Know Where, Don’t Know When
Tuesday, June 2 – 7:30 to 8:30 pm
Rick Bergh (bereavement counsellor) and Erica Phare-Bergh (conductor/composer) join BCCF Executive Director Willi Zwozdesky and conductor/clinician Sandra Meister to look at ways to rebuild a grieving choral community.

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Session #3: “Same Storm, Different Boats” – Choirs Navigating Business & Finance
Thursday, June 18 – 7:30 to 8:30 pm

Panelists Ed Schneider (BBA, Willan Council), Linda Dier (Nanaimo Sings!), Nina Horvath (Vancouver Bach Choir), and Willi Zwozdesky (BC Choral Federation) lead a finance-focused discussion on management, budgeting and operations challenges in the age of COVID-19.

To assist attendees of this Town Hall session in their own response to COVID-19, the BCCF is pleased to provide a folder of resources including:

A handout compiled by tonight’s presenters – a list of things to do and think about as the planning proceeds: 
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rvwfx3w-kw8I4_UD2UPki-B_HTq8_rU_/view?usp=sharing

A list of links cited by tonight’s presenters – web pages and documents on a variety of topics:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1OY3JyUUJQ5mH2aougdyAUXKX57et6bMg/view?usp=sharing

Tori Cook/Chorus Connection’s Guide to 2020/21 Season Planning: 
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1PApBKFPIIyhb0CX9YadGVQ0KDxd0IDIY/view?usp=sharing

American Choral Directors Association COVID-19 Response Committee Report: 
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NNOtGKWYhYIKwRKA5zD-5p9s3v4lXco1/view?usp=sharing

A COVID-19 Broker Update from Wawanesa Insurance: 
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1PApBKFPIIyhb0CX9YadGVQ0KDxd0IDIY/view?usp=sharing

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Session #4: “Vamp ‘til Ready” – Virtual rehearsals until we have a vaccine
Thursday, July 9 – 7:30-8:30 PM

Fiona Blackburn (BC Girls Choir), Nina Horvath (Vancouver Bach Choirs), Gordon Miller (SingYourJoy Young Adult Chorus) and Liana Savard (Vancouver Orpheus Male Voice Choir) take an interactive look at online rehearsals and other community-building tools for choirs.

Here is a list of tech equipment that was referenced by our presenters, as well as a guide on how to get started with Zoom.

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The BCCF wishes to acknowledge the support of the BCCF Willan Council for their guidance in facilitating this inaugural Town Hall series, in collaboration with our staff and board. And also to Dr. Adam Con and the University of Victoria for the use of their Zoom platform.