“There are times when natural phenomena can cause a compass to swing crazily from pole to pole, making navigation almost impossible,” writes Jim Farber in Friday’s (5/15) San Francisco Classical Voice. “That is the situation that orchestras and opera companies throughout the country find themselves in as a result of the coronavirus pandemic … The problem was succinctly defined by Deborah Borda on May 5, during the opening session of the League of American Orchestras’ annual (now online) conference. ‘How do we make decisions about a future we don’t understand?’ … As expressed by [League President and CEO] Jesse Rosen, ‘Organizations are being forced to plan and be ready to implement multiple scenarios.… It’s requiring orchestras to face very difficult decisions and have the courage to engage with patrons and subscribers directly and honestly. Transparency is going to be critically important.’… According to … Rosen, over 2,020 people registered [as of May 5] to take part in the League’s online event. ‘That is more than double what we’ve ever had at a conference before,’ he said…. Another example of the expanding realm of online interaction will be the four-week conference organized by Opera America that began on May 13 and runs through June 3.”
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