The long-time director of the Diagonal Choir points out that choirs are the group most affected by the effects of the corona pandemic in the club sector. “We had to pause for almost a year and a half. Since neither rehearsals nor performances were possible due to the aerosols that are produced when singing together indoors, there was a complete standstill, so to speak,” says the Diersbacher, who, among other things, leads several singing school groups in the state music school and was a choral instructor.
For a number of reasons, the choirs have the hardest time of all groups when it comes to youth work. “And the danger is that the pandemic will marginalize them even further,” said Redinger. As a reason for the difficult work with young talent, the Diersbacher cites the fact that singing is generally no longer so important in the region. “There are a few dedicated schools and teachers who do a great job. Whether young people are successful depends on several factors: an enthusiastic choirmaster, a good atmosphere among each other, but also the social environment. The competition between the clubs is simply very big,” like Redinger.
Cooperation between compulsory schools and the Musikschulwerk would be decisive. “Trained children’s and youth choir directors should take over the choir work in the schools,” said the choir director. Young men in particular are very difficult to persuade to join a choir. “First of all, boys are much less likely to sing in a community and when their voices break during puberty, for the majority it is no longer an option,” says Redinger.
All choirs have problems with young talent. “But since people keep getting enthusiastic about it, I’m not too worried that choral life will die out. The choral landscape in the country is extremely diverse. There are countless fantastic singers in different ensemble variations. A choir is usually a ??life community?? – once you’re there, you rarely stop,” says Redinger, who is looking forward to rehearsals and joint performances hopefully being possible again in the spring.
Source: Nachrichten
