Covid-19 Policies
Dear Friends,
We are delighted to welcome you to another season at Emmanuel Music. As the pandemic fluctuates and continues, we know just how vital it is to join in the shared human experience, warmth, and relative normalcy of classical music. We’re truly excited to share with you our program for this season and can’t wait for you to join us, whenever and however you are comfortable doing so. Please read on for important information regarding COVID-19 and attendance this year. This page will be regularly updated as the CDC and local guidelines, vaccination rates, and comfort levels change.
Emmanuel Music still requires masks and proof of vaccination against COVID-19 for performances independent of church services.
- All in-person patrons ages 5+ must present proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 upon admission to the performance. Important! Emmanuel Music defines fully vaccinated as having received one of the following:
- their dose of Johnson & Johnson;
- their second dose of Moderna or Pfizer; or
- a booster shot of any brand of COVID-19 vaccination.
- All in-person patrons must properly wear a mask at all times while in the space.
- All musicians must provide full proof of vaccination against COVID-19, and will regularly be tested during the rehearsal/performance week(s). Musicians will remain masked during the rehearsals.
- We have currently reduced the in-person capacity of the Emmanuel Church Sanctuary from 650 patrons to 450 patrons.
How We're Keeping Everyone Safe
At Emmanuel Music, the safety and comfort of our community is our utmost priority. Emmanuel Church and Emmanuel Music are closely following the COVID-19 guidelines, as mandated by the CDC and state officials.
Furthermore, Emmanuel Church has made major upgrades to the air filtration system in the sanctuary, to better reduce the transmission of germs while indoors. Ample hand sanitizer is placed throughout the church and, though mask wearing is not required (for Church services and events), all are encouraged and welcome to do so. The silver lining in this is that Emmanuel Music did a wonderful job at keeping our cantata presentations and other performances going within strict limitations during the 2020-2021 season. We’ve done a substantial amount of research in regards to how singers and each instrument project/transmit germs. If needed, we can fall back to our “COVID 2020” plan, which includes reducing musicians to one on a part, socially distancing our musicians, and placing certain instrumentalists behind plexiglass barriers as needed.
Musicians
For the health and safety of our musicians, all singers and instrumentalists are required to show proof of full COVID-19 vaccination before beginning rehearsals. Masks are required during rehearsals, and musicians will be socially distanced and divided as needed. The staff at Emmanuel Music are regularly working closely with a small group of our musicians to gauge comfort levels with a variety of scenarios.
Staff & Board
All Emmanuel Music staff are fully vaccinated, and have the ability to primarily work remotely. Our small staff is only occasionally in the building together at this time and, when gathered, we keep our masks on. The Board of Directors at Emmanuel Music are working closely with a small group of our musicians to adapt protocols as needed.
Audiences / parishioners for weekly cantatas
To keep the religious services at Emmanuel Church accessible to all, parishioners are not required to show proof of vaccination against COVID-19 at this time. All persons in the building are encouraged to wear masks, though mask wearing is not required for the services. There will be a safe distance maintained between our musicians and parishioners/audience members. Additionally, Emmanuel Church and Emmanuel Music are committed to live-streaming worship services and cantata presentations. The cantata presentations will continue to be live-streamed for free for as long as our funding permits. These videos will remain available on YouTube for as long as is permitted by the American Federation of Musicians.
Audience for Non-Cantata Emmanuel Music performances
For our non-cantata performances, Emmanuel Music audiences will be asked to follow the guidelines of the venue where we are performing. This may include limited occupancy/social distancing, wearing masks, and/or proof of vaccination. Specific information will be distributed to ticket-holders in advance of the performances, and will be in accordance with the venue, state, and CDC COVID regulations.
Audience Requirements
The COVID-19 requirements for attending an Emmanuel Music cantata presentation or performance in person will vary based on the recommendations at the local, state, and CDC level on the date of the performance. At the time of this writing, 8/9/22:
- The following persons are asked to remain at home and live-stream our performances:
- Anyone feeling unwell and/or experiencing any symptoms of COVID-19
- Anyone who has been in contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 in the past two weeks
In-Person vs. Digital Performances
At the time of this writing (8/9/22), Emmanuel Music hopes and plans to perform a regular season live and in-person, while also live-streaming our Bach Cantata Series and other performances. Anyone interested in attending a live performance will have the option of doing so in-person or online during our 2022-2023 season. If you purchase an in-person ticket, but later decide that you would feel more comfortable staying at home, please let us know at least 24 hours before the performance time, and we will share with you the online access information.
Questions?
We understand that this has been a long run of confusion and challenges. The staff at Emmanuel Music are here to help make you feel comfortable, safe, and musically inspired upon your return to our performances. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact our Executive Director, Jaclyn Dentino, at jaclyn@emmanuelmusic.org or 617-536-3356.