Choir singers longing to come together again in harmony

Choirs on P.E.I. are longing for the chance to sing together and spread joy to people at a time when they need it most.

Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Heather Morrison last week asked Islanders to refrain from singing and playing brass and wind instruments in groups, because it can facilitate the spread of COVID-19 through respiratory droplets.

Margot Rejskind, who directs several choirs on P.E.I., said the singing community understands, but it doesn't make it any easier.

"A lot of us who have dedicated our lives to singing and choral work in particular, for us, you know, we've always thought of this as really a force for good in the world," she said. 

"And to suddenly discover that it might not be entirely a force for good has been quite a shock."

'Hard to describe the loss'

The Luminos Ensemble, Forte Men's Choir and Summerside Community Choir have all been silent at a time when they would normally be playing in front of live audiences, Rejskind said.

"We miss each other so much," she said. "It's really hard to describe the loss to people."

The Summerside Community Choir has about 60 members, some who have been singing together for more than 40 years. They have tried Zoom meetings, and though they are happy to see each other, it's not very satisfying from a singing perspective, Rejskind said.

"Choral singing really exemplifies teamwork and choirs are really so much more than the sum of their parts," she said.

"When we come together, you know, we all bring our ordinary mortal voices and yet we make really extraordinary sound together through teamwork and it's just suddenly gone."

Started Facebook page

Rejskind started the P.E.I. Singers Network Facebook page to connect and share information until it's safe for choirs to perform again. She is uncertain when that will be, but she hopes it's soon if all goes well with the province's plans to lift restrictions. 

"A large number of our members are members of you know vulnerable populations and unfortunately they're also the people who really need us," she said.

"We all really need to get together. But ... we don't want to get it wrong. We want to make sure that when we're doing it we know that we're being safe."

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