All I seem to do at the moment is think about the future. When will things be back to normal? I am teaching, albeit with some school restrictions in place, but I go out and work. My choirs continue online, but behind the scenes we are refining risk assessments, analysing return data from members, liaising with our venues, exploring technology requirements and planning future concerts. We await confirmation that Step 3 will go ahead and that indoor rehearsals can take place. But it comes down to one thing – how safe is singing? There is no data so we can’t tell. But out in Leeds today the mood was different. Shops open, many more people than my previous visits and a burgeoning of outdoor cafes which gave the city a real buzz. But there were hundreds of people in close proximity to each other, yes they were outdoors, but nevertheless closer than ever before and from Monday 17th we will be allowed to eat and drink inside. There is still a little nervousness around singing and understandably so, but we have seen 6000 attendees over the two days of a mini festival in Liverpool. There were no positive cases reported following 100s of mask wearing fans watching the snooker in Sheffield. Other similar events are being planned, including theatre productions announcing opening dates, so it would seem it is only a matter of time before we can sing again. We will tread cautiously, and we will be careful for the remainder of the year. But we will grow in confidence as we take small steps back to normality.

The choral world has taken a massive hit, alongside brass bands and orchestras and we all want to be back together. But there will be changes. I think we will all look after ourselves a little better. We will care more for each other and we will stop occasionally to find time to enjoy life rather than racing from one thing to the next.

I know I have tried my best for what I naively thought would only be a few weeks in lockdown, but who would have thought so many rehearsals and concerts would be cancelled and how many 100s of zoom meetings would need to be scheduled. In the meantime, let us love those closest to us, let us look forward to being able to sing again and let us hope that we can emerge from this experience stronger and more united and that we have learned from our mistakes and avoid it happening again.