Note from the Board President:
As you know from an earlier newsletter, we will be continuing our mask requirement for the 2023 concert season (although we will revert to full capacity in the Concert Hall, and will no longer require proof of COVID-19 vaccination).
Why the masks, when most other performance venues have dropped the requirement?
As much as we love our audiences, this is not a decree from on high meant to protect you whether you want it or not: rather, it’s to protect our students and faculty.
Our students live in small double rooms in our dorms, and they work long hours every day with our faculty in intimate practice cabins — so even one case of COVID-19 can result in a mini-epidemic on campus. The teaching and learning that take place on campus are our primary mission, and if a student or faculty member has to go into isolation due to COVID-19, the entire (and intense) seven-week program suffers. Last summer, we came perilously close to losing the Young Artist program due to COVID-19, and actually had to close the Adult Chamber Music Institute early due to a fast-moving COVID-19 outbreak.
So, please bear with us and understand why the masks will stay in place for another season.
Thank you!
Jeff Kehl
President, Board of Trustees