Wow. My first blog entry in over four years!

Two things to write about today, both with the same takeaways.

First, the Harrisburg Symphony had its first meeting in many months this past weekend. A group of eighteen string players and one harpsichordist met at the Whitaker Center to rehearse and perform for streaming our first Masterworks of the pandemic period. On the one hand, it was a tremendous relief, after months of not making music as a group, to actually put a concert together. So much planning went into this venture. Our collective team, from the staff and orchestra to the stage crew and recording crew, totally hit it out of the park. The result, which will start streaming this Saturday night at 7:30 and continue through the next weekend, will be one we should be very proud of. It was an exhausting day — two rehearsals and a performance — and as always, it would have been great to have more rehearsal (we wanted to keep the option open for the players to do it all in one day, in case they preferred not to stay in a hotel). And it was somewhat stressful. When one plays a performance live, mistakes feel less consequential, as they happen and are immediately gone. When recording is added to the equation, suddenly a mistake is forever. And there were certainly some mistakes (there always are)! But all in all, I was very pleased, especially given that it was the first time ever that we attempted something like this. I think it will get easier going forward.



Second, yesterday was Yom Kippur. My son, Zev, and I were among the very few (15-20 people) who were actually in the sanctuary — masked, distanced and careful — because we were reading from the Torah. Only the participants and a couple of ushers were permitted in the building. Everyone else was live streaming from home. Here, too, I felt that my synagogue did a fantastic job, given the circumstances. The most bittersweet aspect of the holidays this year was that they were the first major holidays for our new rabbi, Ariana Capptauber. What should have been a celebration of new spiritual leadership was somewhat subdued. But nevertheless, the service was beautiful. The cantor sang splendidly and movingly, the rabbi gave an excellent and thought-provoking sermon, and all of our lay participants (our synagogue is highly participatory) performed their tasks beautifully.



So, what were the common threads?

The first is that community is a central part of so much of our lives. In both instances, it was wonderful to be with a small community, making music or celebrating a holiday. But most of the folks who would usually be participating, ie the audience (most definitely an active part of any artistic performance) or the rest of the congregation, were not allowed the benefit I was by being there. They get a valuable experience through streaming — the audience watches a terrific concert and the congregation gets a moving service — but it is simply not the same, and objectively, not as great as actually being there. Obviously, this is not an outcome that anyone wanted. We do what we must to get our "products" to our public. But something big is certainly lost.

The other big takeaway is how much I miss being able to hug my friends. This, I think, was the most difficult aspect for me. It is very hard to express genuine affection with a mask on, and at six feet's distance. There has been some talk about how hugging might be permanently lost because of this pandemic. I very much hope not.

Let's hope that this new year brings a cure and a vaccine, and that we can celebrate and appreciate as a community once again.