Service Organizations Join Forces for Conversation on Science, Data, and the Future of Singing

April 29, 2020

Chorus America has joined with the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS), along with American Choral Directors Association (ACDA), Barbershop Harmony Society (BHS), and Performing Arts Medical Association (PAMA) to present an important webinar about the near term future of singing as we seek fact based solutions in protecting our singers, teachers and conductors during this time.

The live webinar hosted by NATS will take place on Tuesday May 5th at 5 PM Eastern time. It will be moderated by Marty Monson, CEO of the Barbershop Harmony Society, Tim Sharp, executive director of ACDA, Catherine Dehoney, president and CEO of Chorus America, and Allen Henderson, executive director of NATS.

April 30 UPDATE: Due to overwhelming demand, the webinar has reached capacity. This event will be recorded and a recording will be posted on the NATS website and shared on multiple channels within two hours of the actual event.
Featured guests include:

Dr. Donald Milton, a leading researcher whose work focuses on the interrelated areas of infectious bioaerosols, exhaled breath analysis, and development and application of innovative methods for respiratory epidemiology. Dr. Milton is Professor of Environmental Health, University of Maryland School of Public Health, with a secondary appointment in the School of Medicine. He is also a lead researcher in C.A.T.C.H. The Virus Study.

Otolaryngologist Dr. Lucinda Halstead, is founder and medical director of the Evelyn Trammell Institute for Voice and Swallowing at the Medical University of South Carolina. She is also President Elect of the Performing Arts Medical Association (PAMA).

Addressing The Big Questions

“There is no doubt that we are now entering a time where various pressures will be placed on leaders and teachers to advise and advocate in formulating organizational plans to resume operation. Independent voice professionals will also need to decide how they will move forward in offering their services to clients,” says organizer Allen Henderson, executive director of NATS. “We hope that this webinar will provide answers directly from the expert medical professionals themselves to our audience, and will become an important resource that can be shared with decision makers.”

Join us for a conversation with medical experts who will provide context as we plan for the next phase of life in the age of COVID-19. These questions and more will be posed to our guests as you seek to formulate detailed plans based on when and how to move toward a “new normal”:

  • What does medical science tell us about singing and how the virus is spread, and how that might relate to decisions we make?
  • Is there such a thing as a “safe” choir rehearsal and how might we best protect our chorus members and private voice students?
  • What does data tell us about our audiences and when they might return to hear us perform in a live setting?
  • What can we do now to prepare our singers for an uncertain future?
  • What questions do we need to ask ourselves in formulating a plan for the future?

Register for the webinar here.