Apart from face masks, few things sum up “performing music during a pandemic” more than plexiglass barriers between musicians. The structures are being deployed by orchestras everywhere, and they are necessary for wind and brass musicians to perform, helping to prevent the air flow from their instruments from potentially spreading the virus to other musicians. For their Independence Day livestream, Philly Pops musicians played separated by plexiglass screens at The Met Philadelphia, a large space with room for socially distanced musicians. Music Director David Charles Abell led the concert, as the orchestra experiments with new musician configurations during the pandemic.
Caption: Philly Pops wind and brass musicians, separated by plexiglass barriers, perform at the Met Philadelphia concert venue, July 3.
