“The National Concert Hall in Taipei shut down indefinitely today after visiting Australian composer Brett Dean was diagnosed with coronavirus on his return to Brisbane,” writes Rudolph Tang in Thursday’s (3/5) Musical America (subscription required). “He is being treated in a hospital in Adelaide. Some of the orchestra members, including conductor Shao-chia Lu, are quarantined…. Korean conductor Myung-whun Chung is undergoing a self-imposed quarantine after returning to Paris from Tokyo with his wife on February 26.… Performance cancellations remain in place through the end of March in the major venues of Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou…. The China Association of Performing Arts reports that, due to the cancellation of nearly 8,000 performances across China in 20 provinces in March, box-office-receipt losses will be at least $143 million.… [In Japan] thus far, 130 concerts have been cancelled or postponed, according to Maki Nagura of the Association of Japanese Symphony Orchestras, but all the concert halls remain open…. The Tokyo Symphony Orchestra will live stream for free its Muza Kawasaki Hall concerts on March 8 and 14, without an audience…. The Spring Festival in Tokyo will stream three of its chamber music concerts for free March 14-15 with no audience.”
The League of American Orchestras is tracking news and posting information about COVID-19 preparedness as a service to the orchestra field. Find resources, guidance, and updates on the League’s coronavirus preparedness site.
