COVID-19 Update Atlanta Baroque Orchestra
COVID-19 Update from Atlanta Baroque Orchestra’s Artistic Director Julie Andrijeski.
Atlanta Baroque Orchestra
Julie Andrijeski
Artistic Director
www.atlantabaroque.org
“At the time of the lockdown in mid-March, we had only one concert left for the season — in May,” says Julie Andrijeski, artistic director of the Atlanta Baroque Orchestra (ABO). “We kept it on the books until we were sure it couldn’t happen — in mid-April.”
The ABO continued to plan on the upcoming 2020-21 series until the expanding risk posed by the coronavirus pandemic quashed any hope of regular season performances. Many ABO members including Andrijeski do not live in Atlanta, which presents a scheduling challenge even under normal circumstances. The orchestra only comes together five or six times a year and does not have an office or bespoke rehearsal space. Rehearsals and performances are usually held at the Cathedral of St. Philip in Buckhead or the Roswell Presbyterian Church.
“We are currently rearranging our season with online activities, concerts, and postings in the fall and a backup plan for our spring concerts in March and May of next year, if they can’t happen in person,” Andrijeski says, adding that the ABO is planning a prerecorded virtual concert in the fall with short video interviews of the musicians and fans.