The strings sectional of the Ohio State Symphony Orchestra records a concert Oct. 7, 2020. Credit: Mary Kidwell | For The Lantern
The sound of string instruments echoed throughout an empty auditorium in Hughes Hall. Violin, viola, cello and bass players were together again.
Despite COVID-19, the Ohio State Symphony Orchestra continues to play so students can proceed with their education in a safe manner, Miriam Burns, a visiting professor and director of orchestral studies at Ohio State, said.
Burns has been conducting the Symphony Orchestra for two years. When the pandemic began in March, Burns said she had to decide the future of the orchestra.
“It all fell on me,” Burns said. “It did help that I was working with the strings, but then I was determined to involve the winds and brass somewhat, as best that I could, to give them as much of a well-rounded education that they originally signed up for.”
To abide by social distancing guidelines, Burns said she split up her orchestra.
Burns said the conducting faculty decided she would work with the string instruments, while the wind and brass players would work with the band conductors.
Because wind instruments require breath to produce sound, and thus don’t allow for the wearing of masks, the musicians have to abide by stricter distancing guidelines, Katherine Jones, a flute professor and area head for brass, wind and percussion instruments, said. Jones has adjusted how she teaches her students by utilizing Zoom, along with outdoor tents.
Jones said teaching outside has its problems such as the noise from the East Regional Chilled Water Plant, planes passing overhead, groundskeepers and construction on campus.
“It’s a different experience both ways, but learning happens both ways,” Jones said.
Although other musical groups such as the choir may face challenges, Mark Rubinstein, an audio engineer in the School of Music, said it is harder for an entire orchestra to play over platforms such as Zoom because it deprives the performers of visual cues such as bowing and breathing together while playing.
“You take all of that stuff away and someone has to record their part by themself, it’s a lot of decisions they have to make autonomously. That can’t really be codified,” Rubinstein said. “It’s possible to create written instructions for those, but it’s part of the language that we have for music.”
Rubinstein said another thing students miss by not playing together is the blending of sound from all of the instruments.
“Generally, if you just sit back and listen to it, what you’re hearing is a combination of all those sounds and how they interact with the space in which they occur,” Rubinstein said.
For the time being, the Symphony Orchestra is recording concerts to post on their website at a later date, Burns said. The hope is that despite not having an audience, people can still see the progress of the orchestra and the students can share their work.
“There’s a misconception that musicians live for applause,” Burns said. “That is not true. Musicians live for the opportunity to communicate a story to an audience.”
