“I’m going to cry,” says an emotional Allison Beavan, director of the Outer Cape Chorale. “I’ve wanted to hear you for over two years.” The group’s Chamber Singers, standing arm-spans apart, have just finished singing “A Very Merry Madrigal,” which will open their upcoming concert, “Merrily Mozart.”
The concert, at Provincetown Town Hall, will be the group’s first live performance since the start of the pandemic. “It’s really important that the community knows we’re still around,” says Pat McDonald, who, along with her husband, Tim Welles, has been part of the group since 2017. “We really want to perform and see people.”
The Outer Cape Chorale has 130 members. Of those, 20 are in the a cappella Chamber Singers. Everyone is “family,” says Tanya Delorme, who has been part of both for 17 years.
The upcoming concert will exclusively feature the Chamber Singers due to Covid precautions limiting the number of performers and requiring three feet of social distancing. Audience members must be masked and vaccinated.
When the pandemic hit, “we were devastated, because the chorale is such a part of our lives,” says Delorme. The ensemble moved its rehearsals to Zoom, though “they were not ideal because we could not hear each other,” says McDonald. Because of internet latency, rehearsals were conducted with muted microphones, as Beavan played the piano to sing along to.
“I really looked forward to those weekly Zoom meetings,” says Delorme. “It was not great for singing, but it was so nice just to see people’s faces and know they were okay.”
The upcoming concert is in two parts: Mozart’s Coronation Mass, as well as a mix of Christmas and Hanukkah songs.
“Mozart’s Coronation is so beautiful,” says Welles. “I think that will be the greatest attraction.” Singing in front of an audience after such a long break is intimidating, says Delorme, but “it’s also very invigorating.”
At the rehearsal, Beavan reminds the group to look up and smile. “It’s been a while,” she says. “They’ll want to see your faces.”
Mozart Effect
The event: The Outer Cape Chorale Chamber Singers present “Merrily Mozart”
The time: Friday, Dec. 10 at 7 p.m. and Saturday, Dec. 11 at 5 p.m.
The place: Provincetown Town Hall, 260 Commercial St.
The cost: Free
