Recording such a rich piece as The Light of Hope Returning during Covid-19 brought many logistical challenges. But, our two choirs were thrilled to work together. All choral rehearsals were shared and handled via Zoom. With two rehearsals per week, half were hosted by Elektra Women’s Chorus in Vancouver, BC, and the other half by WomenSing in Orinda, CA. The singers were able to attend all rehearsals, or at least one per week. The ability to see each other created a nice sense of collaboration, with occasional opportunities to visit during the rehearsals. With six weeks (36 hours) of rehearsals accomplished, it was time to record.

The first layer to the piece was recorded at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music by our brilliant instrumentalists from the San Francisco Opera Orchestra. To this foundational layer we  temporarily superimposed  spoken cues to provide consistency for 70 singers to indicate fermatas and other rhythmically subtle moments. The singers then sang to these guide tracks at their recordings, both done professionally in their respective cities. Planning for small, pre-set groups of singers and following rules of Covid-19 screening and distancing were important elements to maintaining safe recording surroundings. The choral recordings were done over a one-week period, in shifts of small groups with each singer being recorded separately. The final layer was the addition of vocal soloist Allison Girvan who recorded separately in Nelson, B.C.

There are many stages involved in bringing each individual voice together into one stunning recording. Needless to say, many hours of planning and coordinating the many musical elements were necessary. We are excited to present a wonderful Women’s choral performance that shows what can be done when we work together… even during a world-wide pandemic.