Quad City Symphony Switches to All Digital Concerts Remainder of 2020

Orchestra executive director Brian Baxter said their coronavirus task force has been closely monitoring the local Covid epidemic and reviewing guidance from government authorities at the federal, state, and local levels.

Brian Baxter is executive director of the Quad City Symphony Orchestra.

“We’ve been consulting with the Scott County Health Department since this whole thing began, to try to make sure we’re following best practices, doing the right thing – both for our own musicians and staff, as well as our patrons, to try and make things as safe as possible,” he said Tuesday.

“November, December here is no different, we’re still consulting with them. And the nature of the local epidemic and alarming increasing hospitalization rate is what led to this decision,” Baxter said. “So it was a recommendation by the Scott County Health Department, and we feel that it’s important for us to be partners with them, and to listen and follow those recommendations.

“Because when you look at the local epidemic, it’s the worst it’s been,” he said. “We had a peak back in July, and it leveled off in August and September, which is what made things safe enough for us to have both Riverfront Pops and Masterworks I. We were at a level where we still felt comfortable having live audiences. It’s just been skyrocketing over the last several weeks, with no sort of turn in sight. So that’s what led to the decision.”

At least 22 new coronavirus deaths and 1,600 new cases were reported in Iowa on Nov. 2. Over the past week, there has been an average of 2,214 cases per day, an increase of 102 percent from the average two weeks earlier.

As of Tuesday, there were 5,434 positive cases in Scott County and 48 Covid-related deaths. Because the positivity rate in Rock Island County has been 8 percent or more for at least three consecutive days, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker has ordered that all bars and restaurants be

QCSO concertmaster Naha Greenholtz will perform the Beethoven Violin Concerto this Saturday night.

closed for indoor service starting Wednesday, for at least two weeks, among other new mitigation measures.

The affected QCSO concerts, which will be presented all online, include:

· Masterworks II: Beethoven Violin Concerto | November 7 & 8

· Masterworks III: Beethoven Symphony No. 3 | December 5 & 6

· WVIK/QCSO Signature Series II: Holiday Brass | December 12 & 13

For Masterworks, the reduced-size orchestra will perform Saturday night from the Adler Theatre (with no audience) and the recorded concert will premiere at 2 p.m. Sunday, with digital access available for 30 days.

The Holiday Brass will be livestreamed from Central DeWitt Performing Arts Center on Saturday, Dec. 12, then be available for digital access starting Sunday, Dec. 13 for 30 days. That ensemble has about 15 players, Baxter said.

The in-person attendance for the QCSO October Masterworks concerts was 250 Saturday night and 150 Sunday afternoon. The orchestra sold more than 200 digital access tickets, with each serving a household (normally two tickets in the hall).

The Sept. 12 Quad City Bank & Trust Riverfront Pops, at LeClaire Park, had 27 orchestra musicians (playing in mask under the baton of

This fall has celebrated the 250th anniversary of the birth of Beethoven.

assistant conductor Ernesto Estigarribia), backing the guest Fleetwood Mac tribute band, separated by a Plexiglas barrier. The concert attracted 2,000 in the audience, Baxter said, and each party had its own assigned plot – varying in size for two, six or 10 people.

A 40-person orchestra will perform at the Adler this Saturday night, but instead of two performances, they’ll record that and premiere it online at 2 p.m. Sunday, and access will be available for 30 days.

The QCSO has had a coronavirus task force – including board members, performers, Baxter and conductor Mark Russell Smith – since May, meeting almost weekly.

“It’s really the only reason we were able to do a Pops and do Masterworks I,” Baxter said.

“We’ve had a lot of involvement from across the board, to help make these precautions as safe as possible, while still delivering the artistic product that we need to,” he said.

“We’ve had primarily positive feedback about everything. People feel safe,” Baxter said. “Our survey of the audience from the first two concerts, nobody felt unsafe, which was great. We’ve had positive feedback from our musicians.”

“It’s been a very collaborative process. It’s really frustrating to have to go with no live audience for the next two months, but our community is not controlling the virus,” he said. “It’s rampant and out of control right now – to an extent that’s worse than we’ve seen to date. We feel a responsibility as cultural leaders in town to make the right decision.

“We’re still delivering on our product and planning to be back in the hall by the time we get to Masterworks IV, which is the first weekend in

Mark Russell Smith conducting the Quad City Symphony last month at the Adler Theatre.

February,” Baxter said. “It’s going to take a lot collectively for us to get there. There’s a lot we can’t directly control, to get back to that.”

The QCSO will allow in-person ticket holders the opportunity to switch to digital access for affected concerts; exchange tickets for a Spring 2021 performance (single ticket purchasers & Pick-3/Trio subscribers only); donate the value of your tickets to the symphony, or request a refund.

This weekend’s program begins with Bela Bartók’s light and joyful Divertimento for Strings, and the orchestra’s celebration of Ludwig van Beethoven’s 250th birthday continues with his exhilarating and lyrical Violin Concerto performed by QCSO concertmaster Naha Greenholtz.

A scene from QCSO’s September Riverfront Pops concert in LeClaire Park.

To inform the QCSO of your selection, ticket holders are asked to complete the online Masterworks II & III Ticket Holder Form and/or the Holiday Brass Ticket Holder Form. Ticket holders should complete the form at least 24 hours before the scheduled concert, or they will automatically be switched to Digital Access (which costs $40 per household) and any difference in price will be converted into a tax-deductible donation.

The orchestra’s movie concerts planned for November and January also have been postponed. “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” is rescheduled for June 26, 2021, and “Toy Story” will be June 6, 2021 at the Adler. The full movies are shown, with the music performed live by the QCSO.