Dear Friends of the Choir,

Thank you for visiting our coronavirus update page. This page will be updated frequently, and also contains past updates that were on our homepage. Specific information for your individual choir will come directly from your director, choir manager, or the office. 

Several of you have asked about how you can help the Choir weather this storm and where to make a donation. If it fits in your budget and you can find it in your heart, please use this link to make a gift. Just $5 will make such a difference to CCC. Like so many of our friends in the arts community, we are projecting significant losses. This impacts our ability to pay staff, keep tuition low, and even how much financial aid we are able to offer.

From all of us at CCC, we are thinking of you and wishing health and peace in these challenging times.

Kerry Haberkern
Managing Director

8/11/2021
The staff and board of directors closely monitor all COVID-19 related matters. With new concerns about the delta variant, the board has approved a new COVID-19 policy for the start of the season and the fall semester. The following amendment was approved on August 6th, 2021:

2021 Fall Semester Covid-19 Mitigation

With the emergence of the Delta variant, Columbus Children’s Choir (CCC) is taking recommended precautions to allow for in-person rehearsals.

CCC will adhere to state and local mandates, while using evidence-based guidelines drawn from industry specific university research to create a fall semester mitigation policy. This policy will be made public on the Covid-19 webpage and changes will be communicated to singers, staff, and families via email.

• • • Rehearsals will operate with doors and/or windows open when possible.
    • Medical grade HEPA filters will be used during rehearsals, and when possible during performances. 
    • Temperature checks will be done as singers and staff enter the space. A temperature of 100.4 is considered cause for concern and the singer or staff member will be sent home. A negative Covid-19 test, note from a doctor, or 24 hours fever free without OTC drugs is required to return.
    • Singers will be assigned a specific chair/space.
    • After approximately 60 minutes, rehearsal rooms will be cleared, disinfected, and remain empty for 15 minutes.
    • Masks will be worn over the nose and mouth by the singers and directors at all times.
    • Due to safety measures, parents are no longer permitted to wait in the hallway during rehearsal time.
    • Wipes will be available for singers to use on the bathroom door handle. Wipes should only be disposed in the restroom waste basket.
    • There will be a mandatory removal/disposal of any items left in the rehearsal space after each class (no lost and found). Please be sure your singer knows that they will not be able to retrieve belongings left behind. 

Changes to this will be made by the executive staff in consultation with the executive committee and will be based upon CDC, state, and local guidelines, as well as current research and best practices in choral education as it pertains to the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, staff and singer illness may impact decisions.

Per the Ohio Public Health Advisory System, there are 4 alert levels that help identify the severity of the Covid-19 outbreak within each county. CCC will use this system to inform decisions, while taking necessary precautions to keep families, singers, and staff as safe as possible. 

4/15/2021
Franklin County was elevated to level purple today (4/15/21). The staff and board of directors closely monitor all COVID-19 related matters, and while we hope it wasn’t coming, we anticipated the change. The following amendment was approved on April 12th, 2021:

Amended 4/12/2021
Franklin County has been placed on the watch list for a Level 4 (purple) COVID-19 Alert. CCC has held in-person rehearsals throughout the 2020-2021 season using aggressive mitigation practices and has had no cases of transmission within the organization. All Directors are fully vaccinated and continue to wear PPP. With this in mind, CCC may continue to offer in-person rehearsals in the event that Franklin County reaches Level 4 (purple). If CCC continues to offer in-person rehearsals, families will be given the option to participate virtually or in-person.

At this moment, there will be no change to your singer’s upcoming rehearsals or recordings. You will be notified of any changes by CCC staff and your choir manager. Thank you for your continued trust. It is our privilege to make music with your singer.

Sincerely,
Kerry Haberkern

5/6/2020
We are sad to announce that Summer Singers Choral Camp has been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and state mandates regarding mass gatherings, health and safety. We wanted to meet your singer and spend the week making music together. If the guidelines change and we are able to reschedule later in the summer, you will be the first to know. In the meantime, we would like to provide you the same discounts you would have enjoyed as a Summer Singer participant.

4/3/2020 Who knew when this all began that it would take on such a life of its own? Perhaps it goes without saying, but CCC’s rehearsals will not resume tomorrow (April 4th). The Governor’s orders require us to suspend our in-person activities indefinitely, including our Spring Concert. However, the learning and community offered through Zoom meetups will continue for the remainder of this year. Although the timeline for COVID-19 continues to change, we hope that we may be able to come together once the orders are lifted. Your choir director and managers will continue to send choir specific updates. If you are unsure who is your best resource for a question, please email info@columbuschildrenschoir.org and you will be directed to the appropriate person to handle your inquiry. Stay home, stay safe, and keep singing.

3/23/2020 I am so proud of our staff, singers, and families. Our choirs are continuing to work using Zoom, while we are observing the Governor’s directives. They are also providing each other a sense of comfort and normalcy. A new challenge to our operations is that the church where we are housed is no longer keeping regular hours, so we will have limited access to our mail until we make new arrangements. For the time being, please alert Tammy to any snail mail we should be expecting.

Sincerely,
Kerry Haberkern