Feb 25th 2020 saw the first case of Covid in Switzerland : on Feb 27th, the first case was reported in Zürich.
As the scale of what was unfolding became apparent, those of us working at Opernhaus Zürich ( especially older and risk group colleagues ) began to panic : the priority at first seemed to be to continue "business as usual" and hope that the horror would recede.
The Opernhaus was forced to shut down on March 18 2020 : by that time, we had had several cases in different departments of the theatre as well as with visiting soloists. The shut down began with reduced numbers of audience members attending shows and in house safety regulations for performances and rehearsals, but eventually became a complete shutdown that lasted for most of the rest of the season as well as the 2020/2021 season ( which is limping to an end as I write this with 4 performances of Lucia played to an audience of 100 spectators in the theatre and to be streamed online in the future ).
The current modus operandi for the house is that the chorus, orchestra, and conductor are based in another venue for performances, connected by fibre optics to the theatre where the soloists are located on stage performing before a limited audience ( or only for broadcast / streaming at a later date ) : we have done quite a few performances under these conditions.
I miss the theatrical aspect of our chorus job, and we have been working at around 80% ( or less ) with a commensurate reduction in pay ( but thankfully our salaries are partially covered by the unemployment system here and if pay is reduced, it did not cease ). ...
I am hoping for a more "normal" season when we come back in the fall for the 2021/2022 season, but covid will determine how things evolve.
This will be my penultimate season : I expected to be retired April 2021 on my 63rd birthday, but the retirement age was extended to 65 last December. I am hoping to add a bit of solo and extracurricular chorus projects to my daily opera chorus fare, but we will see how things evolve.
In addition to the covid crisis, I had my own medical issues that were very challenging for most of 2020 and 2021 : I am recovering well, but ... I can feel the consequences of these interventions ( and the whispers of advanced age ) ... so, although I hope to continue more singing / performing as I make the transition to retirement, we will have to see what will materialise. Might be time for a "Plan B", and it is time to start making arrangements now.
All in all, I am thankful for the medical support I have received and the miracle of the covid vaccination, thankful for my wonderful employer and my chosen homeland ( I am Swiss now as well as American ), and happy for the life I have built with my partner here in Switzerland.
Although I expect to be in Italy more and more in my retirement, I doubt I will completely sever ties with Switzerland, as my friends, medical services, and language facility are more Swiss oriented ( have to improve my Italian IMMEDIATELY ) ...
Best wishes to you and stay well. Hope to see you here or back in the USA soon ...
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