The Hobart Club is being very productive. Both before the pandemic and during it, we have undertaken a comprehensive range of activities. Of course, recently, we have had to adapt our approaches. Highlights include:
 

• A Club coaching visit in March with Jonathan Bligh. Everyone benefited; Deep South Chorus, quartets, scratch quartets, and members undertaking PVIs.

• We are undertaking a Club review. Initially, this involved a full-day review meeting.  Members looked at our past and to our future. Recently, members have made submissions. Now our committee is drafting a vision and strategy for our future. Practical measures include developing a new constitution. Part of the challenge is to ensure it is adaptable to take us into a changing future.

•  One of our first planned performances for this year was for an ANZAC Day Dawn Service.  When the event was cancelled we prepared a Virtual Performance of Homeward Bound (arr. Jon Nicholas). You can view it at DeepSouth Chorus YouTube Channel. It was well received. With Jon commenting, “Way to go, guys!”

• Deep South Chorus has been meeting online weekly since the pandemic. This has been great for camaraderie and some music theory.

• Deep South is now working on its next virtual performance, a pandemic parody. Keep a look out.

• We have continued our Youth Development Program. We undertook coaching visits to three schools before school closures. Not to be deterred, we began a Virtual Youth Chorus. We have almost 40 students registered. They have online access to music, learning tracks, and conducting videos. They can also upload their performance at the site emceemc.com.

• Club member Daniel Karkoszka developed the site. We gained a Hobart City Grant to help with its development. The emceemc.com site is also being used for the Deep South parody performance. Daniel is available to help other clubs who may wish to use his services through Emcee Marketing Creatives. He is currently working with international gold medal quartet, Signature.

• Our seniors' chorus The Silvertones has been in hibernation. It is now starting to consider how it may be able to continue to offer regular programs in seniors’ homes.

• Deep South is currently completing protocols to go back to live rehearsals. An early July date is anticipated. All in all, we appear to be in good shape to hit the ground running again, with our quartets in full swing gearing up for the e-quartet competition and champing at the bit to perform again in what could be a just a couple of months time in Tasmania, for small gigs.