'A lot of people are waiting for the moment when they can sing together again. Make sure that by the time Corona is over, they still have that opportunity.'

Maybe I am not looking closely but I miss in the various media, as I did years ago during the demolition policy, the role of amateur music practice on which many a musician depends. At the moment, the focus is partly on venues and theatres asking their visitors to accept vouchers or donate their tickets. Fine of course and bitterly necessary but what about those hundreds of passions that would be performed throughout the Netherlands by amateur choirs ? What about the concerts after the summer and next year that are also currently being cancelled or rescheduled because the choirs cannot rehearse ?

It is precisely in this sector that those musicians are employed who do not have permanent jobs with the established choirs and orchestras. Who work in the accompanying orchestras that are so essential to choral culture in the Netherlands where, let it be said, more people are active than in amateur football. Who, together with the soloists, turn the performance that such a choir has sometimes worked on for a year into an unforgettable happening. Where people who will never find their way to the Concertgebouw or the Doelen can still come into contact with classical music because mother, father, aunt, uncle or whoever is singing in the choir.

Hit hard

Those orchestra musicians work there for a salary that has been so eroded in recent years that it is beyond scandalous. The soloists have been working for years for the same money or less than what was customary 30, 40 years ago. This incredibly rich landscape of choirs, ensembles, societies etc has also been hit rock hard by the budget cuts of the past 12 years. Municipalities have less and less money available or left over for amateur art practice because they already have enough on their plates.

Especially in this sector and in these weeks, very many Dutch and Dutch-based musicians earn a huge part of their income. Not so with professional ensembles where the ratio of foreign soloists vs Dutch is always negative. Something I personally have always found ridiculous with our huge passion tradition but of course I am not unbiased about this.

Half court

But I would particularly like to hear someone in the media speak up for our sector where a catastrophe is now unfolding. Yes, but you have half a job with the Broadcasting Choir, I hear you say. Yes indeed. But as a result, I, like many others with me, do not qualify for any supplement for solo lost earnings.

It is great that some choirs were still able to compensate for missed work with a collection among their supporters, and this was also a deeply moving experience for me. As well as the individuals and companies asking if you are still going and if you need support.

Trousers on

Still, I would like this time not only not to forget that vital amateur sector but also to think again about a fairer remuneration for those who work in it and who help ensure that those choirs can continue to sing.

I am not addressing those who, at a call like this, immediately shoot into the "keep your own trousers up" or "nice and important" fit. I am addressing those who have experienced, even if only once, how essential a moment of happiness elicited by beautiful music can be. Who have experienced the poignancy of hearing and seeing a beloved person beaming in the middle of a choir while singing.

Call attention to amateur music and the many practitioners who too easily disappear from sight due to the justified but easier attention-generating need of the bigger and better-known ensembles. We are all waiting for the moment when we can go to concerts, performances, film, etc. again. And lots of people are waiting for the moment when they can sing together again. Make sure they still have the opportunity by then.