Philharmonic musicians play for vaccination clinic

Featured on WRIC Channel 8, 1/30/2021
Covered by Richmond Magazine, 4/6/2021
Covered by the Richmond Times-Dispatch, 4/5/2021

Press Release
A mask hid her smile, but her eyes and voice revealed unmistakable joy. “This is the first live music I’ve heard in a year!” said the woman at a COVID-19 vaccination event at the Richmond Raceway, as she walked past a small group of string players performing light classical and popular music.

Since late January, musicians from the Richmond Philharmonic Orchestra have been providing music at mass vaccination events held by the Richmond-Henrico Health District. Unlike the cellist Yo-Yo Ma’s one-and-done impromptu performance at a vaccination site in Massachusetts, Richmond Philharmonic musicians perform several times a week to help attendees, staff, and volunteers relax and feel at ease.

The partnership began when Tony McDowell, deputy Henrico County manager for public safety, mentioned the idea to one of the orchestra’s violists. Working with McDowell, Dave Davis, president of the Philharmonic board, has arranged for solos, duets, trios, and quartets of volunteer string players to take two-hour shifts at the large event space.

The positive response from Henrico County, attendees, and volunteers alike has been so overwhelming that the Richmond Philharmonic has included other musicians from the Cary Street Ramblers, the Rockwood Park “Old Time” String Band, and Classical Revolution RVA. 

“It’s a way for the orchestra to nurture and comfort our community with the power of live music, even though we can’t perform concerts in our usual way,” Davis said.

Before the pandemic, the 70-member strong Richmond Philharmonic performed five to seven public concerts a year in venues around the region. Davis, who is also a trombone player in the orchestra, says the Philharmonic is now planning the 2021-2022 concert season in the hopes that more vaccinations like the ones administered at the Richmond Raceway will allow audiences to enjoy live music with the full orchestra.