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Rising COVID cases force postponement of New Year’s Eve concert

Betsy PriceCulture, Headlines

The Grand Interior 047 web0 416a484a 5056 b3a8 490c85606a666e7b

A concert planned for New Year’s Eve will be moved into 2022 to avoid rising COVID-19 cases.

 

A New Year’s Eve concert planned by the The Grand, Delaware Symphony Orchestra and OperaDelaware has been postponed.

The concert, which would have seen the symphony and the OperaDelaware play in the first half and Tony-award winner Brian Stokes Mitchell play in the second, will be rescheduled for a 2022 date.

On Wednesday, the number of new COVID-19 cases sat at 743 over a seven-day average, with 392 hospitalizes and a total of 2,240 deaths. Six weeks ago, the number of new daily cases was averaging 20 per day, and health officials are warning the new Omicron strain is far more infectious and will spread quickly.

Patrons who have already bought tickets are asked to wait to be contacted by The Grand about what happens next.

“There are a number of logistical pieces related to postponing an event of this size and your patience is highly appreciated,” said Mark Field, executive director of The Grand, in a press release.

He said the three organizations didn’t want to put their audiences, artists and special guests at risk for infection as a new wave of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are surging forward, with experts predicting that they will rise even higher after the holidays.

Brendan Cooke, general director of OperaDelaware, said, “This concert was intended to be a joyful return to live performance by all three organizations, but that will need to wait until it is safe to gather in such large numbers again.”

“One of the great aspects of this chosen program of light classical and Broadway music is that it will be delightful to hear at any time of the year,” said J.C. Barker, executive director of the symphony.

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