Pacific Symphony announced yesterday that Pacific Chorale and the American Feel Young Chorus will not be appearing on the Lunar New Year concert program(Feb. 5), although they will be seen on a pre-recorded mosaic video to the traditional Chinese song, “Swan Goose.”

The orchestra also announced the postponement of “Cathedrals of Sound” (Feb. 17-19), to be scheduled for the 2022-23 season.

With vocalists unable to rehearse of perform while wearing masks, officials felt these program changes and postponements were the best way to ensure the safety of audiences, musicians, volunteers and staff.

Pacific Symphony President and CEO John Forsyte said “We were fortunate to be able to […] make some modifications to the artist lineup for the Lunar New Year program. While we were gratified to be able to bring together an appealing program featuring works of Beethoven and Rachmaninoff with an engaging young pianist soloist in place of ‘Cathedrals of Sound,’ our disappointment is palpable at needing to postpone to next season the world premiere of ‘Fiat Lux’ by the celebrated composer Sir James MacMillan. We know our audiences share that disappointment.”

Forsyte added, “Our ongoing commitment to the well-being of our audiences, musicians and staff, though, is a responsibility we take extremely seriously. We appreciate your understanding, apologize for any inconvenience and look forward to our performances later this month that do not involve vocalists.”