We’ve been through a lot since the last time we posted. As a chorus. As a society. Many, many things have changed since our last post more than three years ago. Nearly two of those years were marked by the COVID-19 pandemic retreat. Some choruses in the barbershop community found that virtual rehearsals worked for them, and we did try that for a while. But many of our members were juggling too much with work, families, and other aspects of the world being flipped upside down, so we took a pause.

Now, as we welcome 2022, we are regrouping and redefining what we want Bella Nova to be. Even before the pandemic, the chorus struggled (as many do) with finding enough volunteers for the tasks to be done and keeping up with the rigors of a strenuous competition cycle. We were thrust into that as a very young chorus, so in some ways the pandemic offered a much-needed respite — an opportunity to take a breath and solidify our culture and identity.

We have spent some time at recent rehearsals deciding how we would operate to keep ourselves safe (see our FAQs for more information on COVID protocols) and what we want our future to be. We are a slimmed-down version of Bella Nova at the moment, and we’re very much looking forward to rebuilding in our redefined structure.

Here’s a summary of what we’ve recently designed as a group to outline our intentions.

Mission:

Bella Nova is an inclusive women’s barbershop chorus focused on bringing joy to our lives and the lives of others through song. We strive to create a  respectful, positive riser culture where we focus on our own performance, preparation, and improvement to support the chorus in competition and community performances.

Norms:

In Bella Nova we are…

• Kind
• Respectful and supportive- we respect and support the decisions of the director as well as the work of each member
• Prepared-we learn our material and are ready to perform within set timelines
• Self-directed- we focus on our own work and improvement rather than that of others

We are hopeful and excited about what 2022 (and beyond) has in store for Bella Nova. We have a rehearsal plan mapped out for the first quarter and we look forward to tackling it — not for a competition or performance schedule, but for the love of singing and being with each other.