SOS: Save our singers

‘Musician’ is how I described myself to the nice Latvian lady interviewing me the other week for an ONS survey connected with the coronavirus, but that didn’t tell the government much. In economic terms, our profession embraces everyone from Sir Paul McCartney to the struggling garage band that may or may not be allowed back into your newly reopened pub. In terms of what we do, we divide into three overlapping categories — writers, administrators and performers, and our experience of pandemic and lockdown has been sharply different. I’m mainly a writer, and I guiltily admit that I have welcomed my first chance for years to work with minimal interruption on what I probably do best. Administrators — artist agents, venue managers, festival directors and so forth — have been looking into the abyss, and the promise of government support is lifesaving. My biggest concern, though, is for performers. Spare a thought for our quite extraordinarily skilled, resourceful and hardworking army of professional musicians — singers, instrumentalists and conductors alike.