FESTIVAL 50 COVID-19 PROTOCOLS 

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The Festival Committee is committed to creating a safe Festival which would allow participation from as many students as possible and build in safety measures for our students, teachers, and the audience. We will follow any mandatory directives effective on the date of the festival.

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Recently we have held our Festivals in the Samsvick Chapel of Calvary Church in Tustin. This year we are using the much larger Worship Center. We want to help everyone in the audience maintain a safe and comfortable distance. This also allows more space between performers. We aren’t increasing the basic cost for our players and are budgeting funds from fundraising efforts.

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1. Masks: After serious consideration, we have decided upon a mask optional festival. We will have a box of masks available for anyone who would like one that day. This will allow our youngest players to avoid struggling with a mask and will allow vaccinated adults to be maskless if they wish (some of us wear glasses to read music which can fog up when a mask is worn.) We ask that non-vaccinated people over age 12 wear a mask.
    

2. Personal belongings: Players must be responsible for their own instrument with parent help. Please label your case and avoid sharing with other players. It is OK to have a Suzuki teacher tune for you. Ensemble players are responsible for their own music and are asked to bring their own stands. Each player will receive a personal packet with a name tag, sticker, and a souvenir program. When picking up your packet, please line up with a comfortable distance between families. You will manage your own packet.
    

3.  Personal distancing: When we line up the violin and viola players, they will be spread out. This includes while they are waiting to perform and on stage. Please consider the needs of other audience members and allow a reasonable distance between families when finding a seat (A violin case is a reasonable size to gauge distance between groups.). At the end of the festival, you may come forward and take a picture of all the players. We then request that you return to your seat before we excuse the players in small groups. This is a simple protection for people and the instruments.
    

4. Reception: We are excited to have a small outdoor reception after the festival. If a teacher has 5 or more players participating, they may set up a table for their studio members. Individual servings of drinks, like fizzy water and iced tea and wrapped treats like cookies, provided by the families or teachers, may be distributed to the group at that table. Studios with fewer participants may share a table. It’s Ok to visit with other friends but we want to encourage using all the space available and spreading out. There will be a photo spot for special memories. Allow space while waiting for your turn. Just enjoy the reception time. There will also be a display showcasing the 50 Suzuki Festivals in Orange County. Unfortunately, we won’t be able to allow handling of the items by multiple people. We will have teachers ready to answer questions and show some of the old programs and pictures. Some teachers and families may share pictures at their tables.
    

5. Health concerns: Suzuki families are loving, caring people. We trust that everyone will be conscious of the concerns that others have. Please do not come to the festival if you are ill or have any symptoms of disease. We will turn away anyone who exhibits symptoms. It is a sad reality that we must be extra careful. We certainly don’t want to invite illness. We want to enjoy every moment of the festival and are working to create a joy-filled event for every player!
    

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Please direct any questions to your teacher or a festival committee member.

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Thank you!

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Jan Poth and the entire Festival committee

Catherine Croisette, Nancy Eldridge, Julia Gustafson, Jan Poth, Veronica Richards, Meri Sheegog

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