Summer Music Festivals in the COVID-19 Era

College Majors Music Major
1

I am wondering what people think about summer music festivals. Some have cancelled, some are offering online versions, and some have not cancelled yet.

  1. If your student was accepted to a festival that is offering an online version for reduced tuition, are they going to do it?
  2. If a festival hasn't cancelled, do you think they should, given that so many have already done so?
  3. For the festivals that cancelled that have offered students accepted this year the chance to attend next year, do you (a) think this is a good plan and (b) think this is fair to students who might want to apply next year?

I have no agenda, just wondering what this great group of people are thinking!

2

Aaaarrgghhh…I’ve already bitched here (a lot–sorry!) about the one summer festival in Vienna that is still, according to the organizer, going to happen in June. It’s ridiculous. We’ve sent them a deposit (which I would like to get back when they finally admit that there is no way they can hold the thing), but nothing else, in spite of their original payment deadlines. We’ve already put in a request for a refund/replacement voucher for the airplane ticket. I am NOT pleased with how it has been handled by the festival organizers so far. So, in answer to #2–yes, I definitely think that it should be cancelled, and that it should have happened a while ago.
Back to #1–my son was accepted by another festival that would have been held in Milan. THEY, unlike the other festival people, had the good sense to decide early on to prepare an online version for a reduced cost, and my son IS going to do that one, although of course he’d much rather do it in Milan.
As for #3, I think that the festivals that have cancelled (and they do have every reason to do so) should give students the option of either getting a full refund OR simply going next year. It’s too hard for young people, especially (and especially given everything that’s going on now) to know whether those programs will still be useful to them the following year. I know that’s financially more difficult for the festival organizers, but they can’t expect to just hold on to tuition money for the year. If the time is right next summer, students will apply.
Others will no doubt have other thoughts!