In response to the increasing number of COVID-19 cases in Kingston, the Dan School of Drama and Music cancelled another student event.

The Isabel Quartet Student Composition was scheduled for Friday at the Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts; however, it was cancelled because two of the students involved in the project are living outside of the Kingston area. The University’s current COVID-19 guidelines prohibit travel into the region for campus events.

“This decision is completely taken out of our hands as there has been an increase in COVID-19 cases in the Kingston area,” an email sent to students affected by the cancellation said.

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“Queen’s University, on the recommendation of the Kingston and Frontenac Public Health Unit, has banned all events on campus that involve visits from people outside the Kingston area, even if they have received a negative test, as our two out of town quartet members have already done so.” 

The email was shared to the Facebook group Overheard at Queen’s by a student. 

“As a long-time music composition professor at Queen’s, I have always been impressed by the efforts that we make to give our upper year composition students a chance to have their music performed by a professional ensemble,” Professor John Burge, chair of Undergraduate Studies and professor of Theory and Composition at the Dan School, wrote in a statement to The Journal. 

“With the founding of our resident Isabel String Quartet in 2015, this ensemble has often provided reading sessions of student compositions and had planned to do this at the end of March 2020.”

READ MORE: COVID-19 & Queen’s: One year later

The opportunity was cancelled due to COVID-19 restrictions, alongside all other ensemble concerts and year-end student recitals and performance juries, Burge wrote.  

“The Isabel Quartet has been determined to read these student compositions and had rescheduled this event to include works by this year’s group of upper year composition students for January and March 2021,” Burge wrote, noting both of these events have been cancelled due to travel restrictions.

He said the Dan School intends to reschedule them and is looking at dates in May, or later.

“Sadly, this story is the reality for student and professional musicians across the world and we all certainly look forward to a future when we can create live presentations in front of an audience.”