British Choir Refuse to Bend to Top US Orchestra’s COVID Mask Demands for Beethoven Concert

Yannick Nézet-Séguin, music director of the Philadelphia Orchestra, conducts a performance Valerie Coleman's "Seven O’Clock Shout," an anthem that honors frontline workers in response to coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic during opening night at the Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall in New York City, on Oct. 06, 2021. Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

A performance of “Ode to Joy” has been canceled after a Scottish choir refused an American orchestra’s demand to wear masks while singing.

The 130-person Edinburgh Festival Chorus was due to perform Beethoven’s “Ninth Symphony” alongside the Philadelphia Orchestra at the Edinburgh International Festival on Aug 25.

Masks While Singing

But the choir rejected the U.S. orchestra’s calls to wear masks while singing, canceling the event. Beethoven’s “Fifth Symphony” will now be performed as it does not require a choir. Since April, people in Scotland are no longer legally required to wear face coverings.