Dear Friends and Partners
I hope this post finds you, your loved ones, and your teams safe and well. These days it feels like we are living in a bad science fiction movie with an invisible enemy no one has found the means to destroy yet. It’s surreal how normal life is on pause and the usual routines that give structure to our lives are mostly gone. It’s jarring to lose the normal rhythm of our work and family lives.
I wanted to send a note to all of our valued partners and friends across the world on behalf of myself and our team at MWI. We care about all of you and hope that each of you are getting through this crisis safely. Our team is at home, in self-quarantine to stay well and carrying on with our work as best we can.
At this time of year, we are usually very busy booking the last dates for summer, working long days on Fall tours and being completely work-focused. The crisis has dramatically slowed down this work frenzy. Instead of booking shows, shows are getting canceled, rescheduled, and deposits returned. Everything work-related is mostly moving backward. And so many people are losing loved ones, losing jobs and income, facing very serious financial difficulties. The virus doesn’t care if you’re rich or poor, what color your skin is and what religion you practice. Everyone is affected.
There is a lot of hardship out there and fear. No one should minimize the terrible toll this crisis is taking on everyone, everywhere, but there is a positive side to this crisis – rediscovering our humanity, being grateful and practicing kindness.
Speaking only for myself, I’m spending more time reaching out to friends and family, cooking meals, going for walks in the woods and reflecting on what’s really important in my life. I see families outside in my neighborhood playing with their kids, riding bikes, spending time together. People are stepping up with donations for those who are suffering financial disaster, making surgical masks to extend the badly needed supply, giving concerts online to cheer people up and showing their compassion in a million ways. And to all the first responders whose job it is to keep us safe every day regardless.
We will get through this and come out stronger in our relationships with each other both in business and in personal life. We send our sincere wishes to you and your loved ones that you come out of this ok. Be brave, be safe, be healthy. Let’s help each other. We are all on this small planet together.
With friendship and support to all.
Katherine
To our artists, please check out our website to see some resources we’ve compiled about getting grants to help you through this rough time: www.musicworksinternational.com