U of M researchers are helping the Minnesota Orchestra maximize safety during performances.

Release written by Olivia Hultgren

“… Right now, the Minnesota Orchestra is performing concerts without in-person audiences—for television, radio, and livestreams—with small groups of up to 25 musicians. In a pre-pandemic world, the orchestra would typically feature about 90 musicians on stage.

Using information from this research, the orchestra has identified a plan to gradually increase the number of musicians onstage, although not to pre-pandemic levels. Musicians will be spaced out at distances of at least 6 to 9 feet onstage, with a large extension being added to the lip of the stage to increase its size. Bell barrier masks and air filters will potentially be utilized as well, and all string and percussion players onstage will wear masks when they perform…

In the coming weeks, the orchestra will also be working with Department of Mechanical Engineering Assistant Professor Suo Yang, who will be modeling patterns of airflow and exchange in Orchestra Hall. Yang will use the aerosol output measurements from Hong’s research to show how aerosols travel throughout the auditorium and onstage when the musicians rehearse and perform.“

Source: University of Minnesota College of Science and Engineering