As the Falcone Board began to plan for the 2021 Festival in the Fall of 2020, COVID-19 and its variants were still running rampant in the world with vaccines not yet created for the public. The Board sincerely hoped that it would be possible for our thirty-sixth Festival in 2021 to be in-person, continuing our legacy of offering competitions, cash prizes, educational events, performances, music commissions, and outreach. We planned to host this annual event in early August, as usual, and we worked to cope with the continuing COVID-19 pandemic and still provide a Festival that would be accessible, safe, and uplifting for all involved.
Although vaccines were becoming more widely available, the supply was limited, so in mid-March 2021, the Festival Board determined that we did not have enough information to determine whether we could definitely hold a live and in-person event (which we preferred) or whether to have a virtual event similar to our 2020 Festival experience. A final decision would be made in the next few weeks. As a result of that extended and important decision, the Festival elected to move the initial entry deadline for preliminary round applications one month later, to midnight on April 30, 2021.
When the time arrived for the decision to be made, the State of Michigan was experiencing an increase in COVID-19 cases. Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp was unable to accommodate the Festival as they were restricted to 25–50% occupancy. Other venues that we contacted were interested in hosting the Festival…except their COVID-19 officers informed us that they could refuse to have our group in their facilities at any time. Also unclear were airline scheduling and how long or even if foreign visitors would have to quarantine. With so many unanswered questions, the Board felt it wise to hold a second virtual event, which was announced on April 12, 2021.
Thus, the Virtual Falcone Festival is taking place August 7-8, 2021. Involving 32 competitors plus alternates in the semi-final and final rounds, the Festival is planning additional performances, interviews, and historical events to be broadcast at that time.
The Falcone Festival fully intends to return to a live event in 2022, hosted by Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp!
