In response to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Berkshire Opera Festival has announced it is reimagining the original programming for its upcoming 2020 season.

In a statement, the festival expressed its desire to create meaningful programming while keeping in accordance with the regulations currently set for by the State of Massachusetts. To this end, the festival has announced the cancellation of its Fifth Anniversary Gala Concert and Celebration, which was to be held on August 13, 2020, at The Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center.

The festival’s production of “Don Giovanni,” currently scheduled for August 22, 25, and 28 at the Colonial Theatre, will now be presented in a semi-staged concert performance, with the artists and audiences adhering to the social distancing policies in effect. BOF is also working with the theater to develop how this can be best achieved as Massachusetts moves to Phase 3 of the state’s Reopening Plan. Changes in the situation will be announced by the festival in the upcoming weeks.