There is a reason, according to Robert Moody, why music is ubiquitous.

“It affects the human experience in a much more long-term way than a three-year war, or an 18-month virus,” the Memphis Symphony Orchestra music director said. “Of course, you’re going to be more focused on your savings account, your IRA, your income, and what’s happening. … But, it’s the arts and the music that really sustain the human experience over the long term.”

While the pandemic won’t stifle the arts’ presence, it could change the way they’re received. When the coronavirus spread, it drastically altered life for arts organizations. Seasons were cancelled. Revenue disappeared. Plans for the fall changed, and still, no one knows exactly what it could look like. How will ballet dancers and actors socially distance? How might an orchestra fit musicians on a stage?