News

Many opportunities for cultural and artistic activities including attending live orchestral performances have been lost all over the world due to the impact of COVID-19 (coronavirus disease). To ensure that such cultural and artistic activities do not disappear amidst prolonged concerns over infectious diseases, the acceptable level of risk at live venues needs to be assessed and countermeasures put in place based on the most up-to-date scientific evidence. In this project, Keio University and the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra cooperated with other interested parties including healthcare professionals to measure the droplets and particles (aerosols) that are generated during orchestral performances at the Tokyo Bunka Kaikan; specifically, experiments were conducted to visualize droplets using laser beams and measure the number of particles emitted from ten different instruments (including the trumpet and flute), singers (both male and female), and the full orchestra. The data that was obtained is currently being analyzed, and once this is completed, it is intended for the results to be published and used to aid the resumption of live performances throughout the music world.