I'll be off to chorus rehearsal for the week in a few minutes. Just reflecting on this month's rehearsals so far. A bunch of choristers, I am told, who were out for a year or two have returned. I know of one member who is de-cluttered from the chorus, just for the fall semester. We spend the fall semester preparing Christmas Concerts for December. In the bass section, I have mentioned that bass who does not read music and does everything by ear, and has the deepest, lowest, loudest bass voice in his section. He works hard, but he can be a little hard to work with sometimes. He'll be back for the big spring concert. But he is de-cluttered from the fall semester (absent) because he is an observant Jew and objects to singing in Christmas concerts. At least, that's what the conductor told me when I remarked on the man's absence.