Performers in a pandemic: A mixed-methods study of university opera singers, pianists, and athletes during the Covid-19 pandemic

This mixed-methods study explored the experiences of high performers who experienced disruptions in training and performance during the Covid-19 pandemic. Twenty participants included university-level opera singers ( n = 7), pianists ( n = 6), and athletes ( n = 7), who completed an online survey at three timepoints consisting of demographic information, the BBC Subjective Well-being Scale, the Brief Daily Stressors Screening Tool, and the Coping Self-Efficacy Scale. At each timepoint, participants also completed individual semi-structured interviews regarding stressors, coping strategies, and their overall well-being. Opera singers and pianists had lower global well-being scores across the three timepoints compared to athletes. Pianists demonstrated a decrease in well-being over time, along with decreases in quality of social relationships and physical health. All three groups of performers reported high scores for problem-focused coping self-efficacy, although athletes had higher scores for coping self-efficacy in seeking support, and for stopping unpleasant thoughts. Analysis of the qualitative data indicated similarities in challenges across performers; however, there were differences in the impact of the pandemic on social opportunities, inability to train and perform, concerns about identity disruption, and impacts on career prospects. Opera singers and pianists appeared to reflect more on their identities and the role of performing arts in society during the pandemic. These results shed light on the ways that high performers in different domains were impacted by disruptions due to the Covid-19 pandemic.