Living through a worldwide pandemic is not something that has had a lot of upsides.

It has been particularly difficult for arts organizations with the restrictions on the number of people allowed in a venue. In spite of all this, the Allentown Symphony has persevered and is producing filmed concerts for everyone to enjoy at home and to stream on-demand.

Another upside of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is that since we were only able to have 32 musicians on the stage at a time because of social distancing, it allowed me to explore repertoire that we normally would not play with our full symphony orchestra.

One of these unusual pieces is “Concerto No. 2 for Double Bass in B minor,” written by Giovanni Bottesini in 1845. How many times do you actually get to hear a solo bass with a symphony orchestra?

With all the travel restrictions and the recommended 14-day quarantine time for people from out of the state, this seemed a perfect time to feature members of our very own Allentown Symphony as soloists. So I invited our Principal Bass Peter Paulsen to be our soloist for the “Sublime Schubert” concert, premiering 7:30 p.m. May 29, and afterward available on-demand.

Peter Paulsen has been the Principal Bass of the Allentown Symphony for 29 years. He is an Assistant Professor of Double Bass and Jazz Studies at West Chester University.

The pandemic also affected plans with our new Composer-in-Residence Chris Rogerson. Originally, we were going to perform a world premiere of a piece of his for our February 2021 concert in honor of the 70th anniversary of the Allentown Symphony. This, of course, had to be postponed to the following season.

Instead, for the filmed concert, I selected a chamber work, “In Passing,” by Chris Rogerson. The piece was written as a tribute after the father of a close friend of his passed away. The piece, scored for flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano and percussion, is haunting and lyrical with wonderful textures. For our performance, we dedicate it to everyone who has lost a loved one during the global pandemic.

The concert opens with “Entrance of the Queen of Sheba” from Solomon, a lively piece by George Fredrick Handel that features our wonderful oboe section of Rick Basehore and Amanda Dusold. This piece always makes me smile because it is so joyful. It’s upbeat rhythm sets the mood for the entire concert.

The anchor piece on the program is Schubert’s “Symphony No. 5 in B-flat major, D. 485.” Franz Schubert died way too young, at the age of 31. But in his short life, he wrote more than 1,500 works. He was only 19 when he wrote this 5th Symphony.

It has all the exuberance of youth and displays a love of life. I felt it was the perfect piece to lift our spirits during this difficult time.

Tickets: https://www.millersymphonyhall.org/; Information: 610-432-6715

Diane Wittry is Music Director and Conductor of the Allentown Symphony Orchestra; Music Director and Conductor of The Garden State Philharmonic, New Jersey, and author of “Beyond the Baton: What Every Conductor Needs To Know” and “Baton Basics: Communicating Music Through Gestures.” Wittry, one of “Musical America” Worldwide Top 30 Musical Influencers,” teaches conducting workshops throughout the United States and Europe.