Who could have imagined, in March 2020, that we would still be rushing to adjust to the changing course of COVID-19 almost two years later? We were tempted in the fall to think that normalcy was returning. Many companies offered at least some performances in their home theaters. It was wonderful to see full houses for both a recent American work at the Met — Fire Shut Up in My Bones by composer Terence Blanchard, featured in this issue’s “My First Opera,” and librettist Kasi Lemmons — and a time-tested masterpiece, like Carmen (Bizet/Halévy) at Houston Grand Opera. Other titles were less consistent at the box office, but companies aiming to achieve revenue goals of about 50 percent of normal were happy to exceed these reduced targets by a slim margin.