Far removed from common notions about choral music are the choirs that participated in Missoula’s 2013 International Choral Festival. They came from Australia, Germany, South Korea, Finland, Canada, Lawrence, Kansas, China, Switzerland, New Jersey, Poland, Taiwan, California, Estonia, and Costa Rica to sing in packed auditoriums and in city parks for four days in July.
During this program, narrated by Terry Conrad, you'll hear a few of those performances, along with behind-the-scenes interviews with singers, host families, choir liaisons, conductors, and audience members.
A triennial Festival, Missoula's International Choral Festival has brought outstanding choirs together since its first Festival in 1987. A non-competitive showcase Festival, only the best of the best choirs are invited. Once they arrive, community members open their hearts and their homes to the visiting singers, and choirs perform to enthusiastic audiences who can't seem to get enough of their music. Music, cultural understanding, and friendships cross continents and boundaries, helping to "bring the world a little closer, through music."