Just before the start of the choir tour in Malaysia and Singapore, I was half asleep when I realised that more than half of my travels in the last year(s) have been choir-related. So, I had to urgently describe why singing in a choir can also be a great opportunity to learn about different countries, people and their stories, local food, drinks and customs, and not just through the songs, their melodies and lyrics.
"But hey Lucija, I don't sing in (such a cool) choir, so why should I read your article?"
Because it is not only choirs that go abroad for tours, competitions, congresses, and fairs, but practically all ambitious cultural, sporting and also scientific and professional ensembles that represent the nation and its traditions. You have practically no excuse not to have a similar experience yourself. So, you want to know why we have such a good time on choir tours?
Don't like organising travel? The responsibility of organising such a trip is usually divided between several members, or the board of the assembly and the host organisation. Tasks like buying airline tickets, booking accommodation, buses, meals, organising concerts, arranging insurance, etc. are then distributed among individuals who decide that they can contribute their knowledge, talents, travel experience, acquaintances and time to the planning of the trip. Of course, the collective planning of such trips requires the interests and wishes of all members of the stakeholder group to be aligned.
Travelling with a choir or other interest group is usually more affordable. Part of the price is often covered by the festival or organisation that invited us and the association or organisation within which the choir operates. They usually receive funding from the government tenders and sponsors or donors. This often means that you pay a much lower price for the trip than you would otherwise. For example, a fourteen-day tour of Central America in 2022 only cost me a contribution of 500 euros, while for an equally long tour of Taiwan in 2023 I paid only 400 euros. However, it does mean a greater commitment and responsibility before departure. This includes gathering sponsors, promoting the choir and its projects, selling CDs, giving top-quality concerts, etc.
Festivals often take you to non-tourist destinations where you have the opportunity to meet the local community. It's usually a cordial exchange of music (a concert) and a mountain of hospitality with a post-concert feast. By this, I mean trying out local food and drinks, and learning the stories of locals. As part of the International Choir Competition in Tolosa, Basque Country, which takes place every autumn to nurture the musical heritage of the region, we stayed in the beautiful seaside town of Zarautz, near the famous city of San Sebastian (Donostia) in the north-west of Spain, which is definitely worth a visit with its beautiful beach and urban vibe. Apart from Tolosa, we also played in Pamplona, Borja, Aibar and Beasaín, small towns where the locals always treated us to a meal and told us some interesting facts about their culture, food and wine.
In some cases, we were hosted by local people in their homes, where we could sleep and have a meal. From my experience of hosts from high school choir tours in Slovakia and Poland, and the Marktoberdorf choir competition in Bavaria, they really go out of their way to give you a chance to taste, or even learn how to cook the local cuisine.
Often, the host organisation will offer a guided tour, always led by "locals". On our tour of Central America, a representative of the Slovenian association working in Indianapolis gave us a tour of the city in fluent Slovenian, which was a moving experience for me.
On the Taiwan tour, our companion Lydia recommended us many restaurants, went with us to Taipei 101 and bought all the singers a generous serving of traditional bubble tea after the concert. This drink was brought to other parts of the world, especially California and East Asian regions, by Taiwanese migrants in the early 1990s. During the choir competition in Tolosa, our companion Laura even helped us find a great club and got us with free drinks there.
Otherwise, you can organise your own sightseeing tour or just wander around the city in your free time, which gives a larger group flexibility depending on individual interests.
Of course, travelling in such a large group is not always the easiest. You don't have as much freedom on your trip. You have to adapt to the festival or tour program. In addition, travelling in a large group is often a bit more cumbersome and time-consuming, and therefore you often don't have enough time to see some of the more famous tourist attractions, like visiting museums, which is what happened to us on the Rome tour. This kind of travel often requires me to be more committed and organised, to find "holes" in the already set schedule, in which time I could perhaps see the things I am interested in.
The biggest plus of travelling with the choir is the good company. We sing together, we have concerts, we rehearse, we laugh and have fun, we talk and share experiences. We encourage each other to leave our comfort zones (e.g. trying out snails in France) and to help and support each other in case of any complications (e.g. lending clothes if a suitcase is lost). It's true that it doesn't matter so much where you go, but more who you go with.
Finally, I must especially thank my two great choirs: the Megaron Chamber Choir and the KGBL Chamber Choir, who have warmly welcomed me and enabled me to enjoy many musical, creative and travelling ventures. For all of you who have come to the end of this article and who, apart from travelling, might enjoy choral singing a little, you are welcome to come and hear us in concert.
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