ABSTRACT
Choirs travel widely; conductors travel, too. This relatively new phenomenon and remarkable development is difficult to ascribe to a single cause; many possible events could explain it. Air travel has become more accessible and relatively inexpensive; choral interactions occur on a global scale helped in large part by the Internet and social media; festivals and competitions have proliferated; and an increasing appetite has arisen for conducting masterclasses, choral workshops, and professional development. Flying into Manado, one sees a verdant landscape dominated by coconut trees and rice-paddies. One of the provincial capital city airports not renovated, Manado has become an international airport and receives periodic flights from Singapore. Not only is North Sulawesi majority Christian, it is also one of the most Westernized provinces in Indonesia; some of its citizens see themselves as distant from the mainstream Javanese culture. Local Minahasan identity is strong, perhaps more potent than national identity.
