As audience members settled into their seats at the Auditorium of SMK Negeri 3 in Sanur,
there was a feeling that this year’s annual concert meant more than usual.

For Bali Community Choir, the evening marked a return to the stage after years in which
rehearsals, performances, and simple social gatherings had been disrupted by the pandemic.
Friends who had once sung side by side were together again. New members, many joining for
the first time in 2022, stood alongside long-standing singers preparing to share their first
annual concert as one choir.

By the time conductor Brendan O’Donnell raised his hands to begin the opening piece,
around 150 audience members had gathered to celebrate not only a year of music, but a
community reconnecting through song.

Looking across the stage, the choir itself told a story.

Indonesian singers stood beside members from Australia, Europe, Asia, and beyond. Some
had sung with the choir for many years. Others had joined only months earlier, searching for
a way to reconnect with people after long periods of isolation.

The powerful opening strains of Hallelujah Chorus filled the auditorium before the program
moved through folk songs, musical theatre favourites, and well-loved popular classics.
Audience members smiled in recognition during Can’t Help Falling in Love and Love Me
Tender, while songs such as Bring Him Home and Circle of Life brought a touch of the stage
musical tradition to Sanur.

Particularly meaningful were performances of Kasih Ibu and Tanah Airku. Sung by a choir
drawn from many cultures and nationalities, these Indonesian songs reflected the spirit of
inclusion that has been central to Bali Community Choir since its founding.

For many choir members, the journey to this concert began long before November

Throughout 2022, weekly rehearsals became a place where people could reconnect after
months of separation. Long-time members returned to familiar faces and familiar harmonies.
New singers arrived with varying levels of experience but a common desire to be part of
something shared.

The choir often jokes that many new members spent the pandemic “singing in the shower.”
Yet behind the humour was a genuine need for connection. Rehearsal after rehearsal,
strangers became friends, voices blended, and confidence grew.

The annual concert was the moment those months of preparation came together.

Standing on stage, singers were not simply performing a program. They were celebrating
how far they had come together.

The concert also followed a significant period for the choir

Only weeks earlier, members had performed at the Australian Consulate-General in Denpasar
as part of commemorations marking the twentieth anniversary of the Bali Bombings. That
event brought together people from many communities to remember lives lost and
acknowledge the resilience that emerged in the years that followed.

While the annual concert was a celebration, the experience of participating in those
commemorations added an additional layer of meaning to the season. It served as a reminder
of music’s ability to bring people together not only in moments of joy, but also in moments of
reflection and remembrance.

When the final notes of We Are the Choir faded and applause filled the auditorium, the
evening was far from over.

Audience members stayed to enjoy refreshments, browse raffle prizes, and talk with choir
members. Conversations formed across tables and around the foyer. Visitors asked about
rehearsals. Friends reunited. New connections were made.

These moments may not have appeared on the concert program, but they were every bit as
important as the music itself.

Community choirs succeed not only because people sing together, but because they create
places where people feel welcome. The gathering after the concert reflected that spirit
perfectly.

Bali Community Choir extends heartfelt thanks to the Head Master and staff of SMK Negeri
3 for welcoming us into their auditorium, to our sponsors and supporters, and to the
volunteers whose work behind the scenes made the evening possible.

Thank you to every choir member who dedicated countless hours to rehearsals throughout the
year, and to Brendan O’Donnell for his continuing commitment to creating opportunities for
people from all backgrounds to experience the joy of singing together.

And finally, thank you to everyone who joined us in the audience.

Your applause, encouragement, and presence helped make this concert what it was: not
simply a performance, but a celebration of community.

Looking back, the 2022 Annual Concert will be remembered not for a single song or
moment, but for the feeling of hearing voices together again after a long silence.