Choir for Coral: Music and Marine Conservation Come Together in Bali
- 24 May 2019
Sanur, Bali
On the evening of 24 May 2019, the grounds of the Coral Triangle Center in Sanur slowly filled with families, local residents, visitors, and community supporters gathering for Choir for Coral : Music and Marine Conservation Come Together in Bali, an event combining music, environmental awareness, and community participation.
Before the choir performance began, guests were invited to take part in a coral clay workshop led by the Coral Triangle Center team. Children sat alongside parents and other participants shaping small coral forms from clay while learning about the different types of coral reefs found in Indonesian waters. Some carefully copied branching coral patterns shown by the facilitators, while others created imaginative reef shapes of their own. Conversations moved easily across the tables as participants compared their creations and discussed the importance of protecting marine ecosystems around Bali.
Participants explored coral reef ecosystems through a hands-on clay workshop led by the Coral Triangle Center team.
The workshop gave the evening an immediate sense of participation. Rather than arriving only as audience members, people were encouraged to engage directly with the event from the beginning.
Choir members performed outdoors beneath the evening lights at the Coral Triangle Center.
As sunset faded, attention gradually shifted toward the outdoor performance area. Choir members gathered beneath the open night sky in brightly coloured shirts, standing against the stone walls and garden surroundings of the venue. Audience members settled into rows of chairs while others watched from the pathways and edges of the courtyard, creating the relaxed atmosphere of a community gathering rather than a formal concert hall performance.
Guests gathered for an evening of music, environmental awareness, and community participation.
Under the warm venue lights, the choir performed a program that reflected the spirit of the evening — thoughtful, welcoming, and community-centered. Between songs, the quiet sounds of the surrounding night occasionally blended with the music, reinforcing the open-air setting of the event.
The audience remained deeply attentive throughout the performance. Some listened quietly from the back rows while others leaned forward in their seats or recorded moments on their phones. Several guests stayed after the concert to speak with choir members, volunteers, and Coral Triangle Center staff about the evening’s conservation message and community programs.
Nearby, Pasar Senggol added another layer to the event. Five local food stalls served Indonesian dishes and snacks throughout the evening, with guests moving between the performance space and the market area carrying plates of food and continuing conversations long after the music ended. The presence of local vendors helped the event feel connected not only to environmental awareness, but also to the wider Sanur community.
Local community vendors served Indonesian dishes during the Pasar Senggol night market.
What made Choir for Coral memorable was the way each part of the evening supported the others. Environmental education did not feel separate from the music, and the performance itself did not stand apart from the community gathering around it. Workshops, conversations, local food, and live choral music combined to create an event that felt personal, participatory, and rooted in place.
Bali Community Choir extends sincere thanks to Ibu Rili Djohani, Founding Board Member and Executive Director of the Coral Triangle Center, together with the volunteers, venue partners, sponsors, choir members, and audience members whose support helped bring the evening together.
Choir for Coral demonstrated how community arts can create space for conversation, learning, and shared responsibility. Bali Community Choir looks forward to future collaborations that continue connecting music with environmental awareness and community engagement across Bali.