Festival finale centers on 'Voices of Peace'; mass choir led by Dr. Anton Armstrong

At the thirteenth Montana International Choral Festival finale in Missoula, visiting choirs and conductors emphasized the festival theme “Voices of Peace,” culminating in a mass-choir performance conducted by Dr. Anton Armstrong.

Dr. Anton Armstrong, introduced to lead the combined festival chorus, framed the closing repertoire as a response to global violence and human suffering. He referenced past and present conflicts, saying, “It may have been Bosnia 25 years ago, but now it's Gaza. Now it's Ukraine.” He asked the audience to join the singers and shared text excerpts that invoked prayer for children and a plea for peace.

Jeffrey Ames, identified in remarks as director of core electives at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, was credited during the program for a piece he wrote more than 20 years ago addressing violence in Bosnia and Sudan; Armstrong noted its continued relevance. The finale included performances by international and U.S. choirs that chose songs reflecting the theme; the program invited the audience to participate in a canon and concluded with a mass rendering of “Auld Lang Syne.”

Organizers described the festival as noncompetitive and rooted in hospitality; festival choirs and local ensembles joined for the mass-choir numbers. The program noted participating groups including Vox Nova (Columbia, Missouri), Franciscan Choir Kampala (Uganda), the Tartu Student Mixed Choir (Estonia), University of Montana Chamber Chorale, and Landes Jugendkor Saar (Saarbrücken, Germany).