"Beginning his 30th year as conductor of the world renowned St. Olaf Choir and as artistic director of the St. Olaf Christmas Festival, Anton Armstrong ’78 is keeping his eyes fixed on the future.
It was hot in Australia and New Zealand in February 1997 when the St. Olaf Choir embarked on its first tour Down Under. Their excitement was palpable. Anton Armstrong had been conducting the choir for seven years. In addition to performing concerts in Christchurch, Auckland, Wellington, Cairns, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, and Sydney, he and his students would have time for recreational events such as museum, cultural center, and animal sanctuary visits, a sailing cruise aboard the Søren Larsen, excursions to the Great Barrier Reef and a New Zealand glacier, and homestays that offered diverse cultural experiences. Robert “BJ” Johnson’s meticulously planned tour was designed to balance music-making with academics. Prior to leaving campus, the students had studied the cultures of the indigenous Aborigines in Australia and Maoris in New Zealand, and the culture of the early Western settlers, providing them with important social and historical contexts before they arrived in Auckland." …