A local choir conductor led more than a dozen singers on a 10-day concert tour to Siena, Italy, this summer, strengthening the bond between the two cities that was first established in 2006. “It was a phenomenal sharing of American music with an Italian audience,” said Helen Demong, artistic director and conductor of Northern Lights Choir.

The roots of this summer’s trip reach back more than a decade to when Demong worked as choral director for the Saranac Lake High School. In 2005, Demong invited composer Glenn McClure to teach a music master class to her students. McClure was so impressed by the quality and professionalism of the Saranac Lake students that he invited them to perform a concert tour in Siena. As a result, in 2006, at McClure’s invitation, Demong led 25 Saranac Lake High School students to Italy.