Thank you for a great post. :)

I do not sing my self.(even if my parents used to say it was sad that the only kid they had that actually could sing refused to sing.. lol)
But it is easy to see how this can be of great joy for so many people. :)

I was asked to write about what activities most Norwegians was a part of once.
And since the news mostly write about sport, i was pretty sure it would be some kind of sport.
But after i had done some research on it, it turned out to be singing in a choir. :)

And after reading your post, it become even more clear why.
Its both a pleasure for those who like to sing and those who listen.
But it also gives many other bonus activities as well, like you point out here, the social aspect, the travelling and so on. :)

I once was together with a Russian musician teacher who was not religious, but still she often went to the church.
When i asked her why, she said it was because she loved to listen to the choir, and also pointed out the great acoustic it was in the church.
And every time she came back from listening to that choir, it was like she was full of new energy. :)

Keep up the good work.
Not only does your hobby give you pleasure, it gives a lot of other people great pleasure too. :)