About
Questions and Answers
The questions we are asked most often, answered plainly — tickets, visiting, the broadcast, and the Choir itself.
Tickets and admission
Is it free to see The Tabernacle Choir?
Yes. Both the Sunday Music & the Spoken Word broadcast and the Thursday evening rehearsal are free. The Sunday broadcast requires a free advance reservation; the Thursday rehearsal requires no ticket at all. Parking at the Conference Center garage is also free.
Do I need tickets to attend Music & the Spoken Word?
Yes. Free reservations are required for the Sunday morning broadcast at the Salt Lake Tabernacle. Reserve online or in the Temple Square app using only your name and email address — no account needed. You receive a digital ticket with a QR code, which you can also print.
How do I reserve free tickets for Music & the Spoken Word?
Reserve at the Temple Square ticketing site or in the free Temple Square app. You need only a name and email address; there is no account to create and no membership requirement. New dates are released every two weeks on Mondays, roughly six weeks ahead.
What if there are no tickets available?
You still have two options. Join the standby line, which forms on the north side of the Tabernacle after security — there is always one and it regularly seats people. Or come to the Thursday rehearsal instead: free, no ticket, and never full.
New reservation dates are released every two weeks on Mondays, so a date that shows nothing available may simply not be open yet.
The Thursday rehearsal runs 7:30 to 9:30 p.m., needs no ticket, has no security screening, welcomes children of any age, and has never had to turn anyone away.
Planning your visit
What day and time does The Tabernacle Choir perform?
Two opportunities weekly. Music & the Spoken Word is broadcast live Sunday, 9:30 to 10:00 a.m., at the Salt Lake Tabernacle, with seating by 9:00. The Choir rehearses Thursday, 7:30 to 9:30 p.m., open to the public. Sunday needs a free reservation; Thursday does not.
The two are genuinely different experiences. Sunday is a polished live broadcast; Thursday is a working rehearsal you can drop into and leave when you like.
Free organ recitals also take place daily and are a shorter, separate experience.
Can I attend a Tabernacle Choir rehearsal, and is it free?
Yes. The Choir rehearses Thursday evenings, 7:30 to 9:30 p.m., and the public is welcome. No ticket or reservation is currently required and there is no charge. Doors open at 7:30 and music begins immediately, because the Choir has already warmed up.
How long is Music & the Spoken Word, and what happens during it?
The live broadcast runs thirty minutes, 9:30 to 10:00 a.m. Sunday. Be seated by 9:00; a pre-show interview begins at 9:10. Afterwards the Choir sings a parting song. Allow about seventy-five minutes in total, plus time to clear security.
At 9:10 a member of the Choir organization is interviewed in front of the audience. The live broadcast itself begins at 9:30.
During the broadcast the Tabernacle effectively becomes a recording studio, so quiet matters more than at an ordinary concert. Please hold applause until the conductor leaves the stand. The audience is generally not on camera.
After the broadcast the Choir sings “God Be with You Till We Meet Again” as a parting song — and audiences are told they are welcome to film that and share it.
Where does The Tabernacle Choir perform?
At the Salt Lake Tabernacle on Temple Square. The Choir is in the Tabernacle while the Conference Center is under construction, and will remain there throughout the April to October 2027 temple open house. The Tabernacle seats about 2,000.
Both the Sunday broadcast and the Thursday rehearsal take place in the Tabernacle.
The smaller capacity is why free reservations are now required for Sunday.
Is there a dress code?
There is no dress code and nothing is enforced — nobody is turned away over clothing. You will see a wide range: many members of the Church attend in Sunday worship dress, while visitors on vacation come in ordinary travel clothes. Both are normal.
If you would feel more comfortable erring smarter, business casual will never look out of place. But comfort matters more, particularly if you are walking across Temple Square and sitting for over an hour.
The Thursday rehearsal is noticeably more casual.
Can I bring young children to Music & the Spoken Word?
Children of every age are welcome and each child needs their own free ticket. Children under 8 are asked to be in the quiet room rather than the hall. It holds fifty people, is first-come and cannot be reserved, so arrive early.
Do I need to be a member of the Church to attend?
Anyone is welcome. There is no membership or religious requirement to attend Music & the Spoken Word, a Thursday rehearsal, or an organ recital. Reserving a ticket asks only for your name and email address — no account and no affiliation of any kind.
A large share of the Sunday audience is visitors from out of town. Staff are used to first-time guests and there is nothing you are expected to know, say or do beyond staying quiet during the broadcast.
If it is your first visit, the Thursday rehearsal is the lower-commitment option.
Where do I park for Temple Square and the Tabernacle?
Park free at the Conference Center garage, one street north of Temple Square and about a five-minute walk to the Tabernacle. Guests can be dropped off on West Temple near the West Gate entrances. The nearest TRAX stop is South Temple and West Temple.
Is Temple Square open during the renovation?
Yes. Only two things are closed: the Salt Lake Temple, which visitors were never able to enter, and the Conference Center building — though its parking garage remains open. The Tabernacle, Assembly Hall, gardens and the new Visitors’ Center are all open.
What can I bring? Bags, food, drink and cameras
All Sunday visitors pass through security at the west gates and every bag is scanned, so travel light and allow extra time. Do not bring food or drink. Photography and video are not permitted during the broadcast, though you may film the parting song afterwards.
Allow 15 to 20 minutes to clear security on top of your walking time, more on a busy summer Sunday.
There is currently no security screening for the Thursday evening rehearsal.
Restrooms are in an adjacent building roughly 40 yards from the Tabernacle, not inside it.
What time should I arrive for Music & the Spoken Word?
Plan to be at the Tabernacle by about 8:00 a.m. Doors open for seating at 8:20 for the 9:30 broadcast, and you should be seated by 9:00. Temple Square itself opens at 6:00 a.m., so you can arrive well before the doors if you would rather not rush.
Enter through the west gates. Everyone passes through security and all bags are scanned or searched, so allow 15 to 20 minutes for that — more on a busy summer Sunday.
Restrooms are in an adjacent building about 40 yards away, so go before you are seated. Late arrivals are not guaranteed seats.
Being seated by 9:00 means about half an hour before the broadcast begins — but it is not dead time. A pre-show interview with a member of the Choir organization starts at 9:10.
Families bringing children under 8 should arrive earlier still, since the quiet room holds only fifty and cannot be reserved.
Are service animals allowed, and is the Tabernacle accessible?
Service animals are permitted; emotional support animals are not. The Tabernacle has accessible entry and can accommodate wheelchairs. Guests can be dropped off on West Temple near the West Gate entrances, which is the closest vehicle access point to the building.
The broadcast and the music
How can I watch or listen to Music & the Spoken Word?
Music & the Spoken Word is heard by nearly 12 million people weekly in more than 50 countries. Watch on the Choir’s YouTube channel or BYUtv, whose app works anywhere. In Utah, KSL Channel 5 and KSL radio carry it. An official podcast is also available.
How many pipes does the Tabernacle organ have?
The Salt Lake Tabernacle organ has 11,623 pipes and is among the best-known instruments in the world. Free organ recitals are played daily in the Tabernacle at noon, and at 2:00 p.m. on Sundays — a shorter, separate experience from the Choir’s Sunday broadcast or Thursday rehearsal.
From Memorial Day to Labor Day there are two recitals a day, at noon and at 2:00 p.m.
No ticket is needed and the recitals are open to everyone.
About the Choir
How many members are in The Tabernacle Choir?
The Choir has roughly 400 volunteer singers. The frequently cited figure of 360 is the seating capacity of the choir loft, not the membership. The larger roster means members with jobs and families can miss a Sunday without leaving a gap in the sound.
The Orchestra at Temple Square has 110 members and the Bells at Temple Square has 32.
All are unpaid volunteers.
What is the difference between the Choir, the Orchestra, the Bells and the Chorale?
Four ensembles perform at Temple Square. The Tabernacle Choir has about 400 volunteer singers; the Orchestra at Temple Square has 110; the Bells at Temple Square has 32. The Temple Square Chorale is made up of the Choir’s newest members and serves as training.
When was The Tabernacle Choir founded?
The Tabernacle Choir was founded on August 22, 1847, weeks after the first Latter-day Saint pioneers arrived in the Salt Lake Valley. Music & the Spoken Word, its weekly broadcast, first aired on July 15, 1929 and is the longest-running continuous network broadcast in history.
The broadcast reached its 5,000th episode on July 13, 2025.
Who conducts The Tabernacle Choir?
Mack Wilberg has been Music Director since 2008. Ryan Murphy has been Associate Music Director since 2009. Geoff Anderson conducts the Bells at Temple Square. Derrick Porter has presented Music & the Spoken Word since June 2024, the fourth presenter since 1930.
Michael O. Leavitt has served as president of the Choir organization since August 2021.
Why are the Tabernacle’s acoustics so famous?
The Tabernacle is so acoustically sensitive that a pin dropped at the pulpit can be heard 170 feet away at the back. Missionaries demonstrate this daily on free Tabernacle tours, dropping a pin and tearing a sheet of paper from the front of the hall.
Joining the Choir
How do I audition for The Tabernacle Choir?
Auditions run from June 1 to August 15 each year. They are open to members of the Church in good standing who hold a current temple recommend, are aged 25 to 55, and live within 100 miles of Temple Square. The process has four phases, and the residency requirement exists so members can attend weekly.
Do Tabernacle Choir members get paid?
No. All roughly 400 singers are unpaid volunteers. Members cover only their own transport to Temple Square; the Church pays for everything else, including tour travel, clothing and meals. Nobody is out of pocket to perform or to tour internationally.
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