The Tabernacle Choir

Name Guidelines for The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square 

 

Four Ensembles in The Tabernacle Choir Organization 

There are four ensembles in The Tabernacle Choir organization listed below. The term “The Tabernacle Choir organization” may be used collectively to refer to the performers in these four ensembles as well as the volunteer and professional staff associated with the organization. “The” is only a part of the official name of the Choir; it is not used for the other ensembles except in cases of readability.

  • The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square
  • Orchestra at Temple Square
  • Bells at Temple Square
  • Chorale at Temple Square 

Capitalization

“The” with a capital “T” is always used with the full name and short name of The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square or The Tabernacle Choir. 

Full Name on First Use

Please use the full name of the Choir organization ensemble in the first use; a short use (e.g. The Tabernacle Choir, the Choir, the Orchestra, etc.) is acceptable thereafter. 

Capitalize ensemble short names after the first use of the full name, e.g. the Choir, the Orchestra, the Bells, the Chorale.

Approved Abbreviations

Please use the approved three-letter abbreviations when a shorthand is needed. Avoid other abbreviations which can spawn versions which detract from the  image appropriate for Choir organization ensembles: 

  • The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square: TBC
  • Orchestra at Temple Square: OTS
  • Bells at Temple Square: BTS
  • Chorale at Temple Square: CTS

Proper Use of “Tab Choir” 

The shorthand “Tab Choir” is reserved for digital and social media uses, such as in a short URL (e.g. TabChoir.org/Messiah) or in the Choir’s email address (first.last@tabchoir.org). The use of “Tab Choir” or other “nicknames” for any other purposes is discouraged due to negative impact on image and search engine optimization. 

Use of Ensemble Names Together

When Choir organization ensemble names are used together, it may sometimes be acceptable to avoid repeating “at Temple Square.”  Preferred usage is: 

  • The Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square
  • Chorale at Temple Square and Orchestra at Temple Square
  • Orchestra at Temple Square and Chorale at Temple Square
  • The Tabernacle Choir, Orchestra at Temple Square, and Bells at Temple Square

Translation of Choir Organization Ensemble Names

Choir organization ensemble names should not be translated into foreign languages. The ensemble name is part of its branding.

Since there are locational elements to the ensemble names, descriptive language in the target language may be used, if needed, after the first use in English.  For example, in Spanish: The Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square (“El Coro del Tabernáculo y la Orquesta de la Manzana del Templo.”)

Continued Use of Prior Names

On products or articles published by the Church or the Choir prior to October 5, 2018, the continued use of “Mormon Tabernacle Choir” (or other older names of the Choir), is encouraged to protect copyright and trademark interests in these names. In these historical references, it is not necessary to remove the word “Mormon” to follow current Church guidelines to honor the name of the Church.

The correct usage of “Mormon Tabernacle Choir” does not include the word “the.” For clarity, it may sometimes be appropriate to use the phrasing “the then-Mormon Tabernacle Choir.”

Articles that were originally published prior to October 5, 2018 that are republished with a new date after October 2018 (e.g. blogs) should use the current name of the Choir.
 

Music & the Spoken Word

 

Use “&” in the title 

Music & the Spoken Word always should include the ampersand sign “&” and not the word “and” to be consistent with its title trademark.

Italicize Music & the Spoken Word

As the title of The Tabernacle Choir’s weekly award-winning broadcast, Music & the Spoken Word should be italicized whenever possible.  If italics is not an option, it should be set in quotation marks: 'Music & the Spoken Word'.
 

Brief History of Tabernacle Choir Names

Over the years, a variety of names have been used for the Church choir based on Temple Square in Salt Lake City. In 1847, just three weeks after arriving in the Salt Lake Valley, a small pioneer choir was organized to sing for the first conference of the Church in their new settlement. In 1849, John Parry was called to formally organize a choir for conferences. This choir first made its home on Temple Square in an outdoor bowery and then in the small adobe tabernacle that replaced it in 1852. On October 6, 1867, the first conference meetings in the larger new Tabernacle—now standing on Temple Square—were held and the Tabernacle Choir name was in regular use.  

By 1869, the Choir was also known as “The Salt Lake Tabernacle Choir” to differentiate it from other choirs organized where additional tabernacles had been built in Utah cities such as St. George, Ogden, and Brigham City. As the Choir began to tour in the 1890s, and when it began to record its music in the 1910s, the names “Salt Lake Tabernacle Choir” as well as the “Salt Lake Mormon Tabernacle Choir” were used to identify the Choir for audiences outside of Utah. By 1929, when the Choir began broadcasting its weekly radio program now known as Music & the Spoken Word, the name “Mormon Tabernacle Choir” was used more consistently as the broadcast reached out to a wider audience. 

During Church general conference meetings, the name announced for the Choir varied from “Our Choir” to “Tabernacle Choir” to “Salt Lake Tabernacle Choir.” Beginning in the late 1980s, the name “Mormon Tabernacle Choir” was the name predominantly used for the Choir, although the shorter “Tabernacle Choir” was often used.

On October 5, 2018, the name of the Choir was changed to “The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square” to more closely align with the Choir’s sponsoring organization, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The new name reflects the heritage of the Choir’s home in the Tabernacle and its location on Temple Square.

The Choir organization on April 23, 2020, announced changes to names of two of its ensembles to provide consistency across the Choir musical organization. The bell choir (formerly Bells on Temple Square) became “Bells at Temple Square” and the training choir ensemble (formerly Temple Square Chorale) became “Chorale at Temple Square.”