The Orchestra at Temple Square will celebrate its 20^th Anniversary Concert on October 25-26 (Friday, Saturday) in the Salt Lake Tabernacle at 7:30 p.m. The program will include a new work celebrating the Orchestra’s anniversary by composer Nathan Hofheins and Beethoven’s acclaimed Piano Concerto no. 5 in E Flat Major (“Emperor”), op.73, featuring pianist Stephen Beus, 2006 Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition winner and graduate of The Julliard School. Dr. Beus is currently an assistant professor on the piano faculty at Brigham Young University. The concert will conclude with Tchaikovsky’s Symphony no. 4 in F Minor, op. 36.

Igor Gruppman will conduct the Orchestra at Temple Square for this anniversary concert.  Gruppman was the Orchestra's concertmaster at the inaugural concert in 1999 and was named conductor of the Orchestra in 2003. He enjoys a career as a violin soloist, conductor, concertmaster and chamber musician and has appeared in the great European capitals and in the major cities of North America, Israel, and New Zealand. In addition to his duties with the Orchestra at Temple Square, he is currently concertmaster of the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra.

Tickets

• Tickets for the concerts on Friday and Saturday are complimentary will be available on Tuesday, September 24 at www.ChurchofJesusChrist.org/events.
• Each patron may request up to four complimentary tickets.
• Admission is open to those eight and older.

The Orchestra at Temple Square was formed in the fall of 1999 by leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to serve as a companion ensemble forThe Tabernacle Choir. At the first orientation meeting and Orchestra rehearsal on October 16, 1999, church leaders quoted former church president Brigham Young’s 1862 statement affirming the universal need for good music: “All good music belongs to heaven. Sweet harmonious sounds give exquisite joy to human beings capable of appreciating music.”

For the past twenty years, the Orchestra has uplifted, inspired, and given joy to audiences around the world performing their “sweet harmonious sounds.” Each week up to 85—of the nearly 200 volunteers--provide instrumental support to the Choir in the weekly broadcast of Music & the Spoken Word.The Orchestra also performs with the Choir in concerts as well as presenting its own fall symphonic concert in the Tabernacle. Since 2003 when the Choir founded their own recording label, the Orchestra has performed on every Choir recording. Beginning in 2005, a full complement of the Orchestra has traveled with the Choir when they tour.

“The Orchestra at Temple Square is a wonderful group of dedicated musicians,” Mack Wilberg, music director of The Tabernacle Choir remarked. “They understand the importance and power of music—the language of music—to reach the hearts of our audiences. They appreciate the responsibility and opportunity they have of bringing this music to each person who listens to them.”