The Bells at Temple Square celebrate the start of this year’s holidays with “Visions of the Season.”  Returning again to its annual concert tradition, the Bells will perform Friday and Saturday, November 18-19, 2022, at 7:30 p.m. (mountain time) in the Salt Lake Tabernacle. The program will also be streamed on the Choir's YouTube channel on Friday, November 18 (see details below).

Anyone who has ever watched this delightful handbell ensemble perform will tell you that the bell ringing always engages the audience. “With the Bells, it is not just about playing the notes,” said Teresa Winder, one of the charter members of the Bells at Temple Square. “It’s a visual art.”  You won’t want to miss the chance to watch the Bells appear to be “dancing” and hear their enchanting sounds. Each year, the Bells at Temple Square’s concert tickets have gone quickly to a very appreciative audience. (A downloadable concert program will be posted under "Related Links.")

The concert will be led by LeAnna Willmore, conductor of the Bells at Temple Square, with the assistance of Geoff Anderson, associate conductor. The concert will feature the talented versatility of the 33-member handbell choir playing on two sets of English handbells (one with 7 octaves and one with 6½ octaves) and two 6-octave sets of hand chimes. 

Program

The evening features Beethoven’s “Hymn to Joy” and the American folk song “Shenandoah” and “This Is My Country.” They will be followed by Christmas favorites “Christmas is Coming,” “Carol of the Birds,” “Joy to the World,” “Do You Hear What I Hear?” “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing,” “O Holy Night,” and “We Three Kings.” The concert finishes with “The Man with the Bag” and “Wizards in Winter.”

As with past Bells at Temple Square concerts, the handbell numbers will be interspersed with performances by members of the Orchestra at Temple Square and organ solos provided by Temple Square organists Linda Margetts and Joseph Peeples.

Tickets

Tickets for the concert are free but required, and usually go quickly. Each patron may request four tickets and admission is open to those eight years of age and older. Tickets will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis beginning Friday, November 4, 2022, at 9:00 a.m. MT. Patrons may request tickets here for Friday, November 18, or Saturday, November 19.

Access to the Tabernacle on Temple Square will be through the west gates. Check the map here for access and parking locations.

Stream the Concert on November 18 and then On-Demand!

This concert will be streamed on The Tabernacle Choir’s website on Friday, November 18 at www.tabchoir.org and on the Choir’s YouTube channel. It will also be available for on-demand viewing at the end of the concert on the Choir’s YouTube channel and in the Choir’s website's “Watch and Listen” section.

About the Bells at Temple Square

The Bells at Temple Square have been performing with The Tabernacle Choir and in separate concerts since it was organized in 2005. The Bells at Temple Square handbell ensemble includes 33 volunteer musicians drawn from within 100 miles of Temple Square. Like the members of The Tabernacle Choir, Orchestra at Temple Square, and Chorale at Temple Square, all the bell ringers are volunteer musicians. In addition to its anticipated twice-yearly concerts, the Bells often take part in the Choir's weekly Music & the Spoken Word broadcast and play a special role in the Choir’s annual Christmas concerts.