The Bells on Temple Square will present “An Expedition of Sound” on Friday, May 26, at 7:30 p.m. in the Salt Lake Tabernacle.

This spring concert, led by LeAnna Willmore, conductor of the Bells on Temple Square, will feature the talented versatility of the 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. The music for the evening will explore a variety of musical genres from hymns, folk music, and classical to jazz, gospel, and patriotic. In keeping with the pattern of Bells on Temple Square concerts, the handbell numbers will be interspersed with organ solos by Temple Square organists Bonnie Goodliffe and Linda Margetts, as well as pieces by members of the Orchestra at Temple Square

The evening opens with “A Little Mountain Suite” and arrangements of “Festive Toccato on Old Hundredth,” “Abide with Me,” and “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross.” The bells move to explorations of melodies and sounds with “Expedition,” “Scherzo,” “Tarantella,” and the “Firebird Finale,” ending the concert with modern sounds of “Fly Me to the Moon,” “Bound for Glory,” and “The Stars and Stripes Forever.”

The Bells on Temple Square have been performing with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and in separate concerts since it was organized in 2005. Part of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir organization, the handbell ensemble includes 33 volunteer musicians drawn from within 100 miles of Temple Square. 

Tickets for the concert are free and will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis beginning Tuesday, April 25, 2017 at 10:00 a.m. Mountain Daylight Time, through lds.org/events or by phone at 801-570-0080. Each patron may request four tickets, and admission is open to those eight years of age and older.

During May—and beginning again in September—the Bells Wednesday night rehearsals in the Tabernacle are open to the public. (Due to Tabernacle maintenance, no public rehearsals will be held from June through August.) Please check the Choir website calendar to confirm specific rehearsal dates, as they are subject to change or preemption.

In July 2017, the Bells on Temple Square will be the featured ensemble at the Handbell Musicians of America’s 2017 National Seminar closing event held in Anaheim, California.