The world-renowned Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square will travel internationally for their upcoming tour, performing in six cities in four Nordic countries and the United Kingdom. The tour will be 22 days long from Thursday, June 25, through Thursday, July 16, 2020. The tour will include performances in the following cities and venues:

Ticket purchase information will be available at tabchoir.org/tour as tickets become available at the various venues. The concert at St. David’s Hall in Cardiff will be a benefit concert with attendance by invitation only. It is anticipated that tickets will be available at all venues by early 2020.

Choir president Ron Jarrett said the name of the tour is a nod to the history of the Choir, which took root because of early converts to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with musical talents from Wales and other areas to be visited on the upcoming tour. “We stand on the shoulders of these musical pioneers who created a legacy that has influenced the entire world for good. What an honor it will be to share the joy and peace the music of the Choir brings in some of the very places where it all began.”

The concert at St. David’s Hall in Cardiff will be a benefit concert for The Prince’s Trust with attendance by invitation only. Ticket information for the other venues will be announced at a later date.

The first conductor of The Tabernacle Choir, John Parry, was an early Welsh convert to the Church who later immigrated to Salt Lake City, Utah. In 1849, he led 85 Welsh members in a singing group and was soon asked by Church President Brigham Young to form an official choir. Another future conductor of the Choir, George Edward Percy Careless, began his musical career in London in 1862 after completing formal studies at the Royal Academy of Music. In 1865, Young approached Careless and said, “Brother George, I have a mission for you. I want you to be Chief Musician of the Church. I want you to take The Tabernacle Choir and the Theatre Orchestra and lay a foundation for good music.” And that is just what he did during his tenure.

The Tabernacle Choir first traveled to Europe on a seven-week concert tour in 1955. Since that first grand European tour, the Choir has toured there five other times: to western and central Europe in 1973, northern Europe in 1982, eastern Europe in 1991, southern Europe in 1998, and central Europe in 2016. The Choir last toured these four Nordic cities 37 years ago in 1982. It has not visited Wales or Scotland since the first European tour in 1955.

Since its first tour outside of Utah in 1893, the Choir has toured extensively across the United States and abroad. In addition to its previous tours to Europe, it has performed in music capitals from Israel and Russia to Japan and Australia. Its travels have also included performances at the inaugurations of seven U.S. presidents. A complement of approximately 65 members of the Orchestra has traveled on tour with the Choir since 2005.

EVENTS ON TEMPLE SQUARE DURING TOUR

Although the Choir and Orchestra will be on tour, check out what will be happening on Temple Square during their absence. Special events are scheduled for those whose summer travel plans include a visit to Temple Square when the Choir and Orchestra are out of town.

For more information, please visit www.thetabernaclechoir.org/tour.