On March 6, 2022, The Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square resume live broadcasts of Music & the Spoken Word from the historic Tabernacle on Temple Square.  It has been ten weeks—eight weeks longer than planned—since The Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square members have been able to perform together in person.

Last December Choir organization members had a planned two-week break after completing the December 19 Music & the Spoken Word broadcast and several busy days that week taping the PBS and BYUtv Christmas special--planned for release in 2022.

However, due to the surge in Omicron infection rates after Christmas and into the new year, the planned two weeks turned into ten weeks. Choir leaders determined that in order to return to live performances safely, there was a need to wait until the number of Omicron cases had declined sufficiently to permist safe performing together.

It was a “step back on the ice” as President Leavitt had described when the Choir had resumed their in-person performances last October. President Leavitt had used the analogy of “walking on ice” to explain how the Choir would resume. “You take a few careful steps, pausing to listen for cracking sounds, knowing you can step back to safety if necessary."

During this latest pause at the start of 2022, the Choir has continued to draw on its archive of digitally-recorded Choir music for newly-compiled Music & the Spoken Word broadcasts each week. There was a new “Spoken Word” for each weekly broadcast as well.

The Choir organization is still “leaning forward with faith” as Choir president Michael Leavitt urged—taking one careful “step at a time" to return to live performances and hopefully in the not-too-distanct future, performances with public audiences. Gratefully, the success of The Tabernacle Choir’s COVID protocols, which the Choir will continue, have proven to be key in keeping the members safe as they perform together.