15 Quotes About the Choir by Famous People
The Mormon Tabernacle Choir has a reputation that stretches far beyond the Rocky Mountains, and into the hearts of millions worldwide. Many people have come from far and wide to experience the Choir’s vibrant sound in their hometown of Salt Lake City, UT. Others have gathered in large numbers to see them as they toured the United States and various parts of the globe. Award winning artists and world leaders have experienced the distinct voice that is the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Countless people have praised the work and dedication of the Choir and below are just some of the examples:
Sting (Musician): "I obviously knew the reputation of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, but I'd never experienced it. I began the song, and then this sound filled the room, this vibration filled the room, I turned to the director and said, I've never heard human beings sound this way.”
Jimmy Stewart (Actor): “I have always felt that we needed to put the emphasis on what Christmas is really all about, and this story does that…the chance to stand in front of that choir that I have adored all my life was just impossible to resist.”
Ronald Reagan (40th President of the United States): It was President Reagan who first referred to the Choir as “America’s Choir.” He also stated, “At my first inauguration as president of the United States, I wanted very much to reignite the fires of liberty and re-inspire the American spirit. And no one sings the anthems of America quite like the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.”
John Williams (Composer): “These are people who are there for the joy of music. It’s not a job with them; It’s a mission.”
Renee Fleming (Opera Soprano): “I’ve lived in New York all my life, and we went to the Mormon Pageant each year in upstate New York. It still is a wonderful production. I remember going and seeing the performance and listening to the music. My father had Mormon Tabernacle Choir music, and we would listen to it and sing with it.”
John Schmidt (Pianist –The Piano Guys): “When people ask what’s on my iPod, it’s the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.”
Tom Brokaw (Television Journalist): Called the Choir and Orchestra, “an important part of the Brokaw musical library,” and a "National treasure.”
Deborah Voigt (Opera Soprano): “I have followed this organization and this respected institution for many, many years.”
George H. W Bush (41st President of the United States): At his 1989 inauguration he referred to the Choir as a "National treasure.”
Angela Lansbury (Actress): “It was an extraordinary experience to have backup singers like the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. I have never experienced anything quite like it before and I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.”
Walter Cronkite (Journalist): “The way we were treated, the time we spent with the Choir, it was truly a life-changing experience”
Frederica von Stade (Opera Mezzo-Soprano): “I can’t believe they make these amazing sounds…and do it with such heart and soul.”
Joseph F. Smith (The 6th President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints): In speaking about the Choir's first trip to the World's Fair, Smith said, “I consider it has done more good than five thousand sermons would have done in an ordinary or even in an extraordinary way.”
Gordon B. Hinckley (The 15th President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints): “This is His choir, and each of us is but a transient, occupying a chair for a season and filling with dedication a place in the great flowering of His eternal work.”
Thomas S. Monson (The President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints): “I do not hesitate to profess that there is no finer choir in the entire world…perhaps you have listened to their albums or seen them on television. Until you have experienced a live concert, however, you cannot appreciate all that they have to offer.”
Below is one of the more popular videos from the Choir's YouTube channel, "Over the Rainbow," from The Wizard of Oz.