The Tabernacle Choir Blog

Now on Facebook Live:
Music & the Spoken Word

Watching Music & the Spoken Word just got a whole lot easier.

The world’s longest-running continuous weekly broadcast, Music & the Spoken Word, is now broadcast every Sunday on Facebook Live. First used on the Choir’s Presidents’ Day special in February of this year, the additional live broadcast medium was a hit and has been available each week since that time. The live broadcast takes place Sundays from 9:30 to 10:00 a.m. mountain time each week.

Here’s how to have Facebook notify you when the Choir is broadcasting live:

  • Like the Choir’s Facebook page—Facebook Live for Choir videos only works when you have liked the page where live video is being broadcast.
  • Edit Notifications—While on the Choir’s Facebook page, edit notifications by clicking the arrow next to the word “Following.” On a mobile device, click “Edit Notification Settings.” Then under “Live Videos,” check “All Live Posts.”

Facebook Live joins the live streaming of Music & the Spoken Word on the Choir’s YouTube channel, which also takes place each week at the same time. Music & the Spoken Word viewers now have these digital options to connect with the program.

Music & the Spoken Word is a weekly half-hour broadcast of inspirational music, including hymns, classical, popular, instrumental, patriotic, Broadway, spirituals, holiday, folk, and more, specifically chosen by Choir music director Mack Wilberg and associate music director Ryan Murphy.

Along with the music, an uplifting message is given by longtime announcer Lloyd Newell. The “spoken word” is a nondenominational message of inspiration, hope, peace, and comfort to people around the world. The messages coordinate with the themes of the music or the special event upon which the broadcast is focused. When Newell was first assigned by LDS Church President Gordon B. Hinckley to be the weekly announcer and writer, he was asked to make each message an “inspirational gem.”

The Facebook Live broadcast capability debuted publicly on April 6, 2016. When Facebook made the announcement, it said, “Facebook Live is like having a TV camera in your pocket. Anyone with a phone now has the power to broadcast to anyone in the world. When you interact live, you feel connected in a more personal way. This is a big shift in how we communicate, and it's going to create new opportunities for people to come together.”

Although Music & the Spoken Word has just recently made its Facebook Live debut, the Choir’s first Facebook Live event happened on May 16, 2017, when Mack Wilberg and Ryan Murphy were interviewed in the Salt Lake Tabernacle and answered questions from fans. The Choir organization has also used Facebook Live for concerts of the Bells on Temple Square. Watch the Wilberg and Murphy interview: