The Tabernacle Choir Blog

Stream Piping Up! Second Anniversary Organ Concert

Plan now to watch the Internet series Piping Up! Organ Concerts at Temple Square celebrate its second  anniversary with a special concert called “Pieces of Eight” featuring each of the current Tabernacle and Temple Square organists: Richard Elliott, Andrew Unsworth, Brian Mathias, Linda Margetts, and Joseph Peeples with three emeritus organists: John Longhurst, Clay Christiansen, and Bonnie Goodliffe.

The second anniversary concert stream on Wednesday, June 22, 2022, at 6:00 p.m. will include performances on the two largest and most famous organs on Temple Square: The Tabernacle’s Æolian-Skinner organ and the Conference Center’s Schoenstein organ. This second anniversary special is being called “Pieces of Eight”—not because it has anything to do with old Spanish coins—but because, when you add the three emeritus organists to the five current Temple Square and Tabernacle organists, you get eight brilliant musicians!

Piping Up! Second Anniversary Concert
“Pieces of Eight”

  • WHEN:
    Wednesday, June 22     at 6:00 p.m.  (Mountain Time)

PROGRAM
The music for the program will include organ music arranged by the renowned former Taberrnacle organist Robert Cundick: the “National Emblem March,” and “Abide with Me, ‘Tis Eventide.” The program will also feature “Pavane pour un infant defunte” by Ravel; “Ich Geh und such emit Verlangen,” BWV 49 by Bach; Adagio in E Major by Bridge; and “Festival Toccata on ‘St. Anne’” by Swann.

Audiences will enjoy the organists’ comments and answers to questions often asked of Tabernacle and Temple Square organists:

  • What goes into preparing an organ duet with a unique set of challenges: the pedaling, arms crossing, manuals, and registration changes?
  • What is involved in being the designated organist for an episode of Music & the Spoken Word?
  • What have you learned from your colleagues about the legacy of performing on the Tabernacle organ?
  • What are the advantages of using tablets to display music and Bluetooth buttons to turn pages? How do you mark up your scores digitally when you are preparing a piece?
  • When the Conference Center was built, what were the key issues that were faced when it was decided that the space should have a pipe organ?

Piping Up! Organ Concert Stream Weekly Series

The worldwide pandemic suspended live daily organ performances on Temple Square in March 2020—a beloved tradition going back to 1908. At that time, no one knew how long the live performances would be paused due to the pandemic. In their place, the talented Tabernacle and Temple Square organists proposed the start of the new Piping Up! series which began streaming on June 17, 2020. The concerts have been very popular with online audiences and continue to be streamed every Wednesday, at 12:00 p.m. (Mountain Time).

To date, millions of people around the world have been able to enjoy Piping Up! concert streams from Temple Square. Using the technology available today, concerts are recorded and streamed from organ locations on Temple Square without a live audience. After two years, the weekly organ stream has become a treasured Temple Square tradition. Dr. Luke Howard, a former singing member of The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square and associate professor of music history at BYU, narrates each broadcast with fascinating information about the music and composers to enhance the concert for those who tune in.

Piping Up! Information You’ll Want to Know!

Programs for each weekly concert are available to download from the Piping Up!  events page (tabchoir.org/pipingup)

Piping Up! Concerts Continue to be Available on Demand
The weekly Wednesday organ streams, like those since the concerts’ inception in June 2020, are available for viewing on-demand following the stream. Previous concerts are found on the Choir’s YouTube channel and on the Choir website under the "Watch Videos section” with the name of the performing organist and their concert music repertoire listed.

Request Organ Repertoire for a Future Concert Performance
Hearkening back to a Temple Square tradition from years ago, Piping Up! fans can request repertoire for consideration for performance in a future concert. If you would like to submit a request, please click here to enter the title and composer of the organ piece. Periodic future Piping Up! concerts will include music requested from patrons.

In case you missed it!

Enjoy the 5 Tabernacle and Temple Square organists performing together the “Finale” from the William Tell Overture during the premier June 17, 2020 concert: