After a pause in 2021, the Choir School experience that hopeful new Tabernacle Choir singers have been waiting for has finally arrived for 67 new participants—34 women and 33 men! This large group of 2022 Choir School students includes singers selected from both the 2020 and 2021 audition periods who were successful in passing the first three levels of the audition process to become singing members of The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square. The last steps of the months-long audition process include completing the Choir School training and singing with the Chorale at Temple Square. The Choir School participants will be invited to sing as members of The Tabernacle Choir at the conclusion of their successful Choir School completion. 

The Tabernacle Choir audition process began during the summer months of both 2020 and 2021 with a written application and voice recording submission, a music skills assessment test, and an in-person vocal audition and interview with a member of the Choir presidency. Those who passed each level were invited to join this year’s 16-week training school, which is like a graduate course in choral singing but is sometimes thought of as a choral “boot camp.” The choir training also includes singing with the Chorale at Temple Square.

As in past years, this part of the training culminates in a concert by the Chorale at Temple Square and Orchestra at Temple Square which will be held on Friday and Saturday, May 6-7 in the Tabernacle.  More details about the concert will be published in the future. Read on for more details about Choir School and Chorale at Temple Square.

Choir School

Each Thursday night, the Choir School’s participants receive training in sight-reading, music theory, rehearsal techniques, vocal blending, listening skills, attendance expectations, Choir policies, and being committed to the intense schedule of the Choir, which includes concerts, recordings, touring, general conference music, and other special Church events. Unlike most other choirs, Tabernacle Choir singers must be ready to perform for the public every week of the year on the Music & the Spoken Word broadcast, now in its 93th year of  broadcasting over radio, television, and internet throughout the entire world.

Chorale at Temple Square

On Tuesday nights—in addition to the Thursday night Choir School classes—Choir associate music director Ryan Murphy leads the singers as the conductor of the Chorale at Temple Square. The Chorale includes not only the new potential members but also those who became members of The Tabernacle Choir the previous year, as well as other volunteer Choir members who want to participate. The Chorale was formed in 1999 as an ensemble of The Tabernacle Choir organization.

The Final Preparatory Steps: Concert and Final Exam

As the participants prepare to join The Tabernacle Choir, those in the Chorale at Temple Square perform a spring concert with the Orchestra at Temple Square under the direction of Ryan Murphy and take one final exam in the Choir School. After completing the concert and passing the final exam, Choir School participants will become members of The Tabernacle Choir. In 2022, it is anticipated that the new Choir members will begin performing with the Choir’s Music & the Spoken Word broadcast in mid-May. As Choir members they will be able to sing for a total of 20 years or until they are 60 years of age—whichever comes first. 

New audition applications for The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square will be available online on June 1, 2022,  and due August 15, 2022. Click here for more information. Applicants who are successful will be included in the 2023 Choir School and the Chorale at Temple Square.