A Warm Thank You and Farewell to Scott Barrick
Scott Barrick was not in the Choir loft singing on Music & the Spoken Word every Sunday, nor was he in the great music halls on Choir tours around the world. Instead, he worked diligently for 21 years to shape the image, face, name, and reach of The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square around the world.
As general manager of the Choir, Barrick’s imprint was and is everywhere. He established the Choir’s own record label and produced 112 products, many of which climbed to the top of the Billboard® charts. He launched a Choir YouTube channel; changed the official name of the Choir and the logo; helped the Choir become the number one Christmas program on PBS; established a presence on Spotify, Pandora, and other digital music channels; and coordinated the Choir’s Olympic 2002 appearance and the ticketing for hundreds of other Choir events for two decades.
He has been busy. This month, Barrick, general manager of The Tabernacle Choir, is retiring.
“He wore many hats,” Mack Wilberg, music director of the Choir, said. “He was juggling a lot of things at the same time. I guess the word is multitasking, and he did it in such a great way.”
When Barrick came to the Choir, it was like joining a family business. He took the operations to a dramatically new level, laying a foundation for a broad-based business enterprise to support the world-famous choir. In particular, he ushered the Choir into the digital age; the Choir’s YouTube channel has more than 500 million video views. And in Barrick’s eyes, that’s just the beginning.
“He’s been able to help the Choir not only build its reputation but be a means by which it could provide music that brings a sense of peace and healing throughout the world,” said Choir president Michael Leavitt.
Barrick has worked with three Choir presidents: Mac Christensen, Ron Jarrett, and now Michael Leavitt. He has supported music director Mack Wilberg and associate music director Ryan Murphy and earlier, Craig Jessop.
“It’s fair to say,” Choir biographer Heidi Swinton said, “that he was a presence at the Choir. He was always there carrying his to-do list in a notebook with tabs. He was a strong leader with a kind and generous manner.”
But it was never about him. Barrick has explained, “I know that God’s hand is in the work of this choir and that He wants His children to feel His love. That’s why the Choir exists.”
Barrick and his wife, Shauna, are stepping into a new opportunity of Church service. They have been called on a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to be the site leaders for the Church’s historic sites in Ohio, including Kirtland.