Latter-day Saints travel from all over the world to attend the semiannual general conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Conference Center in Salt Lake City, and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir has been providing music for the conferences since 1867. The Choir will sing at the Saturday morning, Sunday morning, and Sunday afternoon sessions of the October 2015 General Conference. Music selections are drawn from the hymns of the Church and other music rich with traditional meaning for Church members. A special selection is often chosen to appeal to the children of the Church. You can find veiwing information at www.lds.org.
Former director of music at King’s College, Cambridge, England, Sir David Willcocks passed away last week at the age of 95. Willcocks spent his lengthy career raising the standards of British choral music and earned over 50 honorary degrees.
SALT LAKE CITY – Acclaimed conductor Igor Gruppman will lead the Orchestra at Temple Square in this year’s fall concert, which features soloist Kevin Kenner—hailed as “one of the finest American pianists to come along in years” (Howard Reich, “Star on the Rise,” Chicago Tribune, Oct. 30, 1994, chicagotribune.com). The concert will take place in the Tabernacle on Temple Square on Friday, October 16, and Saturday, October 17, 2015, at 7:30 p.m.
Elder Richard G. Scott, tenderhearted member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles since 1988 and dear friend of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, died Tuesday, September 22, 2015. Elder Scott will be remembered and revered by Choir members for his support and encouragement.
For logistical and scheduling reasons, the annual Christmas concert of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square has been moved to Thursday through Saturday, December 17–19. More information about the concert and guest artists will follow in the weeks to come.
Picture yourself walking through New York City or Boston and suddenly being stopped in your tracks by a large group singing “America the Beautiful.” You then thank them for the singing only to find out that they are members of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square. Too good to be true right? Not so fast…
The Choir’s Atlantic Coast Tour in the summer of 2015 made its final stop in Boston, Massachusetts. The Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square performed for a full house at the historic Wang Theatre at the Citi Performing Arts Center. The concert included highlights such as associate music director Ryan Murphy’s childhood teachers cheering him on, Alex Boyé splitting his pants while doing a split, and Jane Clayson guest conducting the finale.
Ready or not, Christmas is coming! If you’re an early shopper that means you’ve already started, and we’ve got the perfect gift idea—Keep Christmas with You. Featuring The Muppets® from Sesame Street® and Santino Fontana, this CD and DVD is loaded with Christmas classics, as well as Sesame Street favorites from the Choir’s 2014 Christmas concert in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is now available for pre-order on Amazon, and DeseretBook.com. The album is also available for download on iTunes.
Can you imagine inviting your elementary, middle school, and high school music teachers to attend a concert where you are conducting? That’s exactly what Ryan Murphy, associate music director of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir did when he learned that all three teachers still lived within driving distance of Boston, location of the Choir’s final concert of its recently-concluded 2015 tour. Each one accepted his invitation without hesitation! “The fact that I felt comfortable calling them, knowing that they would still care, shows what kind of people they are,” Murphy commented in a group interview before the performance.
Ten years of bell ringing is something to celebrate. This year, the Bells on Temple Square marked the milestone of its creation in 2005 with special performances with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and concerts at BYU-Idaho and in the Tabernacle. “The 10th anniversary is a great tribute to the 32 musicians,” Leanna Willmore, conductor of the Bells says.
During the Choir’s Atlantic Coast Tour in the summer of 2015, we caught up with Alex Boyé in Boston before the tour’s final show. Boyé was on tour as the Choir’s guest soloist and performed the spirituals “I Want Jesus to Walk with Me” and “I’m Runnin’ On.” At the time of our interview, he was fresh off the stage from sound check and excited about his America’s Got Talent television audition performance that was making its way around the Internet and being shared by celebrities.
