Tour Diary 8—The More Things Change the More They Stay the Same
By Brian Johnson, Mormon Tabernacle Choir member
What’s New with The Tabernacle Choir
Tour Diary 7—We Do This For Love!
By: Janine Green, Mormon Tabernacle Choir mjember
Choir Makes History Again – 60 Years Later!
On Friday, July 15, 2016 at 6 a.m. the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square—in full concert attire—loaded buses outside their Paris hotel to travel to the Eiffel Tower. What made this morning so memorable was the chance to recreate the official 1955 Choir photograph on the same spot outside the Palais de Chaillot with the Eiffel Tower in the background from which the original picture was taken.
Tour Diary 6—Appreciative Audiences are our Reward!
By Jules Aamodt, Orchestra at Temple Square member
Tour Diary 5—Performing to Our Largest Audience in Zurich!
Contributed by Tamara Oswald, Orchestra at Temple Square member
Next Stop: Brussels Belgium
With previous concerts in Berlin and Nuremberg, Germany; Vienna, Austria; Zurich, Switzerland; and Frankfurt, Germany, the Choir and Orchestra made their sixth stop in Brussels, Belgium, at the Bozar Centre for Fine Arts. The concert hall opened in 1928 and is home to the National Orchestra of Belgium.
Tour Diary 4—Performing in Vienna Austria, the “City of Music”
By, Arthur E. Newell, Mormon Tabernacle Choir Member
The Mormon Tabernacle Choir Inspires Concertgoers in Frankfurt Germany
As the Choir and Orchestra stepped off the tour buses at the Jahrhunderthalle convention center in Frankfurt, Germany, comments like, “This looks like Epcot Center,” or “It’s kind of like the Tabernacle” could be heard among the crowd in describing the dome-shaped building. The relatively quick bus ride was appreciated by the entire touring company, and everyone was rested and ready to give their all for the concert.
Tour Diary 3—A Nuremberger Helped Make the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Famous
Special Contributor, Gernot Hesselbarth, Nuremberg
Tour Diary 2—Berlin: A Remarkable Beginning for the 2016 Tour
By Barry Hillam, Orchestra at Temple Square member
Tour Diary 1—Memorize, Practice, and Prepare!
Written by: Sandey Johansen, Mormon Tabernacle Choir member
The Mormon Tabernacle Choir Visits Switzerland for the First Time in 25 Years
Zurich, Switzerland, was the fourth stop on the Mormon Tabernacle Choir’s 2016 European tour. The last time the Choir was in Zurich was 1991, when they performed at the same venue, Hallenstadion—a multipurpose venue that has played host to musical artists such as ABBA, the Rolling Stones, the Eagles, and, more recently, Adele, Imagine Dragons, and Ed Sheeran—even Justin Bieber will take his turn at Hallenstadion in November.
Response to European Tour Overwhelmingly Positive
The Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square returned home from a three-week European tour on July 16, 2016. It was their first visit to Europe in 18 years. Concerts were presented in seven cities: Berlin, Nuremberg, and Frankfurt, Germany; Vienna, Austria; Zurich, Switzerland; Brussels, Belgium; and Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Although Choir and Orchestra members arrived home tired and a little road-weary, each would say that the trip was worth the months of preparation and practice.
A Musical Program of Faith and Devotion
When the Mormon Tabernacle Choir goes on tour, it showcases a broad range of musical styles and genres—literally, from Bach to Broadway. But on the Choir's 2016 tour of Central and Western Europe, the program is much more than just a pot-pourri collection of favorites. Mack Wilberg and Ryan Murphy have carefully crafted a unified program that demonstrates the Choir's remarkable versatility while also taking the audience on a musical journey of faith and devotion.
Ron and Lucie Jarrett Reflect on “Coming Home”
A mission homecoming generally is held in the country you are from, not where you served. But for Ron and Lucie Jarrett, returning to Europe with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square proved to be a marvelous “coming home” of a different sort.
The Choir Performs in the City of Music—Vienna, Austria
It was like stepping back in time—history came to life as the buses pulled into Vienna—the City of Music, as it is known. Musikverein, also known as the “Great Hall,” is one of the first-rate concert halls in the world. At 161 feet long and 62 feet wide, it is smaller than the Salt Lake Tabernacle but similar in having a long design and natural acoustics. Musikverein was inaugurated on January 6, 1870, and has been the home of famous conductors, including Johannes Brahms and Gustav Mahler.
Choir and Orchestra Perform in Historic Nuremberg Germany
Another concert, another round of standing ovations and encores! The second concert stop of the tour was at Meistersingerhalle in Nuremberg, Germany—a place that played an important role during the Nazi Germany era. Nazi party conventions, which were known as the Nuremberg Rallies, took place on these grounds in the late 1920s and 1930s.
German Members Impressed President Monson with their Singing
In 1968 when Thomas S. Monson, then an Apostle of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, first visited members of the Church in a small, second-story room of an old warehouse in Görlitz, East Germany [formerly known as the German Democratic Republic] he was deeply moved by the beautiful singing of church hymns and the spirit of the people he met.
Choir's Unique Welcome to Berlin in 1955
In post-war Germany in the 1950s, it was unprecedented to have permission to travel “through the Russian zone on a regular train” to Berlin with a group as large as the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, " explained Justus Ernst. "After long hours or preparation, wondering, worrying and much praying, the world-famous Tabernacle Choir finally arrived in Berlin Monday evening, September 5, 1955... This was the largest group of foreigners ever to cross through this strip of communist-held territory except on military trains.”
German Members Impressed President Monson with their Singing
In 1968 when Thomas S. Monson, then an Apostle of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, first visited members of the Church in a small, second-story room of an old warehouse in Görlitz, East Germany [formerly known as the German Democratic Republic] he was deeply moved by the beautiful singing of church hymns and the spirit of the people he met.
Announcing the 2016 Pioneer Day Guest Artists
This year’s Pioneer Day concert guests are one of the Choir’s most popular guest artists, having performed in the 2007 Christmas concerts, four Cultural Olympiad concerts held in the Tabernacle during the 2002 Winter Olympic Games, and numerous Music & the Spoken Word appearances. We are pleased to announce the King’s Singers as our special guests.
Music & the Spoken Word celebrates the 100th Anniversary of the National Park Service
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the creation of the National Park Service, which was entrusted with the care of America’s national parks and monuments in 1916. Three Music & the Spoken Word broadcasts celebrate this anniversary. The first aired on June 12 and the others will air on July 10 and August 21. The July 10 broadcast features a “Spoken Word” message by Lloyd Newell speaking from Yellowstone National Park.
Mormon Tabernacle Choir Donates Proceeds from Vienna Austria Concert to Charity
The Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square performed in the “Goldener Saal” (Golden Hall) of the famed Musikverein concert hall, on July 3, 2016. Since the 18th century, Vienna has been a major city for the performing arts and is often referred to as “the capital of classical music.” The “Goldener Saal” of the Musikverein was completed in 1870 and Johannes Brahms was principal music conductor there (1873-75) and Gustav Mahler served as orchestra conductor (1898-1901).
The Choir and Orchestra Perform in Berlin, Germany for the First Time in 25 years!
For the first time since 1991—25 years—the Mormon Tabernacle Choir performed in Berlin, Germany on Thursday, June 29, 2016. This concert--the first of the Choir’s seven city European concerts--had been eagerly anticipated since it i was announced late last summer. Those who attend the Choir’s 1991 Berlin concert still remember the excitement and thrill of seeing the Choir and a special historic event that occurred that same day.
Multiple Benefits of Choir’s Tour Sound Checks
The Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square presented their fourth European concert in Zurich, Switzerland on Wednesday, July 6, 2016. This was the Choir’s first concert in Zurich since 1991–in the same venue where they performed 25 years ago—the Hallenstadion.
Happy Fourth of July from the Choir and Orchestra in Europe!
While on tour in Europe for the first time in 18 years, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square took some time to say "Happy Fourth of July" to friends and family back home in the United States.
Nuremberg Native Alexander Schreiner Was a Tabernacle Organist for Over 50 Years
For the second stop on the 2016 European Tour, The Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square performed at Meistersingerhalle in Nuremburg, Germany, the city which was the birthplace of former Tabernacle organist Alexander Schreiner.