What’s New with The Tabernacle Choir
Since 2008, Mack Wilberg has been the music director of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, and his duties include conducting 360 singers and the 150-piece Orchestra at Temple Square. The arranging, composing, rehearsal, performance, and recording schedule is rigorous, to say the least. By most people’s standards, that is already a lot to handle—but evidently not for Mack Wilberg. He’s taking on a new choir in his spare time.
Believe it or not, The Music Man will celebrate its 60th anniversary of opening on Broadway in 2017. Time flies, but the music will remain timeless. The musical opened on Broadway on December 19, 1957, and ran for 1,375 shows before closing on April 15, 1961. The show has had several revivals, including runs in 1980 and 2000.
“The only thing better than singing is more singing,” said the late acclaimed jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald. For members of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, this is particularly true because there is always more singing!
When composer-conductor John Williams conducted The Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square during the Cultural Olympiad for the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City he observed: “These are people who are there for the joy of music. It’s not a job with them; it’s a mission.”
On Tuesday, June 13, at 7:30 p.m. in the Tabernacle, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square will present a special concert for the American Guild of Organists (AGO) as a signature event for its West Region convention in Salt Lake City. The concert’s first half features a symphony for organ and orchestra by Alexandre Guilmant to be performed by Richard Elliott and the Orchestra at Temple Square. Organists Clay Christiansen and Andrew Unsworth will be featured in the concert’s second half with music by the Choir and Orchestra. (Read the full concert program.)The public is invited to the free concert; no tickets are required.
This year’s Pioneer Day concert guest artist, Christopher Jackson, is a Tony Award nominated actor, as well as Grammy and Emmy Award winning songwriter/composer. Jackson is best known for starring as George Washington in the critically acclaimed, award-winning musical, Hamilton, and currently appears in the hit CBS drama Bull. Jackson also recorded an original song written by Lin-Manuel Miranda for the Disney film Moana that premiered in 2016.
The Mormon Tabernacle Choir was established more than 150 years ago and has since recorded extensively and toured in the United States and around the world. In that time, the Choir has had many noteworthy performances and achievements. Here are some of the more notable achievements:
Nathan Pacheco’s music career is on a major upswing. Earlier this year, his latest album, Higher, reached no. 1 on three Billboard charts (Classical Albums, Classical Crossover Albums, and Heatseekers Mountain). He is also successfully touring and making exciting music videos in support of his album.