What’s New with The Tabernacle Choir
It seems almost impossible not to feel the power of the popular children’s marching song “Called to Serve.” Its core message is a charge to press forward in God’s name. In a 1997 talk, Boyd K. Packer said, “The willingness of Latter-day Saints to respond to calls to serve is a representation of their desire to do the will of the Lord.”
On July 3, 2018, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square completed their successful 2018 Classic Coast Tour. It included seven concerts in Costa Mesa, Los Angeles, Berkeley, Rohnert Park, and Mountain View, California; Vancouver, British Columbia, and Seattle, Washington. They performed in beautiful concert halls and premier outdoor venues to standing ovations from the enthusiastic audiences thrilled by the variety and spirit of the beautiful music they presented.
The 1985 hymnal begins with the Restoration-themed “The Morning Breaks,” which sets the tone for the rest of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints hymnal.
March 4, 2016 marks the release of the newest recording of Handel’s Messiah by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square. Relying on historical research and musical tradition, Mack Wilberg has created an edition of Messiah for our time. Two versions of the recording will be available: the Complete Oratorio, containing every movement of Messiah on two CDs with a bonus DVD, and Highlights, including some of the best loved choruses with featured selections by each of the soloists.
Every year on July 24, Utahns gather in celebration to commemorate the arrival of Mormon pioneers, who settled in the Salt Lake Valley on that date in 1847. Celebrations include the Days of ’47 Parade, flag ceremonies, Handcart Days, dances, hikes, fireworks, and concerts.
On Sunday, July 15, 2018, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir began its ninth decade—nearly the entire lifetime of radio itself—broadcasting Music & the Spoken Word, the world’s longest-running continuous weekly network program, with music and messages of hope and inspiration.
Graham Walton listens to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir every day. His favorite Choir song is whatever the Choir is singing, and he counts Mack Wilberg and Ryan Murphy as two of his best friends. Graham is five years old.
Pioneer Day is an official Utah holiday that is celebrated on July 24. It commemorates the arrival and legacy of the original Mormon pioneers, who settled the state of Utah after migrating across the United States from the Midwest.
When two years of planning goes into the Mormon Tabernacle Choir’s massive tour, you’d better believe it’s going to be documented.
If a picture is worth a thousand words, then it may be safe to say that these seven photo albums will be worth a whole lot more. In case you’ve been taking a social media fast or missed our previous Classic Coast Tour posts, we shared a photo album from each of the seven tour stops.
Written by Siope Kinikini, Mormon Tabernacle Choir member
“Tell Me the Stories of Jesus” was written in 1885, by William Henry Parker. He was a member of the Chelsea Street Baptist Church, in Nottingham, England, where he was active in the work of the Sunday School. He wrote many hymns and songs throughout the years, and had fifteen of them published in the Sunday School Hymnary (1905).
The walls of the Conference Center won’t be able to contain all of the glee that will be emanating from within because song and dance man Matthew Morrison will be in the house. Along with Morrison, this year’s Pioneer Day concert will feature actress Laura Michelle Kelly and Oscar "Andy" Hammerstein III, grandson of Oscar Hammerstein II.
This year’s Pioneer Day concert is going to be a blast! Laura Michelle Kelly, along with Matthew Morrison and Oscar “Andy” Hammerstein III, grandson of Oscar Hammerstein II, will join The Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square for two nights of pure magic. The concerts will also serve as a reunion, as Kelly and Morrison previously starred together in Broadway’s Finding Neverland.
Written by Carol Salmon, Mormon Tabernacle Choir member
Thanks to the amazing fans around the world, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir’s YouTube channel has reached 150 million video views!
“Master, the Tempest Is Raging” is a hymn based on Mark 4:36–41. The hymn’s text, written by Mary Ann Baker, focuses on the story of the Savior and His disciples crossing the Sea of Galilee, when Jesus “rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still.”
The Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square members have just completed their successful 2018 Classic Coast Tour with seven concerts in Costa Mesa, Los Angeles, Berkeley, Rohnert Park, and Mountain View, California; Vancouver, British Columbia; and Seattle, Washington. They performed in stunningly beautiful concert halls and premier outdoor venues that were able to capture their sound and leave audiences enchanted by the variety and spirit of the beautiful music they presented.
The Orchestra sits “front and center” when it is on stage with The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square. Especially on tour. Just ask any member of the Orchestra, and they will agree that tour is a live performance in the best of ways.
Written By: Emily Rice, Member of the Orchestra at Temple Square
Dr. Timothy Seelig never expected to be a guest conductor for the Mormon Tabernacle Choir—any more than his choir members expected to sing with them. But that is just what happened at the Shoreline Amphitheatre south of San Francisco. Seelig, a veteran choir leader of 20 years who is the artistic director of the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus, led the Mormon Tabernacle Choir in the encore concluding the concert, the fourth stop in California on the Choir’s Classic Coast Tour.