Manila

The Choir’s second stop on the Songs of Hope world tour was its most wide-ranging yet: nine days in the Philippines built around four very different concerts. One was for business leaders. Another centered on sacred music. Each was shaped for the people in the room.

“This is a worldwide tour, and a primary objective of ours is to carry a message of hope in Jesus Christ,” said Choir President Michael O. Leavitt. “I don’t know many countries around the world where that is a more important message.”

Members of the Choir presidency met with President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr. and members of his cabinet, and with interfaith leaders across Manila — the relationships mattering as much as the performances.

The Choir also sang with the next generation. Some fifty Filipino youth performed alongside singer-songwriter Ysabelle Cuevas on “If You Believe.” “Singing with The Tabernacle Choir has always been a dream of mine,” Cuevas said, “so everything last night was just perfect.”