The Organs at Temple Square

The original organ was built by Joseph Ridges, an English convert to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who came to Salt Lake City by way of Australia. Ridges’ modest instrument, built with old-world craftsmanship and a liberal dose of pioneer ingenuity, was constructed of materials native to the region as far as possible.

Though the organ has been rebuilt and enlarged several times during its history, the original casework and some of Ridges’ pipes remain in the organ today.

The organs on Temple Square include the Tabernacle Organ, the Conference Center Organ, the Assembly Hall Organ, the Joseph Smith Memorial Building Organ, and a number of other practice organs.

From the Tabernacle organ with its iconic, gilded façade to the imposing cherry-wood case of the Conference Center organ; from the flamed copper pipework of the Assembly Hall organ to the smaller instruments used for worship or in practice rooms, the pipe organs on Temple Square exhibit a breadth of approach to organ construction and tonal design.

While each of these instruments receives regular use, the Tabernacle and Conference Center organs are heard most often by the public — in recitals, on the Choir’s weekly broadcast of Music & the Spoken Word, on numerous recordings, and at countless other occasions.

The Tabernacle Choir organ staff consists of three full-time and two part-time musicians. These organists carry on the more than 100-year-old tradition of daily recitals on Temple Square and support the Choir in its rehearsals and performances.

From 2020, when the Choir and Orchestra were unable to gather for performances, the organists presented Piping Up!, a weekly livestreamed broadcast given over entirely to organ performance. The series has since ended, and those performances remain available on the Choir’s YouTube channel.