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Mormons pursue dreams of being in the Tabernacle Choir

Click here for the news release about upcomimg performance of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Performance at the Arizona Centennial

Click here for national PBS broadcast dates/times for "Christmas with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir with David Archuleta and Michael York"

David Archuleta: Christmas better spent with the family

Brain injury doesn’t stop Utah singer from following dream

Tabernacle organists serving a higher purpose

Click here for a list of new stations airing the weekly broadcast.

Click here for a list of changes in stations airing the weekly broadcast.

Latest News
The Choir Has a Closet of 2,000 Dresses!
This spring 17 women will join the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and the transition will look seamless – at least as far as the wardrobe is concerned. But it is a monumental task to keep all the women in matching outfits Sunday after Sunday, not to mention on tour. The Choir provides nine dresses for the women in colors to suit the camera and in styles to suit every figure. They come in fuchsia, blue, cream, raspberry, black, lilac, turquoise, rose and aqua. Each design in expected to last 20 years – more than a lifetime in anyone’s closet!

A staff of five volunteers with Valorie Jensen at the helm designs, stitches, alters, sews, presses, hems and cleans the 200 dresses. At her side are Peggy Becker—who has served as a member of the wardrobe committee for 35 years—Joyce Kennard, Susan Newland, and Connie Warner. When new Choir members are added, this committee tries first to fit them from existing inventory, making adjustments as needed. In some cases, they have to pull out the rolls of fabric in reserve to cut and sew new dresses.

When a new dress is introduced, the Choir orders 2,000 yards of fabric direct from the factory. The most recent addition to the wardrobe was what they call the “rose” dress. The committee used 1,100 yards of fabric for the dresses and put the rest on the shelf for future needs. Every woman is measured for her dress and each pattern is adjusted for fit—neckline, sleeve, front, back, length. Each dress is then made to fit. The process takes about five months. The committee members sew each one of the dresses.

Time was when the Choir ordered dresses from manufacturers. The Choir broke with that tradition when the fuchsia dress was introduced more than a decade ago and the committee has been “dressing” the women with their own creations ever since. In recent years, to assure they would get just the right color of fabric, the committee has sent sequins or spools of thread for an exact match. The dresses are always long—to the floor—so that the Choir does not have to provide matching shoes!

Facebook Fans Introduced to the Choir Raising the Tabernacle Roof!

 
If you are a fan of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir on Facebook, you get ongoing glimpses of the Choir’s latest recordings, announcements, program notes and applause from friends. There’s chat and more chat, too.

Take the new Glory! album just released. The new and very clever announcement of its availability (shown above) is also posted on Facebook. “Raise the Roof” says the TV commercial for the new 14-song recording and then that’s exactly what happens. The Tabernacle’s famous silver dome lifts up and out pours the music of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Not just lilting notes but high-spirited and dramatic ones that are the signature of the Choir in its message of singing praises and glory to God.

If you are not yet a fan of the Choir – become one right now. It is easy! There are two ways to do this:

Click “Like.” (Thumbs up!) at the top of the Facebook window (just under "Find us on Facebook" at the top right hand side of this page.

Or click here to go directly to the Choir’s Facebook page -- www.facebook.com/MormonTabernacleChoir -- and click “Like” right in the center of the first entry. You will be one of thousands of fans who are in the Choir’s circle of friends. And then tell your friends to do the same and the Choir will be well on its way to becoming not just America’s Choir but the World’s Choir.

Choir Releases Exuberant New Album—Glory!
Click here to hear Music Director Mack Wilberg introduce the new album on the Mormon Channel program "Mormon Tabernacle Choir Premiers."

Glory! Music of Rejoicing is more than the title of the new CD just released from the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square. It is the essence of the Choir and Orchestra. As Music Director Mack Wilberg explains, no other recording displays the virtuosity of the combined ensembles as does Glory!

The music draws from a variety of different sources. Every piece of the recording embodies some form of rejoicing—from the masters to hymns, Psalms, movies and even the Broadway stage.

What was the genesis for this new fourteen-song recording? Like so many who love the music of the Choir, Wilberg grew up listening to the old LP recordings which were often performed with the Philadelphia Orchestra. Two pieces stood out for him: Rimsky Korsakov’s “Glory” and “Psalm 48” by Gustav Holstz. Although they are quite different from one other, he loved the drama of each. Since becoming Music Director he has loved performing them with the Choir and Orchestra. When planning the latest recording these two pieces came to mind. He then thought of other pieces of music that imply rejoicing and shaped an album with that focus. Jubilant renditions of “Ode to Joy” from Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, Ennio Morricone’s “Nella Fantasia” from the movie The Mission, and the frequently requested anthem, “The Holy City” are included as well as the music of many well-known artists, including John Williams, John Rutter and Gioachino Rossini.

Wilberg notes that sometimes the hardest part of putting together a new album is finding the first and last piece: “I always have to know what that first and last piece is going to be and then build around it.” The recording opens with “Hymn of Praise” which was written by Wilberg in 2007 as a tribute to the opening of the then-newly renovated Tabernacle on Temple Square. He incorporated the hymn that many know as “Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow” which dates back to 1551. The CD concludes with “Ode to Joy,” excerpts from Beethoven’s well-known Symphony No. 9. As the advertising campaign for the new CD aptly states, it is music that “raises the roof!” Click here to go to the product page.

Looking Back at 2011

A new year calls for a quick look back to reflect upon great accomplishments, according to Choir President Mac Christensen. The world-renowned Mormon Tabernacle Choir and its related Orchestra at Temple Square, Temple Square Chorale, Bells on Temple registered an impressive list of events and activities in 2011.

Some of the highlights included more than fifty concerts and mini-concerts both on Temple Square and in other venues. It took over 300 rehearsals to put all the programs in place. The Choir sang in St. George, Utah at Dixie State College for its Centennial Celebration and at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building for its 100th Anniversary Event. The Choir and Orchestra presented an annual Pioneer Day Commemoration Concert, a mini concert for United States Governors, a concert for LDS Temple Presidents and a televised concert “Rising Above” with news anchor Tom Brokaw in honor of 9/11. The Choir joined with the Utah Symphony for the Tanner Gift of Music and concluded the year with the Christmas Concerts featuring acclaimed baritone Nathan Gunn and Emmy-award winning actress Jane Seymour. The special Christmas with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir aired on PBS across the nation. In addition there were fifty live broadcasts and two recorded broadcasts of Music and the Spoken Word. The Orchestra presented two concerts of major works and the Bells on Temple Square followed suit with two programs as well.

The Choir went on tour to five cities -- Norfolk, Virginia; Washington, D.C.; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Chautauqua, New York and Toronto, Ontario, Canada—with 600 people in tow. In those five venues the Choir presented 7 concerts. It took 3 airplanes to move them from Salt Lake to the Eastern Seaboard and 11 busses to cart them from one location to another. There were 4 trucks just for luggage and 4 large semi-trucks for all the equipment.

Organists Richard Elliott, Clay Christiansen, Andrew Unsworth, Bonnie Goodliffe and Linda Margetts plus special guest organists gave 470 organ recitals in the Tabernacle and Conference Center.

The Choir released three CDs under its own Mormon Tabernacle Choir® label, including Men of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, This is the Christ and Glad Christmas Tidings with David Archuleta and Michael York and two DVDs—One Voice: On the Road with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Glad Christmas Tidings.

Tom Waldron retired as director of the Bells on Temple Square; 18 Choir members retired; and 2 Orchestra members. New members in the Choir totaled 29; new orchestra members, 12; and new bell ringers, 4. Perhaps the most stirring event was the Choir’s singing at the funeral services of former and beloved Choir President Wendell Smoot who served seventeen years from 1984 to 2000.

Choir Opens “Boot Camp” for Singers

The Temple Square Chorale, the training ensemble for the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, begins rehearsals January 10 pointing to an Easter weekend concert. The Chorale is in session every winter as the final step to admittance to the Choir.

The intent of the Chorale, conductor Ryan Murphy explains, is to “accomplish preparation and assimilation” into the whole Choir. As a result, the Chorale members are trained in “laser-like intonation,” the standard for the Choir, says Murphy. What they learn is that “every chord has to lock in like a barbershop quartet.”

This year, 39 singers—22 men and 17 women--will make up the nucleus of the “new” Chorale membership. Singers who were new last year will also sing again this year as well as other current Choir members who volunteer to round out the ensemble at about 120 singers.

In addition to the Chorale, those admitted to this final stage of the auditioning process also attend Choir Training School. Cherilyn Worthen, director the Choir Training School, describes it as a “boot camp” for singers focused on vocal technique, sight reading skills, and music theory. Worthen is assisted by Choir vocal coach Rebecca Wilberg and Temple Square Organists Bonnie Goodliffe and Linda Margetts.

The Training School meets every Thursday evening; the Chorale every Tuesday. In addition to those new to the Choir program, an abbreviated version of the Training School is now held in October each year for existing Choir members. The combined impact of this focused training is an increase in the level of musicianship of Choir members which enables them to meet the demands of their calling to serve in the Choir.

Choir auditions will begin again in July. Click here for details.

Bells on Temple Square to Conduct Workshops, Auditions

January is a good time to begin something new. Like auditioning for a place in the Bells on Temple Square! Prior experience with bell ringing is helpful–but don’t count yourself out if you haven’t picked up a handbell in years or have never rung one.

The Bells on Temple Square, part of the family of Mormon Tabernacle Choir musical ensembles, is hosting a month of workshops for interested applicants beginning Saturday, January 7. The workshops will be held in the Tabernacle from 8:45 a.m. to 11 a.m. through the month. New members of the Bells on Temple Square will be chosen from those participating in the workshops. Those making the selections will be looking for experience, talent, stage presence–and desire to be in the troupe. The bell choir has positions for both men and women.

The 28-member Bells on Temple Square is an official part of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir music family. Being in the bell choir is both “fun” and “addicting,” says LeAnna Willmore, who directs the ensemble. The Bells often accompany the Choir and the Orchestra at Temple Square for concerts and broadcasts, including the Choir’s annual Christmas concert. Twice a year, Bells on Temple Square performs its own concerts.

Bell ringers need to be between the ages of 20 and 45 years old, be active members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and live within 100 miles of Salt Lake City. Click here for more information.

Choir Institutes a Refresher Course For Long-Time Members
Every instrument needs tuning – even the voices of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

This fall the Choir leadership instituted a “refresher course” for members conducted by Ryan Murphy, Associate Music Director of the Choir, and Cherilyn Worthen, director of the Choir School. Seventy-nine singers who have been in the Choir—some for more than 10 years—took part in a four-week blitz through what is normally a sixteen-week curriculum specially designed as part of the auditioning process. Worthen, who recently was named to a choral music position at Utah Valley University, helped shape the curriculum now being used for both new and seasoned members.

“We carved out a little more than an hour before Thursday evening rehearsals in this new in-service program,” Worthen explains. “The Choir members focused on basic choral habits and techniques with the intent to make each individual a little more accountable.” Each fall another 80 members of the Choir will be asked to participate.

With such discipline and dedication, it is no wonder that the Mormon Tabernacle Choir is world-renowned for its musicality and professionalism. The in-service program is indicative of the constant desire for excellence and peak performance.

Music from "9/11: Rising Above" now available as digital album

On Sunday, September 11, millions of households around the country saw an amazing 9/11 tribute by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square on their Music and the Spoken Word broadcast. Narrated by veteran newsman, Tom Brokaw, the special entitled "9/11: Rising Above" was a salute to the indomitable American spirit in rising above the tragedy of September 11, 2001.

Music from that special Music and the Spoken Word broadcast is now available as a digital download from iTunes and deseretbook.com. "We know that many people will be moved by the Choir’s 9/11 tribute," said Choir President Mac Christensen prior to the broadcast. Although full video of the special will not be available, Christensen said, "We know from experience that many people will want to hear the music over and over. This digital-only album—a first for the Choir—will enable our listeners to have this music so they can experience the feelings of the broadcast again."

Music from 9/11: Rising Above features the six musical selections performed by the world-famous Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square on the broadcast. (Brokaw’s narration is not included.) The six-track digital album (EP) includes:

   - Shenandoah
   - For the Beauty of the Earth
   - Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel)
   - Homeward Bound
   - Amazing Grace
   - God Bless America

Click here to purchase at deseretbook.com.
Click here for the iTunes preview page.

Choir broadcast always begins with familiar hymn
The Mormon Tabernacle Choir begins each broadcast of Music and the Spoken Word with a few stanzas of the hymn, "Gently Raise the Sacred Strain." It has become a theme song for the program which is the longest running continuous network broadcast in history.

The song is a tribute to the Sabbath and brings with it a sense of honor and praise to the Lord and His day of rest and peace. No wonder the Choir uses it every week to set the tone for the program. Unlike the techno-wizardry of our time, "Gently Raise the Sacred Strain" is sung live each week and the half-hour program follows.

Many have requested that the hymn be sung in its entirety so stirring are both the music and the words. William W. Phelps, one of the editors of the first Latter-day Saint hymnal, wrote the words. It is fitting that he crossed the plains with so many Mormon pioneers and put his feelings for his religion into words of 15 hymns. Thomas C. Griggs, a former member of the Choir’s conducting staff back in 1880, crafted the music.

It appears in the 1835 hymnal of the Latter-day Saints and has been retained in every version since. But it is most well-known for its introduction to what has become one of the most stirring and popular broadcasts in the world.

A thank you to our Facebook fans
The Mormon Tabernacle Choir has surpassed 200,000 fans on Facebook! Although the Choir Facebook page has fans from literally all over the world, this 200,000th fan is from our own backyard. Sharon Ricks from Orem, Utah put the Choir over the top when she registered as an official thumbs-up fan. She even lists in her profile her favorite and only music—you guessed it—the Mormon Tabernacle Choir! She won a prize package from the Choir’s distributor, Deseret Book.

How about your friends? Are they registered yet as a fan on Facebook? Tell everyone you know and the numbers will swell quickly. The Choir hopes to double the number of fans in the coming months and reach 1 million. And that’s just the beginning.

While you are thinking about supporting the Choir, remember that this organization of volunteer musicians give their time and talents because of their love of music and their love of the Lord. Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Choir and Orchestra perform concerts and their weekly radio and television broadcast, Music and the Spoken Word, at no charge to those attending or to those stations who carry their programs.

Many fans have indicated an interest in helping with the costs of this incredible community service. You can donate on line. Just click the "Donate to the Choir" button on the lower left hand side of this page.

The Choir and Orchestra appreciate ALL the support from their friends wherever they maybe.

President Mac Christensen honored for his pioneering
Beginning in 1847 the pioneering spirit brought tens of thousands across the plains to settle the desert basins of the Great Salt Lake. It wasn’t easy. Every year in July, the Days of ‘47 Committee honors a few of the community whose contributions and achievements fit that rich heritage. In 2011, Mac Christensen, President of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, was duly honored for his industry, vision, integrity, sacrifice, spirit and courage. He was one of six.

For those who have known him as Mr. Mac, clothier extraordinaire for 43 years, the award is a perfect fit. For those who know him as the president of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, it is again no surprise that he was recognized for his "Business and Enterprise."

Raised in Ephraim, Utah, Mr. Mac, as he is known throughout the Intermountain community, grew a men’s clothing business from a modest shop in Bountiful into a chain of stores that has outfitted business leaders, missionaries and everyone in between. In 2000 he was tapped to direct the Choir’s operations, staff, tours, recordings, and performances. He has welcomed guest artists and dignitaries, been innovative and conservative at the same time. Put simply, he has been and continues to be quite remarkable.

His famous phrase, "Bless You," is appreciated by everyone who looks into his kindly eyes. Indeed, his greatest strengths are his capacity to love the entire Choir family of more than 600 and to appreciate their ability to touch hearts no matter where they are or what they are singing. A former United States President referred to the Choir as "America’s Choir" but President Christensen always is looking farther ahead. "This shouldn’t be the country’s choir," he has been heard to say, "it should be the world’s choir." That pioneering effort is well under way under his guiding hand.

Choir Tour Highly Successful
The Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square wowed their audiences on the recent eastern tour. The Choir sang to sold-out audiences at some favorite locations in a one-week whirlwind of engagements. Not surprising that local media reports referred to the Choir in such superlatives as "magnificent," "wonderful," ‘inspiring," and "spectacular." It was the most publicized tour in Choir history. Perhaps Chautauqua Vice President Marty Merkley said it best: "The Choir offers the public the chance to be able to hear something heavenly."

The eight days included concerts in Norfolk, Virginia; Washington D.C.; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and matinee and evening performances in Chautauqua, New York and Toronto, Canada. By final count, the Choir sang for some 30,000 wildly appreciative people who jumped to their feet for standing ovations and calls for more encores. No wonder Barry Anderson, Choir Administrative Manager, called the tour "a home-run success."

In addition some in the audience had the chance to join the Choir on stage in a sound-check rehearsal. One radio station in Virginia ran a contest for a chance to sing with the Choir. "Even with the nearly perfect quality of the Choir’s performance," said one of the four winners, Kevin Riehle, of Alexandria, "it was good to see them working to perfect it even more." A Pennsylvania choir director made a three-and-a-half hour bus trip to Chautauqua with the invitation to sing with the Choir prior to performance. Said dairy farmer Steve Marshall, "I am not sure my words can even describe this experience."

For some Choir members it was their first tour. For others, it was the last of what one described as "blessed, consecrated service."

President Thomas S. Monson, President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who is the church advisor to the Choir, attended the Toronto concert and spoke with pride saying, "There is no finer choir in the entire world." He then recalled the words of a Canadian broadcaster Hana Gartner who had said, "The sound these men and women create is not just music to the ears. You also hear it with your heart."

Choir releases new recording This is the Christ and tour DVD

The Mormon Tabernacle Choir is known worldwide for singing glorious praises to Almighty God. For more than 150 years, the Choir has shared music centered on Christ's promise of hope, peace, comfort, and inspiration. The messages, found in simple psalms and rousing spirituals, in folk hymns and classic anthems by master composers, speak of hearts touched in so many ways by the Master's hand. The Choir's newly released album titled This Is the Christ continues that heart-stirring tradition.

This new recording brings both a reminder and a tribute to the goodness, the grace, and the glory of God. Many of the themes draw from the scriptural passages recounting the Lord as the Shepherd of all mankind. The recording opens and closes with dramatic choruses of "This is the Christ"—for which the CD is named—and "I Believe in Christ." Other favorites include "The Lord My Pasture Will Prepare," "Dear to the Heart of the Shepherd," "O Divine Redeemer," and "Sunshine in My Soul." Nine of the fourteen were arranged by Dr. Mack Wilberg, Music Director of the Choir; five of the selections are newly recorded.

The new DVD One Voice: On Tour with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir chronicles the 2009 Midwest tour. Already an award-winning documentary, the program features an in-depth look into the preparation and execution of a Choir tour. Bonus footage includes songs from the Denver tour stop at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre by the Choir and Orchestra.

These new additions to the shelf of recordings and videos reflect the primary purpose of the Choir as an official ambassador of music for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Tabernacle Organists have the "dream" job
The Tabernacle organ is a well-revered companion to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and easily recognized icon in the music world. Organists Richard Elliott, Clay Christiansen and Andrew Unsworth recognize the tremendous opportunity to "uplift and inspire" listeners as they give voice to the 11,623 pipes in the Tabernacle and to the 7,667 in the Conference Center. They are among the 13 who have held the coveted position of full-time Tabernacle Organist since 1867.

Elliott, principal organist, works alongside the rest of the Choir’s musical staff to ensure perfect balance among the singers’ voices, the organ and the Orchestra at Temple Square to produce the Choir’s signature sound.

The three organists and part-time organists Linda Margetts and Bonnie Goodliffe are heavily involved in rehearsing and performing with the Choir both on Temple Square and on tour. They play for the weekly broadcasts of Music and the Spoken Word, present daily organ recitals and participate in other Temple Square events. It’s a full schedule.

They bring exceptional training, degrees, teaching and professional performance to their assignments. Elliott, a convert to the Church in his early twenties, graduated in music at Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia and received a doctorate at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York. As a teenager—he explains with a smile—he played the organ in a rock band complete with flaming speakers, smoke machines and flash pots. He was a music professor at BYU at the time of his Tabernacle organist appointment.

Both Christiansen and Unsworth fulfilled life-long dreams when they were invited to become Tabernacle organists. Christiansen is a graduate of BYU as is Unsworth who also holds a doctorate from Duke University. Both have been playing the organ since childhood—when their toes could reach the pedals—and both had been organists at local churches (Christiansen at the St. Mark’s Cathedral and Unsworth at the Cathedral of the Madeleine) when they were invited to become Tabernacle organists.

Click on the following links to read more about our fabulous organists:
Richard Elliott
Clay Christiansen
Andrew Unsworth

Music and the Spoken Word will soon reach millions more
Music and the Spoken Word will soon be reaching millions more listeners with BYU Radio’s new connection to Sirius XM Satellite Radio. In addition to being an internet-based radio channel, beginning with a launch scheduled for the third quarter of 2011, BYU Radio will also become a nationwide satellite channel. BYU Radio, an HD sub-channel of KBYU-FM “Classical 89,” is already carried on DishNetwork.

What does that mean for listeners? Put simply, broader coverage of the Sunday morning program which currently airs live on Sunday morning and is rebroadcast at 9:30 a.m. and 9:30 p.m. Monday-Friday Mountain Standard Time. In addition to Music and the Spoken Word and General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, BYU Radio will include educational, cultural, entertainment, and sports programming.

One of the conditions of the mid-2008 merger between competitors Sirius and XM Satellite Radio was the set-aside of 4 percent of the spectrum for channels not programmed by the new entity. Sirius XM’s search for “diverse” viewpoints and entertainment content opened the door for BYU Broadcasting’s proposal. Forty stations applied and five were selected. The other channels include a music and talk station for the African-American community, three specializing in Spanish language programming, and one in Korean.

New efforts to expand the reach of Music and the Spoken Word
Greg Garber, Vice President of Bonneville Distribution, got on a plane for Buffalo, New York this week to meet with station managers in some of television’s largest markets in the East. He was talking to them about carrying the longest running broadcast in history – Music and the Spoken Word. Garber is heading the effort to increase the reach of what is the longest continuous broadcast in history. "We are looking for more big stations in big markets," he explains. This spring he is inviting stations in the areas where the Choir will tour this summer – Virginia, Toronto, upstate New York, Washington DC and Philadelphia -- to consider adding the weekly program to their rosters.

Currently more than 600 stations carry the highly acclaimed program of music and inspiration which is offered as a public service. Garber and his associate Terry Hritz are aggressively working to expand that coverage. While the program offers some revenue to a station with advertising spots at the beginning and end of the broadcast, Garber explains, the real value to a station is being able to include the Mormon Tabernacle Choir in their programming lineup with the spirit it brings to the hearts of those listening. "Most of the listeners are not members of the LDS Church," he notes. "Many of these are faithful listeners who tune in every week; for some of them, it’s their Sunday services."

While much media programming reflects current social trends and influences, Music and the Spoken Word offers messages of inspiration and song known and appreciated around the world. BYUtv has greatly enhanced the broadcast’s global reach. Garber explains that when listeners contact their station and express appreciation for the programming that response goes a long way in solidifying Music and the Spoken Word on the station. He urges viewers and listeners to call and simply say "Thanks."

Music and the Spoken Word is carried nationally on BYUtv, Dish Network and DirecTV. For information about where to watch it on local channels, go to www.musicandthespokenword.org.

New Album - Men of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir - Hits #1 on Billboard

The Mormon Tabernacle Choir concludes its 100th year of recording history with a first – an album featuring exclusively the men of the Choir. Known for its range of music from the classics in religious music, favorite hymns, folk tunes, to Broadway hits and songs from many nations this first-of-its-kind recording—Men of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir—gives a new voice to the Choir's already deep and varied collection of more than 175 albums.

The Choir has long spotlighted the men's voices on concert programs and broadcast and crowds have applauded for more. The new CD, released December 27, 2010, is in response to that desire for more of such stirring music. It met with immediate broad acceptance soaring to number one on Billboard Magazine's Classical Traditional Chart in its first week of release.

Director Mack Wilberg, former professor of choral music who for many years directed the highly acclaimed BYU Men's Chorus before coming to the Choir, is known in music circles around the world for his remarkable arrangements, many of them for men's voices. But Wilberg says the idea for the CD was not his own. "After as many albums as the Choir has released, we are continually looking for something new and distinctive which still fits within the Choir's musical mission," said Wilberg. "When our colleagues at Deseret Book brought us this idea, we thought about it for some time before deciding that the timing was right for such an effort. The initial reaction to the release of the CD is very gratifying."

The 15-track album opens with "Brethren, We Have Met to Worship," and includes "Brightly Beams Our Father's Mercy," "Beautiful Savior," and "Pilgrim's Chorus" from Tannhäuser. Shifting to a more contemporary sound, the men also perform songs made famous by Josh Groban, "You Raise Me Up," and Billy Joel, "Lullabye (Goodnight My Angel)." Click here to purchase or download the CD.

Choir Friends on Facebook Top 100,000
When Dan Woolley signed on as a friend of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir on Facebook he became the 100,000th fan in the 100th year of Choir recording. This BYU-Idaho student received more than just the distinction and a tip of the hat. The Choir gave him tickets to the upcoming Christmas Concert featuring David Archuleta--priceless--and a gift basket of the new Choir calendar, CDs and other treasures.

Choir fans on Facebook are from all around the world. The United States still leads in total numbers but the Philippines holds the second slot with Mexico and Chile in third and fourth. Others in the top 10 include Canada, Australia, Argentina, Colombia and Peru. Not surprising that posts are primarily in English; Spanish is second, then Portuguese and French. Salt Lake City is still number one followed by Phoenix, Arizona; Makati, Philippines; and Santiago, Chile.

Some of the recent posts reinforce the Choir's international appeal. One fan commented when a post encouraged Choir fans to go to Target to purchase the Christmas CD, "There is no Target in the Philippines." Another asked, "How about you send the choir to Africa?" One writer confessed, "When I was a little girl I would stand on the fireplace and grab the fire poker and act like I was leading the choir" and another said, "Thank you for helping me invite the spirit where ever I go."

How do you join in the discussions, the tips about upcoming events, even ticket giveaways on the Choir's Facebook page? It's easy. Simply go to Facebook on the Internet, search for the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and click "like" at the top. And you become a "friend" of the Choir. Or even easier: CLICK HERE

Historical Roster: Click here for a comprehensive list of all who have served in the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square.


Check this site often for information about all the activities of the Choir, the Chorale and the Orchestra. You'll find details about performances, rehearsals, recordings, auditions and tours and much more. Sign up on our mailing list to receive earliest notification of distribution dates for concert tickets and performance information.

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Click here to go to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Performing Arts Family Internet Resources Site (an internal administrative website for members of the Choir, Orchestra, and Bells on Temple Square only).

 
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