One of America’s most famous musical groups is presently touring Northern California. After concerts in Oakland and San Jose, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir will be performing in Sacramento’s Arco Arena tonight.
President Ronald Reagan called it “America’s Choir” when it performed for his inauguration, and it has sung for every President of the United States since William Howard Taft.
One of the oldest and largest choirs in the world, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir is composed of 360 volunteer singers, ages 25 to 60. They are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who practice and perform weekly, mainly in Salt Lake City’s Temple Square, but also in concerts which have been held across America and in 28 foreign countries.
The early Mormon pioneers in the mid-19th century found music to be an important part of their lives: a small precursor choir performed in Salt Lake Valley in 1847, and there was always a choir at the LDS Church headquarters in both Ohio and Illinois before it was moved to Utah.
The Mormon Tabernacle is home to the choir. Built over four years and completed in 1867, its unusual construction has created “extraordinary acoustics.” Reportedly, when standing at one end, a pin dropped at the hall’s other end can be heard, a distance of 170 feet. It is currently being renovated, and performances are held at the nearby Conference Center.
Important to the choir’s unique sound is an organ built for the Tabernacle at its opening and enlarged several times, growing from 2,000 to 11,623 pipes. The choir tours with a special digital organ which helps recreate the group’s “signature sound.”
During the 2002 Winter Olympics, the choir played an active role for visitors. It performed in the worldwide telecast of the Opening Ceremonies, in “Light of the World,” a multimedia musical presentation, as well as at several free concerts during the games.
Each Sunday since 1929, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir has performed in a popular 30 minute radio broadcast, “Music and the Spoken Word.” This has become the world’s longest-running continuous network broadcast and is carried on more than 2,000 radio and television stations, five of them in the San Francisco Bay area.
The choir has achieved many important milestones:
n Two recordings have achieved “platinum” status.
n Five have achieved “gold” status.
n It won a Grammy Award in 1959 for “The Battle Hymn of the Republic.”
n It won an Emmy Award in 1987 for “Christmas Sampler.”
There are two other volunteer organizations related to the choir, both established in 1999. The Orchestra at Temple Square is a group of 110 musicians which frequently accompanies the choir as well as has its own concert schedule. The Temple Square Chorale is the training ground for the choir. Tabernacle members start out as members of the chorale while further developing their musical skills.
The Mormon Tabernacle Choir attempts to “reach out to the entire world” with music appreciated by members of every faith and culture. Music has been an important part of religious life for Mormons since their first wagon train crossed the United States, and the choir continues to offer music which inspires, instructs and encourages all who enjoy music.
To find recordings of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir visit www.deseretbook.com or retailers like Barnes&Noble or Borders.
Chuck Flagg teaches English at Mt. Madonna High School. Write to him at P.O. Box 22365, Gilroy, CA 95021.
