Mormon Tabernacle Choir
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| Mormon Tabernacle Choir | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Mormon Tabernacle Choir |
| Origin | Image:Flag of the United States.svg Salt Lake City, Utah, USA |
| Genre(s) | Worship Classical |
| Years active | 1847–present |
| Associated acts | Orchestra at Temple Square, Temple Square Chorale |
| Website | Official website |
The Mormon Tabernacle Choir is a large all-volunteer choir, the official choir of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormon church).
Called "America's Choir" by U.S. President Ronald Reagan, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir is made up of 360 men and women, all Mormons and all living within close vicinity of the famous Mormon Tabernacle in Salt Lake City, Utah. Choir members are not paid for their participation or performances. There are many husband-wife combinations and many families have participated in the choir for generations. Choir members are currently limited to twenty years of participation, or until the member reaches the age of 60, allowing new members to join the choir on a regular basis.
The choir was founded in August 1847, one month after the Mormon pioneers entered the Salt Lake Valley. The choir is completely self-funded, traveling and producing albums to support their organization.
Since July 15, 1929, the choir has performed a weekly radio broadcast called Music and the Spoken Word, which is the longest-running continuous network broadcast in the world. The show has been televised since the early 1960s and is now broadcast worldwide through some 1,500 radio, television, and cable stations.
The Mormon Tabernacle Choir's sound is often said to be world-famous, and instantly recognizable.
Although the choir has traditionally been recognized for its sound quality, the most recent director, Craig Jessop has made changes designed to improve the overall quality of the choir. Jessop's efforts to add vitality to the choir's sound include the formation of The Orchestra at Temple Square, the 2005 addition of The Bells on Temple Square (a handbell choir), and continual refinement of the choir's tone, enunciation, and repertoire. The minimum age for participation has been reduced from 30 to 25. In addition, new choir members participate in The Temple Square Chorale training choir, a combination music theory/performance school led by associate director and composer/arranger Mack Wilberg.
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[edit] Tours
From its first national tour in 1893, under the direction of Evan Stephens, to the Chicago World's Fair, the choir has performed in locations around the world, including:
- Western Europe (1955, 1973, 1998)
- Central America (1968, 1972)
- The Far East (1979)
- Brazil (1981)
- Scandinavia (1982)
- Japan (1985)
- Australia/New Zealand (1988)
- Central Europe and the former Soviet Union (1991)
- Israel (1993)
[edit] Performed for Presidents
The choir has sung for ten U.S. Presidents, beginning with William Howard Taft, and has performed at the inaugural ceremonies of several Presidents:
- Lyndon B. Johnson (1965)
- Richard Nixon (1969)
- Ronald Reagan (1981)
- George H. W. Bush (1989)
- George W. Bush (2001)
It has also participated in several significant events, including:
- Funeral services for U.S. Presidents
- The American Bicentennial in Washington, D.C. (July 4 1976)
- The Constitution's bicentennial celebration at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (1987)
- Opening ceremony of the 2002 Winter Olympics
[edit] Awards
The choir has a list of prestigious awards, including the National Medal of Arts (2003). Its radio broadcast Music and the Spoken Word has been inducted into the National Association of Broadcasters hall of fame. It has also received two Peabody Awards for service to American Broadcasting (1944, 1962) and it was awarded the Freedom Foundation's "George Washington Award" (1981, 1988).
In 1960 the Choir won the Grammy Award for Best Performance by a Vocal Group or Chorus at that year's awards ceremony with a recording of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" which replaced the line "let us die to make men free" with "let us live to make men free."
In 2006 the choir was honored as a Laureate of the Mother Teresa Award.[1]
In late 2007 Spirit of the Season by the Choir and the Orchestra at Temple Square, and featuring Norwegian-born soprano Sissel, was nominated for two Grammy Awards: "Best Classical Crossover Album" and "Best Engineered Album, Classical." The awards will be held on February 10, 2008, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
[edit] Recordings
Since its first recording in 1910, the choir has earned five gold albums and two platinum albums. The choir has made over 300 recordings and continues to produce albums. For some live performances and albums, the choir has collaborated with large orchestras such as the New York Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra of London, the Boston Pops Orchestra, and the newly formed Orchestra at Temple Square.
[edit] See also
| Latter-day Saints Portal |
- John Parry (Mormon)
- George Careless
- J. Spencer Cornwall
- "Come, Come, Ye Saints"
- Salt Lake Tabernacle organ
[edit] External links
- Official website
- Danish Tabernacle Choir Society
- Music and the Spoken Word official website
- Bonneville Communications, Producer of Music and The Spoken Word
- Information on the Mormon Tabernacle Choir at Utah.com
- A History of the Choir from the Utah History Encyclopedia
- A fan site with news and information, including lists of recordings
Mormon Tabernacle Choir Music Directors |
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Music Organizations of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints |
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| Mormon Tabernacle Choir • Orchestra at Temple Square • Bells on Temple Square • Temple Square Chorale |
| (disbanded) Mormon Youth Symphony and Chorus • Nauvoo Brass Band |
no:Mormonkoret pl:Mormoński Chór Tabernakulum
