MTC #36 - Richfield!

This past Friday, the Choir had the opportunity to perform in the quaint little town of Richfield, UT. Apparently the city was celebrating 150 years since it's founding by the Mormon pioneers and we were all happy to go down and put on a performance for them. 

Friday afternoon around 12:30, the choir and orchestra members boarded several buses and by 1:00 we were off for the journey. As this was my first performance outside of Temple Square, I wasn't sure what to expect but was excited to be a part of it all. I sat next to a choir member I hadn't met before, on the way down (I still don't know a lot of the tenors). His name is Earl Whitmore and he was fun to talk to. We spoke of our music background, families, work, and other mutual interests. We then took a little break to review some of the music we'd be performing at the concert since it was all to be memorized. :)  

When we arrived, we went right into rehearsal mode as Mack and Ryan wanted

Where we performed

to run through as many of the pieces as we had time for. The venue's acoustics took some getting used to, but our directors were confident that we'd sound well with a few minor adjustments. It was fun rehearsing but I had to laugh because as has happened in the past, the ones I really needed to practice were the ones we only glossed over. 

Getting ready to rehearse

From there, the ladies went to a different building to eat some dinner while the men changed into their performance attire. Nothing like cramming 200 men into some small locker rooms! We then sat in the auditorium awaiting our dinner turn. I was glad for the time to just converse with other choir members! Such moments are rare. We certainly don't get them at rehearsals so tours like this are prime time to get to know others.

Dinner was pretty good. I was sad to see some choir members sitting all by themselves though and thought how interesting that was. Several of us "newbies" sat together in the middle table and enjoyed our social time.

From there, it was a quick back to the auditorium and lining up for the concert. While waiting, I was able to get this photo taken, again, of some of us who just joined the choir this year. Fun times!

The performance itself went well. There was a fairly large crowd (for Richfield) and they seemed to enjoy our music selections which included some pioneer-related songs, some popular ones from Oscar and Hammerstein, and some pieces from the early 20th century. While I didn't have the words down perfect

for some of these (despite many hours at home practicing) I enjoyed a concert without holding music. Some of the lyrics really resonated with me as I thought about their messages. A friend in the choir (Ryan Bateman) reminded me that music can be like scripture. We get different things out of it each time we sing it. The Lord can help remind us of things we need to know through both the notes we sing, and the words we sing.

I was grateful to stand by a new friend Paul McGuire who helped me stay on the right rhythm and harmony. I think it goes for all of us (depending on our tenure in the choir and the song we're singing) that we rely on each other for this musical cue or that musical cue and I'm grateful for that!

The bus ride back seemed a little longer than the one down. I sat by someone new--an orchestra member--and we had some good conversation. Everyone has a story to tell and everyone has something interesting to say. 

I'm grateful again for such an opportunity. Thankful to my wife and kids who support me in this and cheer me on from the family sidelines. And thankful to be part of a group that inspires and brings peace and happiness to others. When I think of the many people who are uplifted by these types of performances, it makes me happy.

Until next time, God be with you.

[9/15 update: Here's an article from the Richfield newspaper reporting on the event]

MTC Week #35 - Just Thankful

This experience is just plain great! I can't imagine my Sunday mornings being any better than praising God through song and helping others come unto Christ. Sometimes I wonder if this will ever become "old" or something I'm so used to that I don't cherish it any longer. I pray that day won't come. I asked a friend of mine in the choir who's been in it for 15 years now how he's been able to keep that excitement and perspective and this is what he said:

The time has gone so incredibly fast, and keeps getting faster. I've been part of so many incredible things the choir has done. And I'm sure they'll keep doing more after I get out. I think it seems more routine and could get stale those second through seventh years after the newness and excitement wore off. But now it's totally a routine part of my life and a part of me. It's just what I do! But I look forward to the spiritual uplift I get from it a few times each week. I look forward to the peace I feel there--it's a very safe place. I love being around people more like me. I love being around people who are mostly kind, caring, loving, fun, and not too judgmental. It's a great family to be part of. While we keep doing the same songs and the same concerts year after year, they all are a little different. It's great when we can work on a totally new piece. It's great to have new guest or record a new album. There's always something fresh and new on the horizon, even if the current broadcast might feel very familiar. So I'm always looking forward. And when we are in the moment during a concert or something, I try to remind myself how blessed/lucky I am to be there. I think of the thousands of people who come to hear us and how truly unique/special/famous the choir is and how many people who do do anything to have my seat. It's really been one of the richest blessings of my life and carried me through some difficult times over the past 15 years. I honestly don't know where I'd be without the choir. Sure, it takes a lot of time, and sometimes I'm jealous of others who seem to have more time to play or do what they want, but then I remember how few get to be in the choir and I really wouldn't trade it for anything else. There will be another season for something else after the choir; but for now, I'm going to drink it all in.

So there you have it. I think the key therefore is looking forward, treasuring the new, and remembering. And that is exactly what I plan to do!

And speaking of looking forward, this week we have a concert over in Richfield, UT. The good people there are looking forward to our visit and the music we'll bring them. I'm eager to be a part of it and have plenty of music to to memorize (mostly re-memorize) this week. Just like cramming for an exam, you can cram for a performance but the downside of doing that, is when you're asked to sing the song you've crammed for, again, later on, you find that you need to refresh those musical neural pathways!

I leave you with a recent quote on gratitude that I have come to love:

"When we are grateful to God in our circumstances, we can experience gentle peace in the midst of tribulation. In grief, we can still lift up our hearts in praise. In pain, we can glory in Christ’s Atonement. In the cold of bitter sorrow, we can experience the closeness and warmth of heaven’s embrace.


We sometimes think that being grateful is what we do after our problems are solved, but how terribly shortsighted that is. How much of life do we miss by waiting to see the rainbow before thanking God that there is rain?" (Dieter F. Uchtdorf)

Until next time, God be with you!

MTC Week #34 - The Gift of Memorizing (and the Blessings)

So it goes without saying that anyone who's involved in a choir goes through the process of memorizing songs. Typically there's a lot of lead time and rehearsals so that when it comes to performance time, you're ready to go! And it's a good feeling, isn't it? You not only know the lyrics, but hopefully they've come to settle somewhere in your heart--they've become a part of you. And when you sing the memorized song, you can sing it with conviction and project to your listeners the true meaning the song is trying to convey.

As I've mentioned before, I'm amazed in this choir how much music we go through and how quickly we have to learn it. I didn't expect anything less going into this experience, but anticipating it and then actually being in the middle of it are two different things.  Fortunately, I THINK memorizing is becoming a little easier for me, though when asked to memorize multiple songs in a short amount of time it is still overwhelming. 

I want to testify though, that the Holy Ghost is a great source of help in this challenge. Not only is he a comforter and one who imparts knowledge and understanding, but he can help speed up the memorizing process and can help you recall what you've practiced. 

As an example, today as I was singing "On a Wonderful Day Like Today" I started to experience some gripping fear, multiple times, that my mind would go blank and I would stand there looking like a mumbling fool. Not only had I just barely taken a stab at memorizing it the day before, but it was a fairly fast-paced song requiring a lot of thinking ahead. However, at those fearful moments, a calm would come and my skills of remembering and thinking ahead were quickened. I attribute that calmness to the Holy Ghost and appreciate his help.

(As a side note, I normally start memorizing a piece much earlier than just the day before but the week leading up to this performance I was on a much needed family vacation)

To end this post, I wanted to include something that a fellow choir member posted as it ties in with the Holy Ghost and the role he has as a comforter. I'll end with that...  Until next time, God be with you.

From Siope Kinikini:  
Prayers and thoughts go out to my childhood friends whose daughter passed away while serving her mission this past week. As well as the two missionaries who passed in Asia. These lyrics really touched me this morning and made me grateful for the Savior and the knowledge that we can return home to our Heavenly Father. In those quiet moments that are to come for these families I pray they feel comfort.

MTC Week #32 - Surprise Visitor

For those of us in the Choir who were asked not to participate in the Deer Valley Concert this week because of size limitations, it was a rather choir-less week. And I for one kind of missed it! While I certainly enjoyed the extra time with the family (we went to the Ogden Temple open house as a family and my wife and I went on an extra date amongst other things), I missed being with the choir and those who I've come to enjoy seeing and talking to each week. I didn't realize how much I missed it until those who were singing at Deer Valley started posting pictures of the event on Facebook. 

My "freshman" brethren at the concert

President Thomas S. Monson

So I was glad to see them all on Sunday morning as we prepared for our Music & Spoken Word broadcast. I was glad to sing some wonderful hymns. I was glad to talk to my carpooling buddy Ben. And I was glad to see President Thomas S. Monson come into the Conference Center to watch the broadcast. It sounded like not many knew he was coming, but as he entered the auditorium, everyone stood with respect and it was fun to sing through the broadcast knowing he was looking up at us and feeling the spirit of the music and the message (which centered on love and kindness).

As has happened in the past, I was singing one of the songs today during the rehearsal (Brother James' Air) and just looked around at everything and was extremely glad for all of the blessings I've been given--including being a member of this wonderful organization.

Until next time...God be with you!

MTC Week #31 - One Person Can Change the World!

The choir has been singing a lot of Broadway/movie tunes lately, which fact Bro. Wilberg admitted, and which will be coming to an end shortly. Not that there's anything wrong with Broadway tunes. In fact, I've quite enjoyed learning them being a big Broadway musical fan myself. However, Bro. Wilberg will be getting back to a more wide variety here soon now that the Pioneer Day Concert is over and the concert at Deer Valley will be over later this week.

Today on Music & the Spoken Word, we sang a couple of showtunes, one of which was quite catchy and had some fantastic lyrics. The song was "One Person" from the musical "Dear World." This musical starred Angela Lansbury and opened in 1969 (to rather poor reviews). At any rate, our associate conductor Bro. Ryan Murphy came up with a great arrangement of this song which we sang on the broadcast today. Here are the lyrics:

One person can beat a drum
And make enough noise for ten;
One person can blow a horn
And that little boom
And that little blare
Can make a hundreds others care.

And one person can hold a torch
And light up the sky again.
And one little voice that's squeaking a song,
Can make a million voices strong.

If one person can beat a drum,
And one person can blow a horn,
If one person can hold a torch,

Then one person can change the world! 

I just love the message that one person really can make a difference. His or her small acts can affect countless others. So make those actions count!

Two other things about today.... First, I got to sit next to Joseph Ogden for the performance today and I was happy about that as the two of us sang in Concert Choir together nearly 20 years ago. Over the past few years as I watched the choir on TV (and not yet being in the choir) I remember seeing Joseph singing and thinking how great it would be to reconnect. And today that happened :)  Second, there was a really large group of Japanese students in the audience today and I kept praying they'd all have a great experience (having spent two years in Japan myself). 

This week is the Deer Valley concert which I won't be participating in. The venue only holds 250 singers so the choir staff was asking for volunteers to "sit this one out." It promises to be a great event though if any of you locals want a nice evening under the stars with great music.

Until next time...God be with you!

MTC Week#30 - Officially Official

An important part of being in the Mormon Tabernacle Choir is to be officially set apart as a "musical missionary." For those of you who might be reading this post and are not members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the term "set apart" might be a bit perplexing. You can think of it as

the formal act of receiving a call to serve or receiving a title that enables you to fulfill what you are being asked to do. All members of the Church, when they are asked to fill a position (such as Sunday School teacher, or a leader of the young men or young women, or a missionary, etc) are set apart to do so. Leaders within the church who hold the priesthood, lay their hands on the head of the individual being set apart, and not only officially call them to serve in a specific position, but they give counsel and blessings that enable the individual to be successful. (You can learn more about this, HERE).

So, even though I've been in the choir 30 weeks now, my setting apart was

today. Part of the reason for the delay was simply the fact that there were about 60 of us new choir members and because these setting aparts involve having family members and friends come to show support and love, they've been scheduling a few every week since we finished choir school. I happened to choose the last day offered, so that my parents (who have been serving as missionaries in West Virginia) could attend. 

Anyhow, it was a nice occasion and I'm grateful for those who offered advice and counsel. Particularly Scott Barrick, who was the one who actually performed the setting apart. Among other things, he counseled me to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ so that the spirit of God could help me not only sing well (from a musicality perspective) but to sing with testimony and conviction that would help others feel the spirit and want to improve their lives.

Music & the Spoken Word today was a bit challenging. Due to us not meeting on Thursday evening as usual (the choir took the night off since it was Pioneer Day) and due to my setting apart being right during rehearsal time, I was almost sight-reading the five pieces we sang today. That's not the best way to go into a performance!

Until next time, God be with you.

MTC Week #29 - Summer Celebration Pioneer Day Concert

It was a busy week for the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and the Orchestra at Temple Square as we prepared for our Pioneer Day Summer Celebration of Song Concert on Friday and Saturday of this past week. We met Tuesday evening to rehearse and then again on Thursday. Thursday our guest artist Santino Fantana was there and it was fun to see how all of the songs we've been rehearsing were coming together with him added into the program. 

What's funny though, is we never once went through the entire program from beginning to end so when we sang the first concert on Friday night, it almost felt like a glorified dress rehearsal :)  Such is how it goes with the Choir I've come to find out. It all works out in the end, but sometimes you just never know how it will!

All that said, it was a very fun concert. The conference center's 21,000 seats were almost all filled both nights and the audience seemed to really love Santino. Our local newspapers gave glowing reviews (see HERE and HERE) and you can actually watch the concert on YouTube (at least for now) here. I almost think that the organ and orchestra number stole the show (the crowd went wild and they were instantly to their feet following its conclusion). I tried thinking of my favorite song from a singer's perspective and had a difficult time. I

truly liked them all for different reasons. Some were spiritually moving. Some were just plain fun. And some brought back memories of musicals I've been in or attended. The last song we sang was a "Happy" medley which was a combination of songs that speak of happiness and it was not only a crowd pleaser but one that I'm glad we ended on since the message of happiness is what the gospel of Jesus Christ is all about.

To end this week's post, I just wanted to express thanks for a few things related to this past weekend.

• was grateful for my fellow basses surrounding me and keeping me on the right notes (particularly on all of the jumps in the pioneer songs). 
  
  I made a couple of new friends and that it always a cause for celebration (aren't relationships one of the most treasured things we have?)
• was grateful for a teleprompter to remind me from time to time what the lyrics to songs were. I'm not sure all of the reasons why we had one in the first place, and I quickly realized it's only useful to occasionally look at them (when I looked at them too much, my brain seemed to go on autopilot)
• was grateful seeing the audience members so happy and excited to be at the concerts. Their applause and smiles and enthusiasm make all this worth it 100 times over
• was grateful for the pioneers themselves which is why we had the concert in the first place. While I'm grateful for their sacrifice, I also realize we're all pioneers in some respect, "forging onward ever onward."
• was VERY grateful for the song we sang at the end of Music & the Spoken Word today (which was also dedicated to pioneers). The song was Redeemer of Israel (Mack Wilberg version) and there are two reasons why this song means to much to me. First, I just really feel the spirit when I sing it. I get teary eyed every time. They lyrics are powerful and they seem to perfectly combine with the music to just penetrate your heart. Second, it was one of the last songs I sang with the BYU Concert Choir back in 1997 when Mack Wilberg was the director. I remember thinking that it very well might be the last time I get to sing that song in a professional choir setting. It left a hole in my heart. But today, there I was, singing it again and I felt absolutely grateful for the incredible blessing of being in this choir. 

Until next time, God be with you...