TCATS #258 - Christmas Concert - Chenoweth Style!

I always find it a little daunting when approaching the task of writing a review of the Christmas Concert each year. But in actuality, it's not a review, but rather a prioritization of my thoughts and impressions about the experience I had from the point of view of a choir member. (For an actual review, you can go HERE, and HERE. And for some cool video footage, HERE.)  That said, this year's concert was a grand event and the audience absolutely went crazy over the beloved guest artist, Kristin Chenoweth. 

For five nights, choir members had the opportunity to observe Kristin--which included time at rehearsals and at the concerts themselves. Here are the words that come to mind to describe her: Spontaneous, gracious, loving, happy, thankful, committed, confident, smiley, and funny! She's a very in-the-moment person and I don't know anyone who didn't fall in love with her as a person and as a performer. At age 50 (though looking much younger), one might think she wouldn't be as vibrant as she is--but she certainly lives up to her reputation as one who delights and who brings a smile to those watching and listening to her.

There were several laugh-out-loud moments with her during rehearsals. Just

one: after singing one of her numbers, she went up to Mack Wilberg to give him a high-five. Not anticipating that that is what she'd do, Mack's first response was just to hold out his hand. To which Kristin laughed, took his hand, and then came right in to give him a big hug. Reserved, Ms. Chenoweth is not :)

For me personally, along with enjoying our guest artist, this concert had become a project of upping my game. This was due in no small part to being completely inspired by several of the "1st years." The two in my carpool, Alan and Willy, and then the great friend I sat by during rehearsals and the concerts themselves, Wes, were completely dedicated to learning the music. And not just learning the notes and

Me and great friend Wes

the rhythms, but learning the words themselves--despite the fact they would have a teleprompter to lean on. I quickly came to the mindset of "gosh, if they can do this and be so dedicated, then why can't I?" So, more than I had for the last couple of concerts, I spent oodles of outside time memorizing and memorizing the 15+ pieces, all the while thinking of my 1st-yr heroes. And, to be honest, having everything memorized without having to rely on the prompter is a huge payoff because then, you are more likely to hone in on the meaning of the lyrics and truly enjoy the moment. 

What was my favorite concert moment? I think it was the ending. I mean, there wasn't a song I didn't enjoy singing (OK, well, maybe I was a little tired of singing "Hymn of Praise"), but "Angels from the Realms of Glory" is such a magnificent finale. The choir members are singing, the dancers are beautifully and physically expressing the grand Christ-centered feelings we're all feeling, the orchestra is going all out in divinely playing, the guest artist is putting her whole soul into singing and expressing, the bell ringers are ringing.....and it all just culminates into a few minutes of pure grandeur. I get chills every time! Add to that all of the delightful, smile/laugh-producing Kristin moments and you get a Christmas Concert that I will always remember.

As a runner-up, the song "Angels Among Us" was a stand-out to me. Mainly because of the people I thought of, and the feelings it invoked. There have been so many awesome, loving people who have helped me and my family this past year through various challenges, and I truly consider them angels. I also know that my sister Mary, beyond the veil, is also an angel who continues to comfort and uplift many. So as I sang that song,  I enjoyed thinking about all of these angels who have been such a source of strength and love.

Until next time, God be with you. And Merry Christmas!
(some photos above courtesy DeseretNews)

PS: Some photos below for your viewing pleasure.

Steve, Me, Wes, after the Fri Concert

Some of the dancers waiting to go on

Carl, Wes, and me waiting in the "bunker" before the concert

The brethren standing in seating order waiting to go on

Giving the dancers high-fives as they go to their waiting spot

My great carpool friends! Alan, Willy, Me, Ben

Having dinner after Sat recording session

 

Wes, Me, and Ryan B.

My awesome, supportive family!

TCATS #257 - Results

Thursday night's rehearsal was a complete workout as we went through every Christmas song not only for Sunday's broadcast, but for the upcoming Christmas concert. The idea was to not only learn the music more, but to also test our memories to see if all of our extra rehearsals and outside-of-choir memorization time, had paid off. 

I'm glad to say that it indeed has paid off.  By the time 9:30 rolled around, Mack mentioned how pleased he was with the progress we've made and how he feels like we are prepared for next week's Christmas Concert adventure. That isn't to say the songs are perfect. We each have some work left to do to clean up a few notes here, and a couple of rhythms there. But at least for the majority of us, the hours of rehearsing, of listening to rehearsal tracks in the car, and utilizing the power of repetition, has given way to relishing in that really nice prepared feeling.

A friend at choir reminded me of an important principle in regards to preparation: if you put in the time and work hard, you are entitled to the blessings of those efforts--with anything in life. You get out largely what you put in, and from a religious standpoint, you're also entitled to God's grace--which can (and does) make all the difference.

Looking to the week ahead, I'm not just excited for the concerts themselves, but I'm really, really excited for the Tuesday and Wednesday rehearsals this coming week. It's so fun and magical to see the whole concert come together. We choir members are never really told much about what the concert will include (which seems funny, I know). We have the songs we're learning--and that's about it. What the visuals will be like--what will be happening on stage and all around the Conference Center--is still very much a mystery until that Tuesday rehearsal where we finally see how it all comes together. 

Before ending my post today, I just wanted to give a shout-out to my good friend (and fellow bass) Wes, who became a daddy this past week. So great! Best of luck to him as he grows into this new and exciting role.

Until next time, God be with you. 

PS: Some great Christmas videos from last year's Christmas Concert were posted this past week by the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square. Check them out here. (My favorite of the bunch, here)

TCATS #256 - In the Moment

I've never been very good at living in the moment. Either I'm looking ahead at the next thing planned or the next event to happen, or I'm looking at the past often wishing I had done things differently. Ironically, some of those past regrets have to do with not taking advantage of the present!

To add to these "living in the moment" thoughts, I'm reminded of what my wife brought up the other day about happiness. Happiness is not the absence of hard things. It's not being free from trials. But rather it's recognizing who you are, who you're trying to become, and recognizing the many, many blessings you have that you can enjoy along the way--and that give you strength to follow the perfect and unique path that a loving Heavenly Father has put you on.

Putting these two thoughts together--living in the moment and recognizing all of your blessings--go hand in hand I believe. After all, how can you recognize blessings and who you are becoming if you aren't taking the opportunity to see and experience what's going on right now? 

With all those things in my head and in my heart, I wanted to live in the moment today, starting with my service in the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square. I enjoyed the conversations in my carpool as we traveled to Salt Lake, and, though not a big fan of snow, noticed how beautiful it was coming down from the sky and frosting over the trees and ground. I looked at each of my carpool friends and was thankful for each of their friendly smiles, their testimonies, and how they, and other choice friends, make this experience so much fun each week. Once in the conference center, I looked around and was thankful for all those who had decorated the place. Noticing the hundreds of little lights on the trees, I thought about how each one of those lights represents not only blessings in my life--but the many people in my life too. As we sang the songs for today's program, instead of thinking of what song was coming next, or our performance later that day, or past mistakes I had made in singing them, I focused on the fact that these were beautiful songs with lyrics that helped me feel the Christmas spirit--now. I looked around at the good brethren beside me, putting my arm around one and being thankful for friendship and for voices that keep my on track. Later at church, with my arm around my beautiful wife and the other arm around my youngest son, I tried to savor that very moment of being next to them and thinking about all they meant to me. Before hurrying out of the church to get back to the Conference Center, I lingered at the door taking in the scene of the people around me, grateful for my congregational family.

As I continued my "in the moment" quest for the rest of the day, it truly made all the difference. And as we sang songs for the world tonight at the First Presidency Christmas Devotional, singing in the moment (instead of looking ahead to what was next in my life) and treasuring the lyrics and the feelings was joyous. A lyric from a song we had sung earlier today came to mind: "Tune your heart to hear His music". I thought how perfectly that fit in with the theme of taking advantage of the moment. THE MUSIC OF GOD IS GOING ON, NOW, ALL AROUND US. As we tune our hearts, we can capture, utilize, and recognize the immediate blessings and opportunities that are ours.

While learning from the past, and preparing for the future are certainly important, I invite you to also enjoy the now. It's a pretty cool place to be.

Until next time, God be with you. 

PS: Was grateful for the "revised" format of the First Presidency Christmas Devotional. Not only was there nearly double the music than in years past, but several of the talks themselves referenced the songs we sang. A perfect tapestry! And President Nelson himself was the one who requested we end with Handel's Hallelujah Chorus.  

Singing For Unto Us a Child is Born, on today's MSW broadcast

First Presidency Devotional tonight

 

TCATS #255 - Agnosco

So this past Monday, I woke up with barely a voice that was even worse by Tuesday. So I texted my carpool friends (since Tuesday night was our weekly rehearsal due to the holiday on Thursday) and told them the news and that I'd be driving in separately so as to not infect them with whatever had hijacked my vocal abilities. Once at the Tabernacle, I quickly grabbed my folders and made it up to the balcony to do my observing from. As I've mentioned before, choir members can get observing credit (vs participation credit) which won't count as an absence (though observing is worth 1 point, while full participation is worth 2 points). 

A few of my friends waved from the loft--which I appreciated. Sitting on the benches in the balcony is rather lonely, in my opinion. I've heard some say they actually enjoy the "break" from participating and enjoy just spreading out and taking in the listening experience. But...that's not me. I'd rather sing any day, any time.

Thankfully, the voice came back on Saturday and by Sunday, I was ready to go again. While I wasn't able to do the broadcast, I was able to do the extra rehearsal afterwards for Christmas music. And today, for those 90 minutes, we used the time to do a recording of many Christmas pieces we need to memorize for the upcoming concert. The recordings will definitely be useful in the days ahead as we learn and master the notes to those songs. 

My smile moment of the day came when I was watching people come into the Tabernacle. A mom and her two sons made their way up to the balcony section that was right next to the one I was sitting in. It was fun to see their faces. Their eyes were big, and they had this awe in their countenances while looking around and hearing the orchestra and choir. The mom was pointing at the large organ pipes and the domed ceiling and whispering to her sons a bunch of other information related to the building and/or event they were being a part of. I don't think the mom stopped smiling during the whole 2-3 minutes that I sat there watching the scene. It all reinforced to me (yet again) that I should do my best not to take any of this weekly experience for granted. 

Until next time, God be with you.

TCATS #254 - Of Being Thankful

It was our special Thanksgiving Day broadcast this morning and the six songs we sang were a near perfect fit for the occasion:

Saints Bound for Heaven: thanking God for delivering faithful followers of him, through the ages
For the Beauty of the Earth: giving thanks for this beautiful world we live in. Yes, it's filled will lots of people who don't do very good things, and in some cases, do terribly awful things. But, it's also filled with really good people who build, encourage, and uplift.
Now Thank We All Our God: Praising God for all He's given us
Over the River & Through the Woods: lighthearted, yes. But Thanksgiving is largely centered on getting together with family and loved ones (and in some cases, going to "grandmother's house"). Is there any better company to be in when you're expressing thanks? Nope.
Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep: what could give us a better sense of gratitude than to actually think about all the blessings we have?
Thou Gracious God Whose Mercy Lends: I'll let the lyrics speak for themselves. "We thank thee, Father; let thy grace our loving circle still embrace, thy mercy shed its heavenly store, thy peace be with us evermore."

I'm thankful for being a member of the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square. I look forward to singing with my fellow brothers and sisters every week. I'm thankful for the songs we sing, for the people I have befriended and love, for the directors and staff who work so hard, and for the many millions of people who listen to the Choir and support them. I'm also thankful for my wife and family who, week in, and week out, continue to support me in this calling & opportunity. I'm often asked the question how long I'll stay in the Choir. My reply is always the same: I don't know. :)  But God willing, I'll stay as long as He will have me. Like so much in our lives, it's in His hands.

Until next time, God be with you.

PS: It was pretty cool to see the smile on Ryan Murphy's face today after he conducted the entire program and realized it went as well as he had hoped. 

TCATS #253 - Semper Paratus

The Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square, along with the Bells on Temple Square, presented a special Music and the Spoken Word today to honor veterans everywhere. It turned out to be a very nice and inspirational program filled with patriotic music, a really great organ number, a touching piece by the bells, and a message about the history of Veterans Day. Did you know that today marked the 100th anniversary of the inception of Veterans Day (or Armistice Day as it was called originally)?  From the spoken word today: "In recognition of this day of peace and hope, United States President Woodrow Wilson designated November 11 as Armistice Day, which would later be renamed Veterans Day. 'To us in America,' he declared, 'the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in their country’s service and with gratitude for the victory.'”

To be clear, I'm very grateful for all who have served, and are serving in the military, who protect and watch over our country. They often spend A LOT of time away from their families, and many pay a great cost both physically and mentally. That said, I found myself struggling today to be as enthusiastic as I felt I should be. I felt conflicted. What kind of country, which has been protected by our armed forces, do we now live in? Is "the United States of America" even accurate anymore? I feel like we're more divided now than we've ever been. Our constitution remains in force, but is it honored, respected, and followed as originally intended?

This is not a blog about government or politics or even our country, so I won't remain on those topics. Suffice it to say, I've become very discouraged when it comes to anything related to such topics. And each time I sing about our great country, that discouragement--in some form or another--surfaces.

So, today as I sang and participated, I tried to focus on just being thankful for people who have sacrificed much. And to optimistically hope for more unification rather than division.

An extra rehearsal followed the broadcast and we continued marching forward in learning Christmas songs for the upcoming concert. As I was walking to the parking garage afterwards, I heard some choir members behind me wondering what kind of voice Kristin Chenowith will bring with her to the concerts. It made me smile because I just can't picture her singing "Angels from the Realms of Glory" with the singing style she used for songs like "Popular" from Wicked! But I guess we'll see, won't we.

Until next time, God be with you.

TCATS #252 - Love Rules

Two things I wanted to mention for today's post...

First, most Spoken Word messages, which are a part of Music & the Spoken Word each week, are prepared weeks in advance. Bro. Lloyd Newell usually pre-records them weeks in advance, as well. Music is chosen to help enhance the theme of the spoken word message--though not all of the music selected is for that purpose. Today, however, given the terrible tragedy at the Tree of Life Synagogue this past week, it was decided that the spoken word be partially rewritten just a few days ago, both out of respect and out of love for the families and friends of the victims. Of course, the message is not just for them, but for everyone--a message of working harder to come together as brothers and sisters and of showing more love and respect. 

Hate crimes are terrible, in and of themselves. But the way this country is so bitterly divided, on just about everything, is a tragedy as well. The music and spoken word today was presented in an effort to remind all of us that we're all in this journey of life together and love will always prevail. Here are a few excerpts from today's message:

But there’s something else that happens in the wake of horrible events, something that sparks hope: In the process of mourning with those who mourn, we remember that we share a common humanity, a brotherhood, sisterhood. We realize that although we look, believe, and think differently, we share this small space in the universe, and we need each other. When one group or individual suffers, we all do. So we help one another through difficulties and trials, because that’s the only way we can move forward in the face of suffering.

We’re truly in this together. We need voices of peace. We need hearts of love. We need souls that respect our shared humanity—who generate light instead of heat. In other words, we need each other. In the end, hate will not win; goodness will. Ultimately, evil does not rule the day; love does—and always will. Voices of peace and hearts of love are never alone.  

I certainly have days when I think love won't prevail. But my hope and my faith demand better thinking of me. And when I truly look at the bigger picture, there are so many good people doing so man good things. That reality keeps the other, more dismal reality, at bay.

Second, while I enjoyed singing several songs today, one in particular was The Impossible Dream. Not only are the words inspiring ("...march into hell for a heavenly cause!"), but a good friend of mine who just joined the choir this year has had it on his bucket list to sing this song with the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square. And today his bucket list was fulfilled! It was fun to feed off of his excitement and to see how happy he was.

That's about it. Until next time, God be with you.