TCATS #280 - Of Compliments, Love, and Sissel

Never suppress a generous thought.

A fellow choir member, who I have the fortune of being good friends with, is simply a Master of Compliments. It's amazing. In my short time with him just today, I probably heard four or five compliments given to various people. 
[To a me] "I love that tie."
[To another choir member] "That's a great haircut!"
[To a lady at the visitors center] "I like your hair."
[To a group of Chinese visitors] "Thanks for being here. Are you going to come watch us sing?"

Just last week, as we were walking through various tunnels to get from the cafeteria to the Conference Center for a concert, do you think he noticed each of the individuals working security? Well, of course he did! Each received a genuine "Hello! Thanks for keeping us safe," and I could tell it surprised a few of them to be acknowledged, let alone receive a compliment.  

I don't think he'll ever know how much his compliments impact people. I mean, most of us when we give compliments, we never really know how much it helps the receiver. But undoubtedly it helps in some way. And who knows, it may even help in a big way. I'm determined to be a person who gives more compliments--not just because it's the right thing to do, but because it's a win-win thing to do. And, after all, we're all brothers and sisters and showing love is really what it's all about.

Speaking of love, that was today's theme of Music & the Spoken Word. All of the songs we sang testified of God's love for us--from "I Feel My Savior's Love," to "How Firm a Foundation," to "I Sing the Mighty Power of God." What was extra special about today's broadcast was one little girl who was in the audience. A girl named Lydia who President Nelson mentioned in a talk he gave last December. Lydia has cancer and isn't expected to live much longer. So as we sang about love today, we kept hoping that Lydia and her family would feel a lot of love--not just from us, but especially from a Heavenly Father and Mother who will be eager to welcome her home soon. 

To end today's post, I just wanted to mention the announcement made this past Thursday regarding the guest artist for our upcoming Pioneer Day Concert in July. If you're a fan of Sissel, then you definitely won't want to miss getting tickets. (And fortunately, the Pioneer Day Concert is typically available on YouTube for all to enjoy)

Well, that's it my friends. Give a few extra compliments this week. And give a few extra hugs of love, too. 

Until next time, God be with you.
 

TCATS #279 - The Golden Spike

The Tabernacle Choir has been likened to a "train that never stops". And these last three months, not only has it never stopped, but it's been going 100 mph! So after the broadcast was over today, everyone was finally able to breath a sigh of relief. The train hasn't stopped, but I think we're all thankful that it will now slow down considerably. 

The biggest event of the week was the concert we performed on Friday evening to commemorate the 150th anniversary of May 10, 1869--when, at the remote promontory north of the Great Salt Lake, two locomotives—the Jupiter from the Central Pacific and the 119 from the Union Pacific—met nose-to-nose, completing the transcontinental railroad. The two guests joining the concert were Tony award recipient Brian Stokes Mitchell (who goes by "Stokes") and Tony-nominated star Megan Hilty. They were both excellent. The choir sang nine songs in all--several patriotic songs, along with a couple of spirituals, a Broadway piece or two, and a medley of train songs (which, by the way, will not leave my head, even now). What was unique about this concert is that it was NOT being filmed, it was only one night, and it was more on the light-hearted side of the spectrum. So, with a little less pressure than normal, I really found the concert to be uniquely fun and positive. A lot of references were made to trains (of course) and how they relate to our lives. We're all on a journey, we all have ups and downs, we endure bends in the track and variations of speed. We mix and mingle with fellow passengers and we have opportunities to influence and uplift. Wherever we're at on our railroad journey, we thankfully have a Master Conductor, who will get us to our final destination, safely and lovingly.

Enjoy a few pics below of the event, and until next time, God be with you.

Spent dinner break with these fine gentlemen! (Ryan & Wes)

The view the audience had

The back row basses, keeping things real.

A fireworks show after the concert!

 

TCATS #278 - Revisiting & Reinventing

Thursday was my wife's birthday, and because I wanted to spend as much time with her as I could, I traded choir rehearsal that evening for a date with her to see the Avengers movie. :)  That meant, of course, that this morning I revisited the balcony seats nearest the loft (or as some of us have come to call it, the "penalty box") to observe the broadcast rather than be in it. It was a good experience though. I had a good friend to my right, and a good friend to my left, and I felt a lot of love for them as we went through the "observing experience" together. I also had a couple of my choir friends come up to me during the break to give a hug and say hello. I felt blessed! 

Rewinding a bit though...Before I took a seat in "the box" this morning, I said hello to a choir member and we started talking about how difficult it's becoming to be REALLY excited about various choir events (ironically, this topic came up on the very day 30+ new people were completely stoked to be on their first broadcast!)  It's not that we don't want to be excited. It's just the natural way things go when you do things over and over and over again. The only remedy for avoiding that trap of complacency and indifference is to REINVENT. The meaning of this word, according to the dictionary, is "to change something so much that the thing seems completely new." So how does one effectively do that?

As I've been giving this some thought, I've come up with the following Top Ten "Instead of" list as it pertains to reinventing the role of a member of the Tabernacle Choir:

1.  Instead of saying "Gosh, I've sang this song at least 20 times already," say "There's someone out there who may be hearing this song for the first time--so I should sing it with all my heart."
2. Instead of singing a well-known song during rehearsal without looking at the music, pull out the music anyway and see if you can't find at least one note or rhythm that you may have been singing wrong all along.
3. Instead of going for technical expertise, feeling proud that you made it through the song perfectly, try actually thinking about the song's message and what it means to you, both while you're singing it, and afterwards.
4. Instead of relying on your experience and talents to carry you through, come to Choir with a prayer in your heart that those who listen will be able to receive, and that you, yourself, will receive what God may want to teach you.
5. Instead of treating time in the penalty box as a time to be uninvolved, look at it as a time to listen, to appreciate, and to recapture the wonder of the choir and its inspired mission.
6. Instead of looking out at the audience and seeing them as one massive group of people, see them as individuals, each as a son or daughter of Heavenly Parents who have come with heavy burdens, and who are relying on YOU to help them feel hope and solace.
7. Instead of being content with your current choir friend group, look for ways to meet someone new--especially someone who recently joined the choir and is full of the excitement you seek.
8. Instead of staying in the "now"(which definitely has its place), remember back to when you finished the rigorous audition process and received that letter in the mail welcoming you the Choir School. How awesome was that! (and then let that memory inspire your reinventing conquest)
9. Instead of thinking that any sort of correction coming from the director doesn't pertain to you (because, after all, you HAVE been here many years... Ha), really think about whether it just might.
10. Instead of just singing to those in the audience, think about the people that mean the most in your life, and try dedicating various songs to them. New joy and fresh perspective may just be the result.

It's not too hard to come up with a list like this (and really, the concepts in this list can apply to anything you've become complacent with), but it's another thing to actually remember and implement these non-complacency strategies. To be honest, sometimes I forget about them--and sometimes I'm just not that great at implementing them. But, I really hope I can do better. After all,  I don't want complacency or indifference to hold any of my choir moments hostage. 

Not even one.

Until next time, God be with you.

TCATS #277 - New Perspectives/ Retirements

Instead of attending Choir rehearsal this past Thursday evening, I spent my time supporting both my wife and daughter at a Centerville Jr. High end-of-year Cheer Banquet (since my wife is the Cheer Coach, and my daughter is one of the cheerleaders). It was a very nice evening, as I was more than happy to be in attendance to honor them and all of the hard work they've put into cheer this past school year. 

Missing Thursday night though, meant sitting in the "penalty box" this morning in an observing role only. As the choir rehearsed, I decided to wander to the back of the Tabernacle and see things from that perspective. I quite enjoyed it. It gave me the opportunity to smile at the people coming in, to see them up close, and to hear the choir and orchestra in a "balanced" way (since sitting anywhere else in the Tabernacle will give you a very different listening experience). 

During the break, I took a stroll outside and ran into Ben who was headed off to welcome people who had brought small children and therefore couldn't watch the broadcast from the actual Tabernacle. Instead, these folks took a seat in an auditorium in the North Visitors Center. After one of the Tabernacle Choir sisters greeted them, Ben and the others went up into the seats to personally talk to the people and answer any questions they might have. I appreciated  the perspective that experience gave me because most of us during the break just hang out and talk to friends in the choir. Ben, along with these other choir members though, actually keep on serving during the break by helping people feel welcome and loved. 

Those retiring were asked to stand and be recognized.

At the end of the broadcast, those retiring from the choir today were asked to stand and be recognized. There were 31 of them. I did not stay for the actual retirement ceremony afterwards, but my prayers were with them as I knew it was going to be a difficult thing to formally and officially say goodbye. I don't like endings, myself, and I don't like thinking about them for other people, either. Change is always hard, especially when you don't know what's next in life--what doors will be opened. But, I know God loves these brothers and sisters who have served anywhere from 5 to 20 years in the choir, and I sincerely hope they feel God's love for them as they start a new era of service in various other ways. 

Until next time, God be with you. 

P.S. Unbeknownst to me, the Spoken Word today included some thoughts on Perspective. Check it out HERE.

TCATS #276 - Easter Concert (HE IS RISEN)

This past Friday and Saturday evening, the Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square, along with the Bells at Temple Square and the Gabriel Trumpet Ensemble, presented their annual Easter Concert to commemorate the life and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Some years, we perform Handel's Messiah, but this year we sang 10 Easter-themed songs, which spoke of various events during the last days of the Savior's life. All in all, it was a very beautiful concert. The feedback was very positive. A letter was read this morning of someone who watched it via live stream and said that in his 40 years of listening to the song Worthy is the Lamb (the concluding number of The Messiah, which we concluded our concert with), he had never heard it done as well as it was done at this concert. My wife and my mom came to watch it Friday night, and couldn't say enough about how it impacted them. Articles in the news and FB and Twitter posts were kind, as well.

From a singer's point of view, some of the music was quite challenging to memorize. Particularly Worthy is the Lamb (lots of amen choruses at the end going which was tricky), That Easter Day With Joy was Bright (simply because of the quick lyrics), and even a few "familiar" hymns which I thought I knew, but realized I didn't. While there was a teleprompter at the back of the Tabernacle, it was of little help to the basses and sopranos who, because of where they were sitting, didn't have it in their line of sight (basically, your gaze had to shift considerably from the conductor to prompter and back--which isn't great for being filmed). So, aside from some very quick glances I took at the ends of a few phrases, singing everything fully memorized was the best way to go.

Along with the wonderful feedback I got from my wife and mom, the other highlight was seeing what President Dallin H Oaks did after the concert was over. He was probably the first one to rise to his feet in a standing ovation, clapping hard with a big smile on his face. He even stepped out from his seat as if wanting to get closer so he could make sure we knew how much he appreciated our efforts. As he left, he actually came up to where we were seating, gave us a big smile, and crossed his hands over his heart. It was moving.

I'm thankful for my Savior Jesus Christ. I know He lives. I know He loves me, and I know He loves you. I know that we can all live with Him again someday if we live His gospel and take full advantage of His atonement. 

Until next time, God be with you.

From Music & Spoken Word today, where we sang several songs from the Concert

The Narrators

TCATS #275 - Contest Winners, New Organist, Upcoming Concert!

One of the winners being welcomed.

I knew something unusual was up when I walked into the Tabernacle Thursday night for rehearsal. Three or four individuals were sporting cameras and videoing the winners of the Let Us All Press On "Sing with the Choir" contest. As contest winners (being randomly selected from 6,243 entries), their prize was to sing with the choir both at rehearsal Thursday night, and at the Sunday morning rehearsal and broadcast run-through (unfortunately, they didn't get

A winner being shown to the choir seats.

to actually sing on the broadcast itself). At any rate, it was fun to have them there, to hear them get introduced, and to see their excitement of being able to sing with the choir! You can read a more complete write-up about the winners and their experience, HERE.

In other choir news, after a number of auditions that took place over the past several months, it was finally revealed who would be a new organist for the choir organization: Joseph Peeples. You can read all about him and his appointment, HERE. Our organists do such an incredible job. I can't imagine living with the

Joseph Peeples

pressure of having to perform all the pieces they perform, with 99.9% accuracy. If I mess up by singing a wrong note or by getting the rhythm wrong (never happens...yeah right! Haha), I have other people around me that do a good job of covering that up. But not so with the organists. They are on their own and do an incredible job. Welcome Joseph!


This coming Friday and Saturday we'll be performing in our annual Easter Concert that we've been busily preparing for. The concert will consist of 10 songs, all memorized. The good news, is that tickets are still available! If you happen to live out of town, you can still watch (stream) the concert from the comfort of your own home by going to the ChurchOfJesusChrist.org website, Choir’s website thetabernaclechoir.org; the Choir's YouTube channel; or on the Choir’s Facebook page.  The concert will also be posted on YouTube for later viewing. 

Until next time, God be with you.

Photo credit: Salt Lake Tribune, Scott Sheetz

TCATS #274 - 189th SAGC

If you were to ask Mack Wilberg and Ryan Murphy what they thought about the Choir's performance this weekend at General Conference, they would likely say it was one of the best Conference performances, ever. Over the course of Saturday and Sunday, after singing each of the 20 or so songs that were part of the Conference repertoire, they gave us several compliments, smiles, and thumbs-up. And I think all of that positive feedback not only represented excellence from a technical musicality standpoint, but from a spiritual standpoint as well. 

At any rate, I wanted to devote the rest of this blog entry to those things that impacted me the most--from the perspective of the "choir conference" experience. 

Most Impactful Songs
While it's challenging to pick just a few, I'd have to choose the following:
**O Thou Rock of Our Salvation - Each conference I dedicate a song to my wife just for fun. It's a way that she knows I'm thinking of her while I'm away for so long. So this time, this is the one I picked. Also, I just really felt a powerful hope in the song's lyrics--especially in the last verse coming true. "When for all that we’ve contended, when the fight of faith we’ve won, when the strife and battle’s ended, and our labor here is done."
**Now Let Us Rejoice - This is one of my favorite hymns and it always reminds me of the last church meeting I had in Japan where I asked the choir director to have the congregation sing this song after I had exhorted the Saints there to rejoice both now, and in the great future ahead.
**Called to Serve- I have two missionaries serving, so, of course I thought of them while singing this one.
**How Firm a Foundation - Another favorite hymn. And this arrangement is top-notch.
**I Need Thee Every Hour - What a better way to end General Conference this year--with a plea to have God's help every hour as we strive to become better.

Easiest Session to Sing
This goes to the Saturday morning session. It was nice to be fully confident in all the songs I was singing. 

Best "That's Really Awesome" Moment
This one is a tie. 
First one goes to what happened after the Conference was over. Bishop Causse came over and personally thanked our women organists for doing such a fine job. 
Second one goes to President Oaks who, after he was exiting the rostrum, turned to the choir and made several heart-warming gestures indicating he had loved the music and was thankful for our service and talents. 

Yummy Moment
Haha! This one goes to all the brethren who brought yummy treats to pass around while the speakers were speaking. (And yes, we do pass around treats--as discretely as possible--in an effort to keep us awake and alert) I think the row I was on had the best and most varied selection of goodies.

Funniest Interchange
When Ryan Murphy was conducting us during a rehearsal, he looked at the camera guy who had his camera pointing at his right side and jokingly said "Hey! That's not my best side." The camera guy then proceeded to point his camera at Ryan's backside--at which point we all started laughing.

Best Bro Moment
A few of us backstage who knew each other well, were greeting each other with hugs. A choir member just a few feet away saw the hugging and half-laughing asked if he could join. So we all gave him a hug, too, as he introduced himself to everyone. Instant friends.

Proud Moment
As our carpool made its way into the Conference Center this morning, each talked about how they were planning to take President Nelson's counsel to heart, citing the need to repent more and sharing personal thoughts about becoming a better husband, father, and friend. I was grateful for each one of their honest expressions and commitment to follow counsel and do better. 

Overall, I'm grateful, again, for this prized experience of getting to sing spiritually upliftings songs that feed my soul, and getting to do it with people I love. I'm also grateful for my wife and kids for their continual support!

Now onto Easter music, extra rehearsals, and an upcoming Easter concert. The choir train does. not. stop.

Until next time, God be with you. 

Singing "O Thou Rock of Our Salvation"