TCATS #427 - Welcome New Choir Members!

Retiring members of the choir left their seats open this week to be filled by new members of choir. I'm not entirely sure how many new ones we have this time, but it's a larger number than usual. So much so that on Thursday night for rehearsal, there weren't enough seats for everyone! I suppose that's a good problem to have because it ensures a full loft moving forward. At any rate though, as I've mentioned every year since I've been in the choir, the energy and excitement and humble anticipation of these new members always takes me by surprise. I was sitting next to a new baritone today (Steve) and he commented on what fantastic music we get to sing--so many truly great pieces. I sort of nodded my head in agreement, but in my mind I was like "Yeah Ryan...why don't you think of THAT fact instead of thinking about how unhappy you are sometimes to sing some of these great songs for the 56th time!" 

It's comments like the ones Steve made that always put me in my place each year and help me be more grateful for the experience I'm having. So thanks, Newbies!

Not sure there's too much more to say about this week. 

Well, maybe just one thing to illustrate the point that everyone of us needs each other.

One of the songs we sang today was sung 2/3rds of the time by us holding our folders. The last 1/3rd was sung memorized--mainly because while we were singing the first 2/3rds of the song, the broadcast was showing what we call "overroll"--videos of nature, people, families, etc--so it really didn't matter if we used our folders or not. But the last 1/3rd, the cameras were on the choir, so right before that happened, we were supposed to lower our folders.

Well, guess who was the only person not to lower his folder? Yep. Yours truly.

As that was unfolding, I started getting nudges from the person next to me and the person behind me. As first I was like "what's up guys?!" and then I realized what they were trying to communicate to me. I quickly lowered my folder, but whether or not I did that in time, I'm not sure.

My fears were confirmed when, after the broadcast, the technicians informed Mack that we needed to re-film that song. Whether it was because there was some other problem that happened or whether it was because the camera caught me lowering my folder, I'm not sure. But you can bet I felt pretty terrible about it.

That said, I was grateful for my fellow basses looking out for me.  I've realized more and more lately that as much as we might get in the mindset occasionally that we can do things on our own, it's probably not true. We need other people. We need to be around them, to love them, to help them, and to gently correct them (and be corrected by them) if needs be. 

Until next time, God be with you. 

(And congrats newbies on officially starting your journey)

TCATS #426 - Retirement 2022

A very bitter-sweet day for 30+ members of the Choir and Orchestra who officially retired today. While I'm sure it was probably more bitter than sweet, I'd imagine the sweet part about it was thinking about how many lives they've influenced over the years and how many wonderful memories they've made. I've always been a fan of the theory that each person in the choir matters. From an earlier blog post:

"Even though we're unique, there are others in the world who are similar to us. They share similar burdens, have similar experiences, and conquer similar fears. They connect with who we are, at our core, and are influenced by our compassion and our empathy. Call them our "soul buddies" if you will.

So as singers, when we put everything who makes us, us, into our voices, combining the beautiful medium of communication (the song) with the sum total of our souls, we each end up influencing different people. Annie in California, Julio in Mexico, Monique in France, and Illiyan in Bulgaria hear the same united voices, but their souls are most affected and influenced by that one person who is their soul buddy. They feel the strength of the unified sound which is a combination of all of the unique voices. But they connect with that one voice. That one voice that can so effectively lift them and leave them with a feeling that they are not alone."

So, I think if you believed THAT (compounded over 20 years of Choir service), you'd be left with a pretty sweet feeling.

For me personally today, I felt particularly sad to have Ryan Bateman be part of the group retiring. Ryan and I have been great friends ever since I joined the Choir in 2014. I remember the day our friendship began. It was in the Conference Center during the summer. We had taken our assigned seats, but because of various people missing, the seating manager started rearranging us and I was stationed next to Ryan. I'm sure there was a little bit of the normal get-to-know-you talk, but after the broadcast was over, he put his hand on my shoulder and expressed how grateful he was to have made a new friend and how he looked forward to getting to know me better. I was impressed. And from that day forward, our friendship grew through conversations during choir breaks, singing next to each other during various performances (before I was moved several rows down on the seating chart), and having some rewarding experiences on choir tours. I've always appreciated Ryan's kindness, patience, and unconditional love. His rich choir history (having joined the choir in 1999) gave way to him often sharing interesting and insightful thoughts on music we've sung and on various experiences we had. We've also been able to enjoy occasional lunches outside of Choir which have been good since social time at Choir is always in small doses. 

At any rate, I'm grateful for Ryan and will be praying for him and this interesting transition he'll be going through in the months and years ahead. In the words of Maria from The Sound of Music (cue "Climb Every Mountain"), "Where the Lord closes a door, somewhere he opens a window." You'll find your window Ryan. As will the other retirees.

I'll end with some photos of Ryan. 

Until next time, God be with you.

TCATS #425 - Do What We Can, and Love

The title of this week's blog comes from a quote included in today's spoken word message. Along with Lloyd Newell's traditional spoken word narration, there were several mothers who shared their insights on motherhood. One woman said, "I have to admit, I haven’t always liked Mother’s Day all that much. I would hear about how wonderful everyone’s mother is, and I never felt like I measured up. But I’ve come to realize that God doesn’t need me to be a perfect mother. He just asks that I do what I can, and to love. And because motherhood is such a sacred, important work, He’ll be with me every step of the way.”

I like this because to me, it's the most accurate lens through which motherhood should be viewed. 

After rehearsal a week or so ago, having practiced one of the motherhood-themed songs we performed today, one of the sisters in the choir mentioned how difficult it is to listen to (and sing) songs that make mothers sound like perfect human beings. She went on to say that her own mother was far from perfect. Growing up, her mom had made plenty mistakes. And the ripple effects from those mistakes continue to reverberate even today. But in all honesty, what are we to expect? Just like everyone else, moms do make mistakes. But it's through those mistakes that they (and we) move forward--how we grow. All of us try to do the best we can and trust it's enough-- and we have hope that the love we have for children, for friends, for family members and human beings everywhere is what will prevail and what will be remembered.

Not to get off topic, but I guess I will for just a minute, haha. In the choir, we DO sometimes paint the most ideal with songs we sing: the perfect mom, the perfect family, the perfect soldier, the perfect disciple of Christ. We sing of "parents who love me" and "teachers kind and true" and "parents kind and dear" and homes where "love is spoken here" and where "every hour [we) are blessed by the strength of priesthood power." We even sing of "sunshine in our soul(s)" and "be(ing) the kind of person that I know I want to be." Then there are the videos sprinkled into the songs the choir performs. Two parents holding the hands of their two neatly dressed and perfectly behaved children, skipping through a hill of wildflowers; a mom pushing her laughing child on a tree swing; a couple holding hands as the waves of the ocean nip at their feet; children dutifully kneeling at their bedside in prayer; smiles, laughter, light, joy, ALL IS RIGHT WITH THE WORLD! Ok, I think you get the idea. :) 

This used to bug me more than it does now (though I have to admit, I still get a little bit annoyed). But a few wise people I talked to made the point that sometimes people seeing the ideal get inspired to strive for the ideal. It spurs them forward. It makes them reach a little higher (and motivates change).  Are there those who look at the ideal and say to themselves "I'll never by like that"? Absolutely. I'm sure of it. But is it better to want to be better or is it better to be comfortable and quit reaching? Our heavenly parents love us for who we are, right now. But they are also interested in us becoming better because they know we'll be even happier. 

Sorry--that was all a bit preachy. Not my intention to be preachy. I just have tried to get my head around this aspect of singing with the Choir and thought I'd share a few thoughts about it.

That all said, I'm grateful for my own mom--her successes, her failures, and her constant desire to be better. I'm thankful for my wife who has been, and continues to be, a force of immense goodness and strength in the lives of our children. She too is trying each day to be just a little better and learn from mistakes. And I'm grateful for all of those in my life who are who they are, who do the things they do, and focus mostly on loving others and striving to be a little better. 

Hopefully I can be more like them.

Until next time, God be with you.

TCATS #424 - St. Olaf

The Tabernacle Choir welcomed the distinguished a capella St. Olaf Choir today as guest performers on Music & the Spoken Word. Some interesting facts about this choir:

*The choir was founded back in 1912 and is based in Northfield, Minnesota.
*During their 110 year history, the choir has only had four directors.
*The choir is currently directed by Anton Armstrong who has actually been a guest conductor for the Tabernacle Choir on several occasions in the past.
*The choir is made up of about 75 college students (who obviously attend St. Olaf College).
*Of the choir's mission, Armstrong has said "We seek to be a transforming force in society through choral performance, bringing understanding, mercy, justice, peace, and hope to a world that desperately cries out for these things.”

While the Choir's website doesn't mention much about testifying of Christ, St. Olaf college is a Lutheran college. And it, along with it's associated choir, believes in Jesus Christ and believes in promoting Christ's message of peace and hope.

While we sang together today on a few of the pieces, there were times when members of the St. Olaf choir sang on their own --and they sounded beautiful. The choir reminded me of a lot of the BYU Singers choir in terms of exceptional quality, cohesiveness, and perfect blending. All in all, it was a joy to have them with us today. 

There were two things, though, that I wish could have happened. 

First, I wish we would have had time to visit with members of the choir and establish a personal connection. Obviously there was no way for 400 members of the Tabernacle Choir to each have a conversation with even just one of the members of the St. Olaf choir. But, I don't believe all 400 would have wanted that. Perhaps just those interested could have had the chance-- had it been offered. Then again, our overall mission today was to come together and sing to the world--not personally connect. It's like when we go on tour. We never get to mix and mingle afterwards with members of the audience. 

Second, I thought FOR SURE that members of the St. Olaf choir would be asked to turn around and face us as we sang "God Be With You". Guests always turn to face us so we can sing TO THEM. As we had been staring at the back of their heads for over an hour, it would have been great to see their faces--to see their eyes--and then sing directly to them. But that did not happen. We sang to the back of their heads. :(

After the official MSW was over with (ending with one of my favorite pieces "Thou Gracious God Whose Mercy Lends"), the St. Olaf choir sang two additional pieces.  Both were really beautiful. I particularly enjoyed the second one in which members of the choir started swaying back and forth and sharing enthusiastic expressions.  With their purple robes and a couple of the women doing some pretty cool solos, it was kind of like what you'd envision seeing some Baptist choir do. Sort of. Anyway, the way they performed it was very effective. 

All too soon, the experience was over and they departed. Weird to think that we'll probably never see them again. Such a realization is always weird--when you meet someone or have some sort of experience with someone and then you part ways knowing it's very unlikely you'll see each other again.  

Life is filled with lots of weird things. 

Until next time, God be with you.

Click to enlarge

 

 

TCATS #423 - Sissel + Public Now Welcome

The Tabernacle Choir welcomed Sissel back this week--who joined us at both our Thursday rehearsal and at our Sunday performance. There was actually a dual purpose to her visit. First, she was here to get a few songs recorded with us (perhaps for a forthcoming album?); and second, she was here to perform a couple of those songs on Music & the Spoken Word today. 

As mentioned last week, today was the first day that the general public was invited to walk through the doors of the Tabernacle and enjoy MSW in person. And walk through the doors they did. :) Aside from a few side benches underneath the balcony, most of the seating was occupied by those who were eager to hear the Choir and Orchestra again after such a long break. It was great to see the hall filled up and certainly brought back memories of years ago when no one thought twice about the hall getting filled up.

Probably the highlight of the broadcast was the two songs Sissel performed: Slow Down, and Beautiful Savior (sung partially in Norwegian). From a music/tune perspective, I'm not as big a fan of Slow Down as some people are. But I do really appreciate the lyrics and can see the world being a much better place if people sometimes slowed down and unburdened themselves with the various distractions swirling around them. 

At the conclusion of MSW, we actually sang (for the first time since March 2020) "God Be With You 'Till We Meet Again" to close out the program. It was formally directed at Sissel and her husband and pianist, but was directed, too, to all audience members. 

As I sat in my seat this morning before rehearsal started, I remembered back to what I used to do at MSW performances. I used to say a specific prayer in my heart that at least one person would feel something positive:  maybe a little lighter, filled with a little more hope, and feeling less alone. I also used to pick out one person in the audience to since the final song to. I thought it would be cool to start doing those things again.

By far, the hardest thing about this week was recording the songs. Recording is just a very long and tedious process and while we all appreciate Ryan Murphy's listening and feedback skills, sometimes it's just infuriating. Especially when we all feel like we just had a good take and even Mack said "That felt good, can we move on?" and Ryan replies from the sound recording booth "It was good, but. . .".  Haha. The infamous "but". In all seriousness though, thanks Ryan for not settling for anything but the best sound we can produce!

Until next time, God be with you.

 

 

 

TCATS #422 - Glorious Easter

Happy Easter everyone!

The Music & the Spoken Word program today was one I really enjoyed personally. The choir and orchestra were joined by the bells and the Gabriel Trumpet entourage --both of whom made the whole program sound more magnificent. It felt great, too, to have so many visitors in the Tabernacle to watch/listen. Technically, the "100 people only" restrictions were to be lifted next week, but I'm glad that whoever was in charge of that just let anyone in who wanted to come in. No better week to have a full house than on Easter! (It actually wasn't a full house, but probably around 300 or so)

Out of all the songs we sang, the last two were the ones that impacted me the most. I'm starting to FEEL again and "I Know That My Redeemer Lives" and "Hallelujah Chorus" were the two songs I felt the most. Speaking of that former song, at Thursday night's rehearsal when we were practicing that song, there was a woman sitting up on the right side of the balcony that just couldn't stop crying. Obviously the words of that song had really touched her--and while the song itself is not my most favorite (musically speaking), I do love the words and how they can be a direct reflection (and powerful remembrance) of one's testimony of Christ.

As a follow-up from last week's post, I did want to mention that our non-vaxxed members of the Choir joined us on Thursday night--observing from the balcony. They WERE acknowledged by one of the presidency members (though he referred to them more generically), but I felt it was rather insensitive that the very next announcement made was one that admonished everyone to stay current with their vaccinations and boosters. Ug. That said, I am choosing to focus on the good here and the good is that they are back with us and, for the most part, feel very welcome and anxious to actually start participating again, beginning next week. 

Coming up soon...

*Sissel to be joining us on an upcoming broadcast
*An announcement regarding a concert in July
*The St. Olaf Choir will join us on an upcoming broadcast as well

Until next time, God be with you (and enjoy some pics from today's broadcast, below)

TCATS #421 - Soon to Be Whole Again

As I've mentioned before, there's a subset of individuals in the Choir, Bells, and Orchestra at Temple Square that have been waiting and waiting to rejoin us. The Choir Presidency has not allowed them to come back and fulfill their calling because they are unvaccinated against covid-19. Some of these individuals cannot be vaxxed because of various health conditions. Some have followed the Church's own handbook that says members are to "make their own decisions about vaccination...,counsel with competent medical professionals and also seek the guidance of the Holy Ghost"--and after following that counsel, felt a confirmation not to be vaxxed. Regardless, all of them have been spending a great deal of time waiting and wondering and hoping. 

Thankfully, in our choir announcements on Friday, the Choir Presidency made the announcement that our unvaxxed brothers and sisters will finally be able to return:

"The Choir Presidency has concluded it is time to invite all members of the Choir, regardless of vaccination status, to return to the loft and stage. Returning members of the Choir, Orchestra, and Bells may begin attending rehearsals on Thursday, April 14 and may begin participating in performances on Sunday, April 24."

Woohoo! I was so, so happy about this!  Ever since October last year when the Choir started moving forward again, it's been difficult not to feel this "incomplete" feeling and to continually remember how difficult it's been for our fellow unvaxxed friends to sit on the sidelines. A few texted me on Friday expressing how happy they were and shedding tears of joy of having this long wait finally come to a close.

I don't know if the Presidency will make mention of them on April 14th or not. I would hope so. But regardless, I hope they receive a warm welcome from the rest of us who have eagerly awaited their return.  Indeed, I hope they feel they are on the receiving end of the hymn lyrics we've sung many times before:

As I have loved you,
Love one another.
This new commandment:
Love one another.
By this shall men know
Ye are my disciples,
If ye have love
One to another.

Until next time, God be with you.