TCATS #493 - Of Holst and Parades

There are two thoughts I wanted to share today regarding my experience this week in the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square.

First, out of all of the songs we sang, my favorite was titled "O God Beyond All Praising", by Gustav Holst. The song is based on the THAXTED tune, which Gustav came up with himself (and which tune has been used for several other songs over the years). Thaxted is actually the name of an English village where Holst grew up. At any rate, it's a very pretty song and one that found a way into my soul this morning. The lyrics that Michael Perry came up with for the song are certainly praiseworthy, but for some reason just the tune itself is what impacted me the most. It seemed to strengthen my tether to the Divine.

Second, one of our Choir presidency members stood before us this morning and informed us that music turn-in was canceled (which is rare if one has been scheduled) and that we were encouraged not to go over to the Tabernacle because of the Pride parade that was happening fairly close by. We were also told that if we really did need to go over there, that we weren't to take any pictures. 

Without any further background or context or explanation given, I was left to try and figure out the reasons behind this request. From a risk management perspective, perhaps the Choir presidency was trying to avoid the unlikely possibility of one of the parade-watchers being unkind to a choir member (or vice versa)? That somehow choir members wouldn't be welcome to view the festivities? That, because of our large numbers, we'd get in the way of others wanting to participate? Or was it to avoid a potential PR issue in the which choir members were photographed or videoed by the media as they watched the parade--thereby implicitly showing their support of the LGBTQ+ community? I don't know. I wish some additional details had been provided because it felt a little like we were being asked not to support the parade and thus the community it represents. 

Funny thing is, since the west gate of Temple Square was closed (which was nearest the parade), if we had returned our music, we would have had to go through the north gate which would have kept us quite a bit away from the parade. And speaking of the parade, it was actually taking place on 1st south--a block away from Temple Square (blocks in SLC are quite large). Anyway, it was just one of those times I was confused and in the absence of an explanation, was left to feel a bit offended. 

If I'm wrong in my interpretation of what was said, I'll be the first to apologize. Just trying to make sense of it all.

After the parking garage at the Conference Center was mostly cleared out and Choir members had gone home, I walked over to the parade to show support generally, but also to support someone I knew who was participating in it. Along with the excitement and energy, my friend in the parade summed it up best with a text he sent me: "Today I experienced a community of love and support well beyond anything I've ever experienced [elsewhere]. Most of all, there [was] no judgment here."

Until next time, God be with you.

TCATS #492 - Specials No More

 At Thursday night's rehearsal this past week, things were going exactly as they usually go. We rehearsed each piece, cleaned it up, and tape & timed it for the upcoming broadcast. The last piece we rehearsed was the piece that gave us a Grammy award back in the 1950s: Battle Hymn of the Republic.

As we rehearsed that one, Mack, at one point, said something to the effect that "Even though we don't do specials anymore, with it being Memorial Day weekend, I thought I'd add this one to the program. There are those who will get why, and for everyone else, they'll just think it's a nice song."

It was the first time that I had officially heard we don't do specials anymore. 

That said, it's been evident that we haven't been doing specials for nearly a year now (or longer?) I remember last July when we did Music & the Spoken Word right before the upcoming Independence Day holiday here in the US. I was anticipating the program to be full of patriotic music like has been the case in the past. But it was not. And for all of the holidays that followed (minus Christmas & Easter), such as Thanksgiving, Veteran's Day, Mother's Day, Father's Day, etc., the songs we sang were not catered to celebrate those special occasions. 

Just today, one of the Choir members made the comment "I miss patriotic music broadcasts". And there were others who chimed in with "Me too". I don't know that I personally miss them too much, but I recognize that there is some really fun and inspiring patriotic music which does do a very successful job at initiating a sense of wonder and appreciation for the good parts of our country and for those who have sacrificed to preserve freedoms.

As I was pondering this discontinuation of specials topic, I was reminded of an opportunity Choir members were given back in 2022 to provide feedback to the Choir presidency. Up until that time, feedback and suggestions were discouraged and flat out unwanted. Now that they were actually asking for it, I decided to capitalize on the opportunity and provide seven suggestions. One of them was this:

"Along with efforts to provide Music & the Spoken Word in Spanish and Portuguese, I hope there will be some consideration on discontinuing or modifying the US-centric broadcasts that highlight US holidays. I fully realize that there is a lot of great music that is sung and played at these, but can we not focus on themes, principles, and messages that apply to all countries and people? For example, this past Veterans Day broadcast could include songs that speak of freedom, sacrifice, and patriotism while at the same time leaving out specific references to the United States or America."

I don't mean to imply, at all, that my suggestion had anything to do with the Choir Presidency's decision to discontinue Specials. They were probably already talking about it given that one of their directives was to be more internationally focused. Evidences of that have included inviting individuals from all over the world to join the Choir for General Conference twice a year, broadcasting Music & the Spoken Word in Spanish (and Portuguese soon), and embarking on a multi-year effort to tour other countries. 

Anyway, just an observation. Sorry for writing so much about it!

I wish there was more to report, but honestly the Choir just continues to do the weekly broadcast and not much else. It will do so for two more months before something extra will be added: having additional rehearsals for our upcoming tour to Florida/Georgia. 

Until next time, God be with you.

TCATS #491 - Carpool +1

My Tabernacle Choir experience began with carpooling to Temple Square with Ben back in 2014. A few years later, 2017, we added Willy and Alan. Since then, our carpool has remained unchanged....until today.

Willy connected the dots that one of the new members of the Choir who joined just this year, lives in West Bountiful--and literally less than a mile from our carpool meeting spot (shout out to the restaurant Ramblin' Roads, whose parking lot we've utilized for over ten years now!). So he extended the invitation to him to join us and lo and behold, he did.

So, with a warm welcome we say hello to Dan! And from our conversations with Dan today, we learned he is a 2nd Tenor, he's originally from Arizona, he's a food research scientist specializing in formulating cookies (which recipes are then purchased by entities in the food business), and he sang in BYU Men's Chorus from 2009 to 2015. Dan is an extremely friendly guy and adds an excitement to our carpool that we're all grateful for. 

In other news, the Choir shifted early from the Tabernacle to the Conference Center today because apparently some work on the organ needed to be performed sooner than later. I'm not a big fan of singing in the Conference Center. I feel very small and disconnected from those who come to watch us. (And when I'm in row 6, add "squished" to the "very small" comment) However, it's all out of necessity to accommodate the larger number of people who visit Temple Square during the summer months.

Lastly for today, this year marks the first year since I started singing with the Choir that extra rehearsals won't outnumber regular rehearsals. It's an oddly quiet year. Normally we're always preparing for some next event outside of our weekly broadcast. But unless our leaders alter the current calendar (which is certainly a possibility), we really have nothing until our tour to Georgia/Florida in September. Even the traditional summer concert that the Choir has been putting on for years and years, has been canceled this year. 

I don't know...
It's all a bit strange...

That's it for this week!
Until next time, God be with you.

TCATS #490 - To God Be the Glory

There isn't a lot to comment on regarding this week's choir experience. I was absent Thursday night (celebrating my ex-wife's 50th birthday) which meant that today I had the opportunity to observe the rehearsal and broadcast from the designated balcony seats. Unfortunately, I didn't really feel a lot--which makes it hard to figure out what to write about today. But I thought I'd highlight one of the songs the Choir sang today which is a lovely new piece that Ryan Murphy arranged. It's called "To God Be the Glory". 

This particular song (words by Fanny Crosby, music by William Doane) became a popular hymn after it was programmed in Billy Graham’s Crusades of the 1950s--though it was first published in the year 1875. As the popularity of the song grew, it began to be included in most Christian churches' hymnbooks (though of course, it wasn't included in ours). 

I thought it was interesting that in Ryan's arrangement, some words were added/altered. Particularly, all of verse 2 has been replaced with lyrics from another song called "We Praise Thee, We Bless Thee". Interestingly enough, the lyrics for that song also come from Fanny Crosby.

While this is purely speculation on my part, I would guess that verse 2 was replaced because gospel doctrine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints does not teach that a person, from the very moment they believe in Christ, will automatically receive forgiveness. Belief in Christ needs to be coupled with good works, and the work of repentance must be undertaken before that forgiveness is given.

Verse 2 does have some things to be appreciated though. Christ's atonement is a perfect redemption. The promises of God are real. Christ loves all who believe in Him. And those who do believe, regardless of what they've done, can absolutely tap into Christ's grace--from that very first moment of belief, throughout their ensuing journey.

If I got the opportunity to make some edits myself, I'd change what I've highlighted in red. Because, after all, we do believe in a Heavenly Mother and I have absolutely no doubt that She has, with our Father, done many great things for each of us.

Verse 1
To God be the glory, great things He hath They have done;
So loved He They the world that He They gave us His Their Son,
Who yielded His life an atonement for sin,
And opened the life gate that all may go in.

Refrain
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord,
Let the earth hear His voice!
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord,
Let the people rejoice!
O come to the Father our Parents, through Jesus the Son,
And give Him Them the glory, great things He hath They have done.

Verse 2
O perfect redemption, the purchase of blood,
To every believer the promise of God;
The vilest offender who truly believes,
That moment from Jesus a pardon receives.

All honor and praise to Thy excellent name.
Thy love is unchanging, forever the same.
We bless and adore Thee our Heavenly King.
With joy and thanksgiving Thy mercies we sing.

Verse 3
Great things He hath taught us, great things He hath done,
And great our rejoicing through Jesus the Son;
But purer, and higher, and greater will be
Our wonder, our rapture transport, when Jesus we see.
 

 Until next time, God be with you.

TCATS #489 - New Kids on the TabChoir Block

I went to Choir Thursday night feeling rather low. The seating chart had come out earlier that day and as soon as I noticed it, emotions hit all over again from last week and I just cried. However, I was bolstered up by the fact that I was assigned to sit next to my good friend Siope and my good friend Dave.  But an hour or two before rehearsal, Siope regretted to inform me that he wouldn't be able to make it. :(

Still, there was Dave!

Until there wasn't. As I sat there in my seat and my watch read 6:59 PM, it was clear Dave wasn't going to show up either.

And then all I could think about was Wes filling one of those empty seats.

Warm-ups started and Farrell (one of our seating managers) started rearranging everyone to fill in the empty spots. He moved me to the aisle seat and then asked one of the new guys, Andrew, to come sit next to me.  

Andrew is just one of 30+ new members to officially join the Choir after completing Choir School this past week. I blog about this event every year because it's a significant happening and because usually the excitement of these new folks helps infuse new life into the Choir's overall energy level. 

I talked to Andrew a little bit, trying to make him feel welcome. He lives in Utah County, tried out for the Choir on a whim, and is a choral conductor at a junior high. Or used to be--since I overheard him saying today that he just got a new job. He's also got to be one of our youngest members I'd think. Don't know for sure, but I'd be surprised if he's a day over 27. :)

I guess I should thank Andrew, actually. Knowing he was new sort of forced me out of my sad mood and helped me focus on trying to be friendly and helpful as we worked our way through the music. And today, it being his first broadcast and all, I remembered back to my own first broadcast and how nervous and excited I was. 

So thanks, Andrew. You're a good guy, a great musician, sang the songs perfectly today, and will fit right in with the rest of us basses. 

And to all the other new people, welcome! May the excitement and energy you felt today continue to be with you in the months and years to come. And when things start to become commonplace and the routine has set in and you've sung songs over 15-20 times, may you be able to reach down inside yourself and restore the excitement and energy you once felt.

Until next time, God be with you.

 

Patrick and I. We sent this to Wes today telling him we missed him.

 

TCATS #488 - Wes

I first met Wes in June of 2018. He had started his choir experience earlier that year, but even though he also sang bass, our paths never really crossed until the seating manager put us together one Thursday night. I remember the feeling I had when I sat next to him and after we had talked a little bit: lighter. Sort of like all the burdens I was carrying weren't so heavy anymore. I remember telling him afterwards something like "I don't know if fate will sit us together again, but I sure hope so."  He smiled at that and said "I hope so too!"

Little did either of us know that fate certainly intended to do just that. Over and over and over again for the next six years. In fact, it actually became unusual that we didn't sit together--even for concerts and General Conference. The times we weren't together though, we were still near each other, and we quickly fell into the routine of talking before rehearsals, giving commentary on the music we were singing, and then walking back to our cars after it was over--which gave us a chance to catch up on the highlights of each others' lives. And since Wes is one who always appreciates openly giving and receiving hugs, we'd end with one of those before saying goodbye.

That's how things played out year in and year out. Occasionally we'd text during the week just to check in, talk about life happenings and our families, and talk about 80s pop/alternative music (which we both loved). 

I'm not exactly sure why our friendship worked so well from an external perspective. Wes is a much different type of person than I am. He's extroverted and checks almost every box for yellow personalities:

Optimism
Enthusiasm
Talking with others
Spontaneous in actions and decisions
Creative
Persuasive
Sociable

Wes also really likes sports. All sorts of sports. Not really playing them so much (though I know he plays some), but watching them and knowing the make-up of teams, who's who, and how they perform week to week (especially BYU). I even think his dream job would be to become one of those sportscasters, providing all of the background commentary on sporting events as they happen real-time.

Wes is also a solid, orthodox member of the Church, and a young dad with three little kids at home which makes for a very busy life. I remember how that was for me over twenty years ago...

Anyway, the point I'm trying to make is that even though I don't match up with any characteristics or commonalities as described above, our friendship just works. And the thing I've benefited the very most from our friendship heralds back to what I noticed the first time I met him: his ability to lift me up, to paint the world in brighter colors, to help me focus on the good, and to help me feel like things are all going to work out. I can't begin to tell you what a lifeline Wes became for me, especially as I had so many life challenges I was going through.

I think our friendship worked, too, because singing songs that touch our souls, side by side, can't help but form a bond. Particularly when there's such a solid friendship to begin with. The sacred music just builds on that friendship and it becomes something that's not explicitly talked about that often, but exists as this invisible thread...

[Sigh]

So...with all that as a background, yesterday I said good-bye to him. I stood next to him as he sang his last broadcast. I cried as we sang the last song: "Come Thou Fount". I couldn't help but think of all the "little" things--all Wes-related--that have made my choir experience what it has come to be. 

As I gave him a final hug following the Release Program, he gave me one of his big smiles and a reminder that this wasn't "goodbye" just "see you later".  

I walked back to the car as more tears came. And those tears continued throughout the day as I tried to picture how my Choir-Minus-Wes experience would be in the weeks ahead. 

I'll end with a few things I'll miss most about my friend, along with a few of my favorites pics of us.

*I’ll miss the fist bumps we'd do after successfully performing songs.
*I’ll miss witnessing his kind, genuine, and sincere interactions with others.
*I’ll miss the back-and-forth commentary we made on certain songs we sang.
*I’ll miss seeing the reactions of all of the people he complimented everywhere he went.
*I’ll miss his shared sympathies when we'd sing the two songs we mutually dislike the most: “I Think the World is Glorious” and “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands”.
*I’ll miss his smile, optimism and laughter.
*I’ll miss our impromptu singing and talking about 80s songs.
*I’ll miss shooting the breeze with him during the breaks.
*I’ll miss knowing that someone will always be waiting for me.
*I’ll miss his bro hugs.

Take care my friend!
You changed my life.

Until next time, God be with you.

 

 

 

TCATS #487 - Worked Until it Didn't

I'm going to save my tribute to Wes until next Sunday seeing as how that will be the official day he leaves the Choir. That said, for some reason my emotions didn't want to join my tribute and wait until next Sunday.

Instead, they showed up during this past Thursday night's rehearsal. 

It's true that there were several things on Thursday--during the day--that caused my tear ducts to get warmed up. Part of that had to do with where I'm at in life. The other part came from watching a tv series that depicted a lot of teens going through some really hard things in life. I easily get sad when I see or hear about all of the difficult things people have to endure. Sometimes I even tear up when I'm out and about (particularly at Walmart) as I see the wear and tare of life reflected on the faces of many people. 

But I digress.

I went to Thursday night's rehearsal feeling OK. My tears had stopped from previous events and I was looking forward to sitting next to Wes and engaging with the music. That worked until it didn't. About 2/3rds of the way through, I just started imagining Choir without my Choir best friend and it went downhill from there. My mouth got all quivery (as it does) so I couldn't sing and my tears started up again.  Even though I tried to push it all away, it wouldn't go away. Wes tried helping me out the best he could, but it almost made it worse because it was just one more thing I was going to miss (his continual efforts to help me feel better about whatever is going on in my life). By the end of the rehearsal, I was ready to go home. 

I walked to the music lockers with him and he gave me a hug and then we started walking to the outside door. He had to stay after to get a little video taken (which they do for all of those being released from the Choir) so I just started for the door but he pulled me back and gave me another hug as my tears just kept coming. UG! I don't mind being an emotional person, but sometimes it's entirely inconvenient! As I walked to my car trying to hide my face from others around me, I got to the car and just sobbed until Willy and Ben came (it had been my turn to drive our carpool). 

After getting home, I had no more tears left. The day had taken its toll. Wes was nice enough to send a follow-up text expressing hope that I'd be OK. Indeed I will be OK. Life is full of just being OK, isn't it? If YOU are one of the lucky ones who actually has more net positive days than hard ones, well, good for you. Sometimes I wish I were you.

At any rate, the broadcast today went well. Things were all pretty positive and I just tried to enjoy the experience. During the break, Wes, Patrick, and Matt and I walked around the Temple Square grounds enjoying the beautiful weather and the beautiful flowers. Wes had several people come up to him sharing their well-wishes  (which was probably a result of Mack having all of the members who were leaving stand up in rehearsal today to be recognized). We took a few pics and then went back in to perform for the world. 

After the performance was over, we just sat there. Wes looked over at me with a smile and said "Yeah, I know". To which I said "yeah, it's weird." Referring of course to the fact that he has one Music & the Spoken Word left. Ever. He's done about 175 of them, give or take, and now he is down to just one more.

Change. I know it's part of the natural order of things and is tied into the rhythm of life. But man! It's hard. 

Until next time, God be with you.

Me, Patrick, Matt, & Wes