MTC Week #95 - Brushing Up, One Chance, & Guest Artists

Twice a year, regardless of the length of service in the Choir, Choir members are required to attend an "in-service" session to brush up on their singing skills. This might strike some as kind of funny since Choir members are singing all the time. Aren't such singing skills reinforced and emphasized during normal rehearsals?

The answer to that question is "yes". However, there's not enough time during normal rehearsals to focus on any one skill. So, during in-service, a few skills are selected and our instructor assists us in applying those skills to our singing. We also get the opportunity to do some in-depth listening (imagine four sets of risers, each with five rows, facing into each other). As we sing, we hear each other a lot better than we do in the loft. They record us, as well, so we can listen and critique how well we're incorporating the skills being taught.  

This past Thursday, the basses and altos had their in-service turn (meeting separately). Our instructor was a gentleman from BYU who assists individuals in preparing to sing in Men's Chorus there (sorry I can't remember his name). He knew his stuff, and it was a good opportunity to remember, learn, incorporate, and improve.

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On the broadcast today, we sang some beautiful arrangements of the following: How Great Thou Art, Psalm 150, When You Wish Upon a Star, Simple Gifts, and O God, Our Help in Ages Past. I'll mention some quick thoughts on the first two. 

I really love the lyrics to How Great Thou Art. My favorite verse is

When Christ shall come,
With shouts of acclamation
And take me home
What joy shall fill my heart
Then I shall bow, in humble adoration
And there proclaim,
"My God, how great Thou art!"

I can't wait for that day. I can't wait to go home.

As for Psalm 150, this song may have a somewhat boring title, but the music was absolutely terrific--and just in time for all of you Halloween fans out there. It starts off as something you might hear when watching a suspenseful scary movie. Give it a listen. 

As we were ending today's broadcast with the traditional "God Be With You 'Till We Meet Again," I looked out in the audience for someone to directly sing to (like I always do). My focus settled on a guy on the third or fourth row. His fingers kept going up to his eyes to wipe away tears--probably at least three times. I don't know his story, or if he'll be back, or if his circumstances in life will prevent him from ever returning. But it reminded me that every Sunday, the Choir has one chance. One chance to sing our testimonies and allow for the Spirit to impact the lives of those who listen and experience.

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To end the blog post for today, I wanted to mention that they announced the guests artists this week, for the Christmas Concert. You can read all of the fun details HERE. We're having not one, not two, but six guests join us on stage for what I'm sure will be a fantastic concert. For those of you who are wanting tickets, you can request to be added to the random ticket selection process HERE. May the odds be ever in your favor.

Until next time, may God be with you.

MTC Week #94 - And So It Goes

For whatever reason, some weeks (infrequently, thankfully) I just have an average Mormon Tabernacle Choir experience. I don't end up feeling a lot, even though I wish I did, and even though the music we're singing is more than enough to produce deep spiritual feelings. Such was the case this week, with both rehearsal and the Sunday performance.

The one thing that was a little different this week, though, was having some individuals from all over the world attend the broadcast. That happens every week, actually, but this time several of these individuals were from The Parliament of the World's Religions. From what I understand, their goal is to promote understanding, common ground, respect, and tolerance among the different religions of the world. How they do this, exactly, I'm not entirely sure. But they do hold conferences, and this year they chose Salt Lake City as the conference meeting spot.

As we sang our songs today, even though I didn't feel much, myself, I was

aware of them in the audience. And I knew that for most, this would be their first time (and perhaps last time) they'd hear us sing. I prayed for them. And I was grateful for them. Anyone who tries to promote peace and harmony in a world that is full of disrespect and hatred deserves  respect and gratitude. Hopefully they came away from the experience having felt God's love for them and knowing that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints loves and appreciates them, too.

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This week, on Thursday, during the Doug Wright Show (radio station KSL), they will be announcing the guest artist for this year's Christmas Concert. The committee has worked hard and prayed hard for this year's artist to be the one the Lord wanted, and we'll soon get to learn who that is.

Oh, and by the way. If you're interested in getting last year's Christmas Concert on CD or DVD, you can find that here. Note that soon, I'm told, Amazon will be offering a digital download (in HD) of the concert. Not sure exactly when, or the price, but if you appreciate high definition like I do, you may want to adhere to the saying, "Good things come to those who wait."

Until next time, God be with you.

MTC Week #93 - Of Red, Aussies, and Sylvia McNair

As I mentioned a few weeks ago, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir has become good at being flexible. 

So was the case on Thursday morning (day of our weekly rehearsal) when we received an email from the Choir office saying that ESPN has asked the Choir if they'd do a recording of the University of Utah "Fight" song as part of their College Game Day segment that coming Saturday. Apparently, ESPN had ran a story on BYU's Tanner Mangum that featured the Choir singing “Hallelujah,” and had received a lot of positive feedback on it. As that story had put the music of the Choir in front of people who might not usually see it, the Choir Presidency approved this last-minute request by ESPN to record the Ute fight song.

As you can imagine, there were plenty of comments from choir members regarding this "opportunity" as we congregated that evening in the choir loft. I, personally, am not a huge football fan. (Ok, what am I saying? I'm not really into football whatsoever) So I was fairly neutral about the whole thing, even though I did get my bachelors degree from BYU and I do cheer for them whenever I find myself in that rare moment of watching a game. For the die-hard BYU fans however, it was a hard thing. But we can do hard things, right? While I can't say for complete certainty that everyone saw the bigger picture of what this was all about, I feel good about saying that the majority probably did.

So, with 15 min of rehearsal time, the words on the big screen in front of us, and ESPN cameras ready for action, we sang the Ute Fight Song and hoped it would help ESPN viewers get exposure to the Choir and maybe even look us up to get more information. Who knows?

[As an aside, upon conclusion of the recording, a bunch of the men started singing "Rise and shout, the cougars are out...", just for the fun of it.]

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Guest artist Sylvia McNair was back with the Choir today and sang two numbers on Music & the Spoken Word: This Little Light of Mine, and Climb Every Mountain. We were honored to accompany her and she sounded wonderful. We're always excited when guest artists come and sing with the Choir and we hope that they feel the Spirit and know how much we love and appreciate them. Sylvia was last with us when she performed at concerts we did for the ACDA convention last February.

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Lastly, we had a small team of three (that I noticed), from Australia, with us today on the broadcast. One of them was singing with the choir and the other two were filming the choir. Apparently they are doing a "Faith" documentary for a news station and had come up to experience the choir first hand. I'm sure things like this happen all the time--whether we know about them or not. People are interested and want to know more...

Until next time, God be with you.

MTC Week #92 - The Spirit of God

The last two days have been very spirit-filled, uplifting, and peaceful. I just want to express my appreciation for being in the Mormon Tabernacle Choir which is the musical face of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. A church that is led by living prophets and apostles; a church that is likened to a hospital, where members and non-members alike can come and work on being made whole; a church that has, at its foundation, the gospel of Jesus Christ--a gospel that does not change and is not influenced by the philosophies or practices or the opinions of men; a church that holds on to its values and doctrine and teachings, all of which bring real peace and hope to anyone and everyone who wants to step out of this dark world into a place of light and love.

Singing at General Conference twice a year is always a privilege. And this time was no different. What was different was being able to witness three new apostles being called to fill the vacancies in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. It was a special experience to hear their testimonies today, and I certainly support them in the great work they are involved in--the work of loving and serving others.

Since this blog is about the MUSIC though, lets get to it!

The songs we sang for the three sessions of conference we were involved in, were

Press Forward, Saints 
Guide Us, O Thou Great Jehovah 
I Know That My Savior Loves Me
Precious Savior, Dear Redeemer
Come, Come, Ye Saints
Arise, O God, and Shine 
Redeemer of Israel 
If the Savior Stood Beside Me 
There Is Sunshine in My Soul Today
The Spirit of God
Praise the Lord with Heart and Voice
Our God Is a God of Love
Put Your Shoulder to the Wheel

Love One Another

Each of these songs contains a sermon of its own and I really enjoyed singing

them all. For me, for this conference, it was the "bigger", familiar numbers that seemed to affect me the most. Come, Come Ye Saints, Redeemer of Israel, and most especially, The Spirit of God.

I can honestly say, that in all my days of singing--which are quite a few--I've never been so affected by any song as I was with this one today. Yes, there have been songs that have caused me to inwardly weep and to deeply ponder. Particularly a few that we sang both at ACDA and on our most recent tour. This was different though. When we sang The Spirit of God, today, it was as if there were literally angels from the other side joining in with us. The whole experience left me trembling and emotional. 

When I got home to my family, and we were talking about the music at Conference, before I even mentioned that song, they mentioned it! I was glad that what I had felt was being felt by those listening. I asked another choir member what his experience with that song had been, and he, too, said it had been an amazing experience. 

So anyway, I'm grateful for all of the songs we sang today and hope that all who listened were uplifted and strengthened. That is our mission. That is our calling. And I always pray for that to happen.

And now, I'm off to bed. I'm beyond tired. Thanks for reading. And until next time, God be with you!

MTC Week #91 - Of Flexibility and 1994

So with the passing of Elder Richard G. Scott this past week, the choir, orchestra, and organists had some rearranging to do. All the songs we were going to sing today, were changed, and we held rehearsal and the broadcast in the Conference Center instead of the Tabernacle -- since the latter was being made ready for Elder Scott's funeral. 

The reason all the songs were changed is because there was no room for the orchestra in the Conference Center. Which may sound funny if you realize how big the Conference Center is. But the stage itself was being setup for General Conference this coming weekend and thus the orchestra was left without any space to accompany the choir. 

Our wonderful organists were thus called upon to learn (or brush up on) the replacement pieces we did today and they, of course, did an excellent job. 

I just marvel sometimes, at how flexible this rather large organization, is. But it helps when you have a good attitude and when there are people all around you who are adjusting and adapting to the new plan. 

Life, itself, can suddenly change your plans without a moment's notice.

We are sometimes like a currant bush that
needs some pruning by someone
who loves us and sees the big picture.

Sometimes that's not very easy to adapt to. It gives way to complaining, bemoaning, and being upset. But if we accept the new plan, recognizing that God is overseeing it, we will most likely come to know (at some future time) why the course correction came about. And I'm sure we'll thank God at that moment that He did what He did, because it helped us reach our eternal goals.

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Aside from the changes this week, I did want to comment on one of the songs we sang today. It was called "My Shepherd Will Supply My Need." It's one of my favorites and takes me back to 1994, when the BYU Concert Choir first recorded that song and performed it to an audience at the Harris Fine Arts Center. I remember being so grateful to have been there for its debut. 

There are two phrases that I love the most:

He brings my wandering spirit back
When I forsake His ways,
And leads me, for His mercy's sake,

In paths of truth and grace.

There would I find a settled rest,
While others go and come;
No more a stranger, nor a guest,

But like a child at home.

The first phrase reminds me of a phrase from Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing, when we're reminded that all of us are "prone to leave the God [we] love." We all have times when we wander, when we leave God (if only for a few minutes, or an hour, or a day). But He wants us back and will give us opportunities to come back to Him. 

The second phrase is for all of us who simply long for a rest. A rest from the worries and cares of our busy lives and the cares of the world. Not only can we find such a rest as we come unto Christ, but we can have that rest be in a safe place. A place of love and security. A place that feels like home. A place where we can feel like a child who is receiving love and instruction from Heavenly parents.

Until next time, God be with you.

MTC Week #90 - Odds & Ends

Today's post will be a bit random--just for the fun of it. While the broadcast today was as good as they come, and while I could easily write about it, I thought a change in pace might be in order.

$ There hasn't been much new news about next year's European tour, other

than choir members continue to be excited about it. Many who I personally associate with in the choir have been wondering for many weeks, the final cost

on bringing a spouse along. The original cost was estimated at $5000. It's now estimated at $6500, but we're still awaiting final numbers.

@ Finishing touches and final recording sessions are being done for the forthcoming "The Messiah" CD which will be released next Spring. Bro. Wilberg was recently in Zurich, helping with the recording of one of the soloist's who'll be featured on the CD. These soloists have been grateful for the opportunity and grateful for the guidance and constructive comments offered during the recording process.

! Today on the broadcast, the men wore the extremely rare WHITE suit coat (with a black bow tie). I've been in the choir for only a couple of years now, but during that time, I haven't worn it once. Why did we wear it today? No one seemed to know. But as we often say in the choir, everything is done for a reason.

# The upcoming Christmas Concert was postponed a week for "scheduling and logistics" reasons. Perhaps this has to do with our guest artist's schedule. Who knows. And we don't even know yet who the guest artist is... Speaking of guest artists and Christmas Concerts, last year's Christmas Concert "Keep Christmas With You" featuring Santino Fontana and the Sesame Street Muppets, will be on sale soon. You can pre-order your DVD now, via Amazon. (Why there isn't a bluray version is concerning, but I have no answers on that)

% The media dept released this week, a collage of choir members singing

"America, the Beautiful" at various locations while on tour this last summer. It's a fun little video. You can see yours truly at :39. :)

^ Tryouts to be in the Tabernacle Choir this year occurred as usual. According to memory, there were about 260 who tried out and that try-out process is still occurring. Good luck to all those who are going through the very challenging process!

Until next time, God be with you.

MTC Week #89 - The Ants Go Marching One by One. . .

I don't necessarily care for ants. Like all creatures, I'm sure there's a reason God created them--though I really don't know what that is. Despite not liking them, there ARE characteristics I admire about them. 

One of those is their enormous strength. 

Scientists have long stated and observed that ants can carry over 100 times their weight. 100 times! That would be like me carrying something that weighed 17,500 lbs. Impossible. But somehow, that ants do it. Some studies even suggest that certain species can lift up to 1000 times their weight (while their neck joints can withstand pressures up to 5,000 times greater than their body weight). However you slice and dice it, ants are very heavy lifters. 

Thursday night, our beloved conductor, Mack Wilberg, gave us a little talk about the topic of "heavy lifting." This was very timely, because in addition to preparing for our normal weekly broadcasts, the upcoming world-wide conference, and the annual Christmas Concert, we're starting work on a piece by Mahler (I don't even know what's it called, only that it's something like 80 pages and that we've been divided into two choir entities to cover the eight parts--which, incidentally, sometimes divide into more parts!). 

The temptation, Mack said, is there will be some of us who may not be excited about such a piece because of the work involved in learning it. There may be some of us who want to excuse ourselves from the concert that we'll be performing this piece at, not only because it's hard work learning the piece, but because it's taking 16 extra rehearsals to get it ready. 

He invited us not to give into that temptation. "Each of us need to do the heavy lifting," he said. 

And, indeed, we do. 

Along with ants being heavy lifters, they are also experts in team work. They each do their part to support their colony. Likewise, the team work mentality is an important part of this choir so that we can be successful in our mission. As we each do the heavy lifting, even in times when we're out of the glamour and spotlight, this piece by Mahler will sound extraordinary. And I suspect we'll learn a thing or two more about teamwork and becoming better musicians overall.

Choir members: let's lift!

Until next time, God be with you!