MTC #155 - Year Three Ends

With the conclusion of today's Music & the Spoken Word broadcast (and the extra rehearsal that followed), the Choir wrapped up another year. And another busy year it was! Here's a look back at our 2016 events:

**Tanner Gift of Music Performance (Singing Mahler) w/13 extra rehearsals
**The Messiah Concert in conjunction with the CD release - w/5 extra rehearsals
**April General Conference
**Tour to Europe for three weeks (w/Pre-Tour concert and 7 extra rehearsals)
**Summer Celebration of Song (Pioneer Concert)
**October General Conference
**Temple Presidents Seminar mini-concert
**Christmas Concert w/8 extra rehearsals
**48 Music & Spoken Word performances

Looking ahead to 2017, it appears that we'll have, perhaps, a less-busy year. And while things do pop-up, maybe it actually will be, dare I say, "normal"? (Wait...does the Choir have normal years?)

**Gov. Herbert's Inauguration
**Easter Concert
**April General Conference
**Recording Sessions x2
**Pioneer Day Concert
**October General Conference
**Christmas Concert
**Weekly Music & Spoken Word performances

Guess we'll see how things work out. Using more of my vacation days for family events is something I'm looking forward to, though!

As I think back on my third year in the Choir and what I've learned, I think one of the things can be tied to the word REINVENT. I've spoken on this topic before, but it's something I feel is so very important. Each audience member, each person who hears us on the radio, or Spotify, or YouTube, deserves to hear our best. Our best musically, and our best spiritually. And as I continue to serve in the Choir, there are times when it's challenging to make each experience fresh, and new, and full of the original magic I experienced my first year. Prayer helps, thinking of song lyrics helps, focusing on individual audience members before an event, helps, and taking time to remember why I'm doing this in the first place, helps too. It's not often we get a lot of audience feedback (other than clapping). But I want to conclude with a paragraph of a letter that some Choir-fans from the Canary Islands wrote (fans who, by the way, flew 2700 miles to see our concert in Vienna). Hearing feedback like this certainly helps with the goal to always reinvent:

Once again, I want to thank you and each of the choir member, the orchestra members and the rest of the supporting staff who took my friends and me to divine heights to enjoy heavenly music. We are very thankful for your efforts, your sacrifices, your traveling, your tiredness but also for your sweet smiles, your good will, your warm hearts, your voices and your music. God bless you all, today and always!  

On to 2017!

Until next time, God be with you.

Looking out at our full house, before the broadcast, and thinking. . .

 

MTC #154 - Behind the Christmas Concert

Everything I saw, felt, and heard from others would indicate that the Christmas Concert this past weekend was a great success. Mack mentioned during rehearsal one evening that it's no small feat to keep producing these concerts year after year. Expectations have been set and it's difficult to deliver on those expectations. However, through hard work and effort on the parts of hundreds of people (and the blessings of heaven, of course), the concerts rarely disappoint. Sure, everyone has their favorites, but overall, each concert is very enjoyable and brings in the Christmas spirit that people are so eager to feel this time of year. 

You can read official reviews and see lots of pictures of the concert from a variety of sources: 

Deseret News
Salt Lake Tribune
KUTV News
Mormon Newsroom (Includes a nice short summary video)

But the review I'd like to provide includes observations that were largely unseen by those not involved in the production of the concert.

One of my favorite nights leading up to the concert is Tuesday night when all involved in the concert finally come together and start combining everything they've worked on. The choir, the orchestra, the bells, the dancers, the stage crew, and the special effects join together and it's all sort of MAGICAL. Wednesday's rehearsal is much the same as we work to perfect what we did on Tuesday. Great moments.

I also enjoy our times before the concerts as we congregate in the Conference Center's Little Theater to hear notes from Mack and Ryan. We work on a portion of this piece, and a portion of another, and hear some valuable feedback. 

Saturday afternoon, as we come together for a recording session, it's not a very "fun" process, but we all know it's an important time to get things ready for the eventual CD, DVD, and television release. Yes, the cameras are capturing the concert each evening as it happens live, but there are always various numbers that need the silence of a closed recording session. As 5:00p rolls around, though, we're all very ready to head over to the Church Office Building's cafeteria for some dinner that the good people there have prepared for us. 

The chatter among choir members as we wait to go on stage, or get dressed in our tuxes, or wait for rehearsal to begin typically includes personal reviews of the concert, a listing of when family members are attending, and life outside of choir during this busy Christmas season. 

It's fun to watch the all of the 21,000 seats of the Conference Center start to fill up with people eager to see and hear what we have to offer. The anticipation of being able to perform for them, and them being able to experience our preparation, is most rewarding indeed.

There were some definite personal concert highlights for me. One was singing "Carol of the Drums", or "Little Drummer Boy" as some know it by. The message of that song hit home to me every time I sang it. Another was hearing the tale of The Little Match Girl again as it's been a very long time since I heard it. So much to think about and consider from that story. Another was the dancing. It add so much to the show (and wow--those camels!) And yet another was seeing Mack or Ryan's face when we nailed a particular part of a song that we had worked hard to perfect. Lastly, "Angels from The Realms of Glory" is the absolute best way to end a Christmas Concert. I get chills and teary-eyes every time.

I'm so thankful for my Savior Jesus Christ. And I'm thankful, once again, that I get to have the opportunity to sing in this Choir. A special thanks, as always, to my wife and kids who manage things at home during all of my extra rehearsals. I love them so much, and today when I came home after the broadcast, I gave them all big hugs. 

Until next time, God be with you.


 

MTC #153 - Christmas Greats

Do you ever have days when you just feel so worn out that the thought of doing anything that requires work or thought (i.e. writing in a blog) makes you want to shut down completely? That's how I'm feeling at the moment--so this may be shorter than normal.

It was another week of much rehearsal and preparation for both today and the Christmas concerts this coming week. While it's been tiring, I've enjoyed it and today was no exception. It was great to see the Conference Center decked out in Christmas decorations. It was great to sing Farandole and remember back to the last Christmas concert when three "kings" would come out on stage and prance around with a kingly strut (see here).  It was great to sing Wexford Carol at the First Presidency Devotional this evening. It was great to see the Conference Center almost all the way filled (21,000 seats) with those who had come to hear leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, speak. It was great to take time and think about that night when Christ was born--all the things happening, the various groups of individuals participating, and probably many unknown "side-stories" going on, each with their own miraculous wonder. It was great to see my cousin attend this evening. It was great to hear the spoken word today. And it was great to come home, get in my jammies, and see my wife and children who I had missed! 

And that, my friends, is that. The choir-related "greats" of the day.

Looking forward to this week despite all of the hours that will be logged. Grateful for the opportunity and thankful for my Savior. There was a portion of a document called "The Living Christ" that I recited today as part of a program at church. And I'll end with a portion of it here:

"Jesus is the Living Christ, the Immortal Son of God. He is the great king Immanuel, who stands today at the right hand of His Father. He is the light, the life, and the hope of the world. His way is the path that leads to happiness in this life, and eternal life in the world to come."   

Until next time, God be with you. 

Singing "Farandole", 12/4/2016

 

MTC #152 - Alleluia + The Prodigal Son

The learning of Christmas music for the Sunday broadcasts, the upcoming First Presidency Christmas Devotional, and the upcoming Christmas Concert, is coming along nicely. We still have plenty of work to do, though, and about nine hours of rehearsing were logged this week with more to come. For the Christmas Concert, we'll have a teleprompter giving us the words, but knowing the rhythm and the notes is up to us! While it's all a lot of work, I'm trying hard to enjoy the journey because as is always the case, time goes by so quickly that before I know it, it'll be Jan 1, 2017 and all of these music events related to Christmas will be but a memory. 

I enjoyed ushering in the Christmas season with a couple of Christmas songs on the broadcast today. My favorite of the bunch wasn't necessarily a traditional Christmas song anyone would recognize. But there was a piece by Giulio Caccini called "Alleluia" that I really loved. The words consisted of just "alleluia" repeated over and over, but the way the different parts fit together produced an amazing set of harmonies. The word "alleluia" by the way, means "God be praised." And what better Christmas message to send to the world? God be praised for sending his Son Jesus Christ to the world. God be praised for all of the blessings He gives us. God be praised for simply loving us and caring about us. And God be praised for allowing us to forgive and be forgiven. (Here's an earlier recording of this song, if you want to give it a listen) 

From The Wexford Carol Music Video

From "Winter Thaw"

Lastly, regarding that forgiveness theme, I want to promote two depictions of the Prodigal Son story. One is a great music video that features the Tabernacle Choir singing "Wexford Carol" as background music to a modern day depiction of The Prodigal Son parable. I thought it was rather amazing and touching. A perfect way to bring in the Christmas season (and the Wexford Carol is one of my absolute favorite Christmas songs). You're invited to watch it (HERE). The other is a short film directed by a friend of mine, Adam Anderegg called "Winter Thaw." You can catch it on the BYU-TV channel app or on the BYU TV website, HERE. It includes a dual prodigal son story line, as well as several other heart-warming themes. So good.

Are we not all so blessed?

Until next time, God be with you.

MTC #151 - Pausing to Give Thanks

The extra busy weeks for the Choir have begun! We met Tuesday night to work on Christmas music, then met an hour earlier on Thursday for Inservice (a review of good singing practices), had our regular Thursday rehearsal, then stayed after our Sunday broadcast to continue learning Christmas songs. This is how it will go for the next few weeks until Christmas Concert week arrives and we are at the Conference Center every night except Monday. Of course, we all knew this was coming--as it comes every year. But the reality of going through it and spending so much time away from home and family is a reality that can be anticipated, but not fully appreciated, until you're right in the middle of it. That all said, learning Christmas music is definitely a rewarding experience for which I'm grateful to have. I can't imagine the Christmas season without it.

Aside from the early Christmas focus, the broadcast today was all about being THANKFUL, seeing as how the Thanksgiving holiday is just four days away. I have plenty to be thankful for and could make a very long list of blessings in my life. But for purposes of this post, I want to share ten blessings (in no particular order) of being in the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

10. I'm thankful to simply be able to sing several times a week. It uplifts me and helps me be a better husband, father, and friend.

9. I'm thankful to sing to so many people each week. The reality that the Choir's melodic message gets heard each week by potentially millions of people is humbling.

8. I'm thankful to associate with so many great people in the Choir. Whether it's with those who have become dear friends or just with those who I talk to only occasionally when circumstance puts us together, I've become a better person through their influence.

7. I'm thankful for energetic and talented directors who tirelessly extract the best from me.

6. I'm thankful for the types of songs the Choir gets to sing. Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, nature, joy, praise, love and heaven-earth connection are all themes that speak to my soul.

5. I'm thankful for Lloyd Newell (and his writing staff) who consistently puts together messages that are insightful, thought-provoking, and timely.

4. I'm thankful for a wife and for children who's love and support allow me this opportunity and for being able to see how the Choir has impacted their lives.

3. I'm thankful for the many, many people behind the scenes who's efforts I don't always see directly, but are woven in and out of any success the choir takes credit for.

2. I'm thankful for the orchestra members and the bell ringers who do such a fantastic job both performing on their own, and when accompanying the choir.

1. I'm thankful just to have this opportunity in the first place! I'm grateful for a Heavenly Father who saw fit, for whatever reason, to give me such a unique opportunity. 

Until next time, God be with. 

MTC #150 - Playing Our Best for Him + Tenebrae

The Mormon Tabernacle Choir was honored to share the program today with guest choir TENEBRAE, from London, England. As was listed in this week's Choir Notes, "Tenebrae has collaborated with internationally acclaimed orchestras and instrumentalists and now enjoys a reputation as one of the world’s finest vocal ensembles." They honestly DID sound great. They were very much in tune and incredibly unified and I felt happy to hear them and enjoy the spirit they brought to the overall program. I was looking forward to singing "God Be With You", to them, after the program was over, but I guess a decision was made to simply keep them in their seats. So we sang out to the audience, instead, as we normally do.
 

Vocal group Tenebrae, on today's MSW performance

As much as I enjoyed the program today, I think the experience that touched me the most was during the rehearsal we had afterwards to prepare for our upcoming Christmas concert. One of the songs we practiced was "Carol of the Drums," or, as most know it, "The Little Drummer Boy." 

I've heard and sang this song quite a bit during my life time, but for some reason, today's rehearsal of it was a different experience for me. Here's this boy, or perhaps even a young man, who comes to see Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus. And he's feeling bad that he doesn't have anything to offer as a gift--especially a gift that's fit for a King. But then he has the idea to share his talent of playing the drums. So with encouragement from Mary, he plays. And not only does he play, but he plays his best. Afterwards, baby Jesus smiles at him. And I can only imagine how happy that made the young man feel. A smile that acknowledged his gift had been accepted. 

I was just tearing up as I thought about this little story and how it applies to all of us. We all have something to share, something to give. And we may not think it's anything special. In fact, we may not consider ourselves special at all. But when we do what we can, and we do it the best we can, Christ smiles at us and accepts our gift. After all, He gave us that gift in the first place. The gift of life, the gift of talents, the gift of loving, and caring, and helping one another.

I'm so thankful for those gifts.

Until next time, God be with you.

MTC #149 - Thanks to Those Who Serve

Our program today was filled with patriotic songs to mainly honor our veterans, and those still serving in the military. I'm certainly thankful for these individuals who have worked to preserve our freedoms and make the world a safer, more peaceful, place. I took the opportunity to ask the choir member who I was sitting next to, today, to tell me a little about his time in the military. As he recounted some experiences in Bosnia, his words and emotions helped to put a "reality stamp" on the fact that most Americans have little idea of the sacrifices made in our behalf. 

That all said, I struggled a bit in singing the songs today. I kept thinking about the election, just two days away, and how this great nation will end up with a leader unfit to lead. I kept thinking about the words to the songs I was singing and whether or not they truly still applied. Is our nation great? Is American still a sweet land of liberty? Are Americans still free? Is God still willing to mend America's every flaw? Are we a nation of morals and values and decency and service? Do we stand up for what's right? Do we feel a false sense of pride as we sing/listen to these songs or is what we're singing about still applicable?

Please don't get me wrong. I love this country. For the most part, I believe people are good and in their hearts, they want to do good. While some of our freedoms are eroding, we still enjoy many of them. And we still have great opportunities to succeed and prosper. The list of blessings we receive from living in the United States are quite lengthy if you stop and think about it. But I see things happening that are troublesome and alarming. And a lot of those troublesome things just continue to get worse. 

Thankfully, amidst it all, God is still at the helm and if we work to do what's right and exemplify all of the positive characteristics we'd expect to find in a patriotic American, I think we'll continue to enjoy all that's wonderful about this nation. Respect, tolerance, love, service, patriotism, duty, virtue, and morality, just to name few, are attributes I hope all Americans (and certainly people all over the world) can strive for.

Until next time, God be with you.

From today's broadcast "This is a Great Country"

Dallyn Vail Bayles was a guest artist on today's program.

 

MTC #148 - All People

I couldn't have been more pleased this week to sing Mack Wilberg's full version of "All People That on Earth Do Dwell", based on the Old Hundredth hymn tune. I probably sound like a broken record but there is just something about that song! Something that directly ties to Christ's second coming. I know full well that I have no proof of that, obviously, but my head and my heart tell me so every time we sing it. So, I believe those feelings, one hundred percent. 

Those feelings all started back when we were preparing for the ACDA Concert which both began, and ended with, a variation of that song (and was woven throughout the entire concert's repertoire). The feelings continued as Bro. Wilberg took a modified version of our ACDA concert on tour to the East Coast in 2015, and then again to Europe in 2016. And every single time, as we sing that song, the same feelings and emotions and thoughts just spiritually stir my soul like no other song has. The strings, the notes, the harmonies! But especially the strings. 

I invite you to take just 5 min and listen to this song either at the link above, or, for a few days, you can see the one we performed today, HERE.

Until next time, God be with you.

From "O Come Ye Nations of the Earth" from today's broadcast

 

MTC #147 - Making History from the Eccles Theater

Although the Mormon Tabernacle Choir has, on occasion, broadcast it's weekly Music and the Spoken Word program from other locations around the world, the only place it has broadcast the program within Utah is the Tabernacle on Temple Square, or the Conference Center, across the street from Temple Square. So, today a little bit of history was made as the program was broadcast live from the new Eccles Theater in Salt Lake City. I don't know exactly why we accepted the invitation to broadcast it from there, but all of the choir members I talked to had an enjoyable time this morning singing in a new and beautiful hall that will soon be home to a variety of musical and theatrical programs for all to enjoy.

Other than waking up earlier than usual, and having to walk a couple of blocks to the theater, there really wasn't any additional sacrifice choir and orchestra members made to be a part of the program today. However, my deepest thanks goes out to the stage crew who, as Mack reported this morning, was there most of the night setting things up for today's broadcast. THANK YOU!

Interestingly enough, we didn't sing any of our traditional "big" or "grand" pieces for which the Choir is known for. But, the songs we did sing were enjoyable and as always, I prayed that those in attendance would feel uplifted and inspired to be just a little bit happier.

So in conclusion, I have to mention another "first"... Typically, because of where I sit in the choir, the cameramen who walk in and out of the choir and orchestra getting close-ups don't come up to where I am. I've always sort of felt bad for those choir members on the front row who are often put on the spot with a camera right in their faces--cameras that seem to speak the words "OK choir member. Let's see how well you have memorized this song!" Well, today I had that "opportunity." I saw the camera guy walking up and he stopped right on my row! Thankfully, I was confident in my words and everything worked out fine. But now I know how that feels, and I'm not sure I like it!

A few pics from today's event are below...

Until next time, God be with you. 

 

MTC #146 - Of Peace, Preparedness, & Christmas Concert Tickets

This past Thursday night, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir sang for a group of newly called temple presidents and their wives. It was a very nice and uplifting experience. Several in the group had tears in their eyes as we ended the "mini-concert" and I hoped that we had been successful in helping them feel peace and love.

The 30 minutes leading up to the concert, though, were anything but peaceful for me. As I arrived at rehearsal around my usual time of 6:40, I entered the long corridor that runs underground from the Conference Center to the Tabernacle and quickly noticed that no one else was in the hallway with me. I tried to think why this could be. A little bit of fear crept into my heart and the longer I walked the empty hallway, the more I realized that I must have forgotten an important detail regarding the night's rehearsal. 

As I got to my music locker, I saw someone else! Finally. Craig looked at me and then he put his hands to his head and said, "Oh no. I forgot!" 

I said "What? What did WE forget?"  

"We were supposed to come early for the mini-concert." 

Ug. He was right! We quickly walked to the dressing room to get the right suit on and I was lucky enough to have had a white shirt handy. I looked around and noticed there were a few others that had forgotten as well who were quickly getting dressed. While it was comforting to know I wasn't alone, I felt like I had been injected into the parable of the Ten Virgins. And I was not one of the five wise ones! 

Thankfully, we got up to the loft of seats and slid into the back row just in time to participate. "At least the (symbolic) door hadn't been locked," I thought.

Needless to say, the whole experience was a wake-up call to me to pay more attention to the Choir's weekly newsletter and to not take things for granted. It also made me think about when Christ comes again and how I don't want to "be late" to that event. I want to feel ready, prepared, and anticipating it. 

================
Changing topics, Christmas Concert tickets were made available this week on Saturday, at 10:00am. 90% of the people I knew who tried to get some, weren't successful in doing so. After all, it took less than 10 minutes before all of the tickets for the three nights were gone. The website kept giving messages that requests couldn't be completed and there were enormously long "prove to me that you're not a robot" words to type in that made the whole experience very frustrating. As I analyzed the situation though, I realized that there is not a good way to distribute these tickets, period. Random selection, or first come first served--either way, there will be plenty of people who will be left out. There's just no way that the Choir can perform enough nights to accommodate demand. A sad reality, but one that the Church has to acknowledge and do its best to live with. 

If, by chance, you did not get a ticket, here are two things to keep in mind: 1) if you come early enough and get into the standby line, I feel very confident you'll get in. There have always been many ticket holders who just don't show up for whatever reason and that reality allows for many in the standby line to fill up the empty seats. 2) while we will not be performing the full concert on Sunday, we do perform many of the same songs-- and the guest artist will perform that morning, as well. There are no tickets for Sunday so you are welcome to come and partake of open seating.

From today's broadcast, singing "Simple Gifts"

Lastly, I just wanted to say how much I enjoyed today's broadcast. Loved all of the songs and several in my family showed up to listen and watch. The foreign exchange student from Germany living with us for three weeks, Isabel, also came along and loved the whole experience. 

L to R: daughter Rebekah, Isabel, me, son Josh

My beautiful wife Jennifer, and me

Until next time, God be with you.

MTC #145 - And Fill the World with Righteousness

Just like many people, I suppose, I've felt very weighed down with all things politics lately. And weighed down, too, with the individuals in this world who promote, encourage, and support evil people and evil causes. "By their fruits, ye shall know them," is a scripture that I've thought a lot about lately, and believe to be true. 

So given all of that, I went to Choir this morning ready to sing songs that promote light, that encourage us to receive light, and support the cause of light. There was a moment when we were singing "Arise, O God, and Shine" that I envisioned the notes and words and sounds of the choir and orchestra spreading across the earth at light speed--filling everyone with light and love--setting things right, that were wrong, and replacing bad with good. It was a good moment that lifted me out of my slump.  Here are a few phrases that got me all teary eyed during that moment: 

Arise, O God, and shine.

Prosper each design to spread thy glorious light.

Let healing streams of mercy flow, that all the earth thy truth may know. 

Fill the world with righteousness.

Govern by thy righteous laws.

Let every people hear. 

Regardless of what happens in this world, both in the short term, and in the long term, I will always be eternally grateful for people who are good, who go about doing good, and who love and serve. Many such people are in my immediate circle of family and friends. Far more are those who I don't know, but who fit into that "life-filled-with-light" category. May light prevail and darkness fail and may we do our part to ensure that happens in all walks of life.

Until next time, God be with you. 

PS: This is the week for you to try and get Christmas Concert tickets, if you're interested! All the details for that are HERE.

MTC #144 - #ldsconf #oct2016conference

I thought it would be kind of fun to see what OTHERS thought about the Mormon Tabernacle Choir this weekend, so I looked up what the Twitter users were tweeting about and included some of those tweets below. 

Before listing those, though, I just want to say how very thankful I was to have musically participated in General Conference this weekend. The songs and the accompanying lyrics the Choir sang were inspirational to me personally, and hopefully to many others around the world.  I think my favorites this time around were "If the Way Be Full of Trial, Weary Not," "Take Time to Be Holy," and "I'll Follow Him in Faith." The "Weary Not" song was particularly helpful to me as one of my dear sisters has been going through some extremely difficult trials and I've been thinking about her a lot lately. The song gave me strength. The great thing about singing so many wonderful songs is that the people who listen to them can pick at least one that resonates with them and the various things going on in their lives. It kind of becomes "their song" as they gain strength, insights, and peace from it.

Here are a few of the lyrics from "my song": 

If misfortunes overtake us, weary not;
Jesus never will forsake us, weary not.
He will leave us never, never;
From his love there’s naught can sever;
Glory to the Lamb forever, weary not.

Do not weary by the way, Whatever be thy lot;
There awaits a brighter day, To all, to all who weary not.

How easy it is to feel weary sometimes! But there are so many great reasons not to be.


That said, as promised, below are a sampling of tweets for your reading pleasure. Until next time, God be with you.

========================
 Tiana ‏@tianamariec 
Is it just me or is the Mormon Tabernacle Choir extra amazing today???? #ldsconf

LDS Living ‏@LDSLivingMag
Really loving the unique knots on men of the @MormonTabChoir! Here's how to tie it (and 9 others)... #LDSConf #MoTab

The Cultural Hall ‏@TheCulturalHall
MoTab men swapped out ties--apparently the Trinity Knot was too radical. #ldsconf

Emily J Fleming ‏@ejfleming7
I WANT TO SING THIS ARRANGEMENT OF THIS HYMN ONE DAY!!!! I love Motab!!!! #lifegoals #ldsconf

matt whitlock ‏@mattdizwhitlock
I love MoTab but what are these purple pocket squares? Feels like we're at a mob wedding in New Jersey. #ldsconf

This Is My Alaska ‏@jec678
And can't wait for more great work from the #MoTab @MormonTabChoir Such a boost for your soul!  #ldsconf

Eleanor ‏@el_eanor24
Has @MormonTabChoir ever sounded so beautiful?! <3 #ldsconf #letusallpresson

Jeff Brown ‏@jeffbrown40
Wow, what a beautiful arrangement of #LetUsAllPressOn. We're so blessed to have such a talented choir. @MormonTabChoir #ldsconf

Crystal Critchfield ‏@Crystal_Critch 4
Wow. How powerful was that closing hymn and arrangement? I can't stop crying! #LetUsAllPressOn #ldsconf

Breanna Larson Allen ‏@breelarallen
Out of everything in this #ldsconf that final #MoTab song was what my soul needed the most ❤️

Adam Droge ‏@AdamDroge
Hey look! This song goes right along with that last line #PresNelson gave. As if it were planned... #MoTab @MormonTabChoir #LDSconf

Jared Garrett ‏@jaredgarrett
Greatest choir on the planet. #ldsconf #MoTab

John Schneider ‏@Lunar_Motion
Primary songs at General Conference. Yup, love it.
#LDSconf #MoTab

Asa laws ‏@AsaSpadesLaws
The music in conference is truly inspiring #ldsconf #motab

Jared Garrett ‏@jaredgarrett
They're so perfect. So polished. Beautiful. I love being a Mormon partly because of them. #MoTab #ldsconf

Mickey Parkader ‏@kayla13531
#ldsconf loving the purple on @MormonTabChoir 💜

Scott Knudson ‏@ScottTheAmazing
Is it me.. Or did someone last minute just shove a punch of purple construction paper into the men's suits as "pocket squares"

C. Bruce Hilton
Hot take: The MoTab Trinity Knots signal a subtle doctrinal shift. #ldsconf
 
Dee Holt ‏@sopranodee
Lovin the purple ties and cool knot! @MormonTabChoir Thanks for all your hard work for #ldsconf

Jennie Blaser ‏@JennieBlaser
Aaaah! My favorite hymn! Thank you Mormon Tabernacle Choir! #leadkindlylight #ldsconf

 

MTC #143 - Into 4Q We Go

Nothing too out of the ordinary happened this week in regards to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. At least from my own experience. Rehearsals went well (had their normal ups and downs) and the broadcast today was comprised of songs I really enjoyed. The Tabernacle was full of people who had come to partake and who had brought with them their happy faces, their picture-taking smart devices, and their eagerness to hear inspiring music.

Afterwards, we spent the next 90 minutes going over songs to be sung at upcoming General Conference this next weekend. Fortunately, we get a memorization break as there are only three or four that we need to commit to memory. Compared with past conferences, this is quite a treat. It's true that memorizing a song has a lot of benefits I enjoy. But at the same time, there's a part of me that's glad our memorization list is so short.

So looking ahead to fourth quarter, we will finish preparing for, and singing at, conference this first weekend in October. Then we'll have a short break from extra rehearsals before launching into Christmas Concert preparations. Our first extra rehearsal for that concert is on November 6th and there will be seven more that follow (Tuesday nights, in addition to our regular Thursday nights, plus staying after the Sunday broadcasts). It's our craziest time of year.

Who is the special guest this time, you might ask? It's none other than John and

Jane Doe! Ha. Just kidding. Actually, we don't find out any sooner than the general public does. As is tradition, they plan to announce this year's guest artist on the KSL Doug Wright show on Thursday, October 13th--probably around 11:15am or so. I have at least one guess of who it might be. But I won't add to the speculation rumors.

How do you get tickets? Glad you asked. This year, the Church will be doing it different than in years past. From the MoTab's Choir Notes: "On Saturday, October 15 at 10:00 a.m. (Mountain Daylight Time) tickets will become available to the public only online at lds.org/events. There will be no phone requests for tickets, and tickets will not be available in person through the Conference Center Ticket Office. Each patron will be able to request four tickets. Admission is open to those eight years of age and over."  Get those quick keyboard-typing and mouse-clicking fingers ready, my friends, and good luck!

As a side note, I came across this interesting interview done by folks at BYU Radio, with the interviewee being none other than Leslie Odom Jr., one of the stars of the immensely popular musical, HAMILTON. In the interview he referenced the Mormon Tabernacle Choir when he said "Those are not just songs they're singing. That's ministry. It is important work that they (we) do."

Thanks Leslie. And there you have it!

Until next time, God be with you.

MTC #142 - Being a Team Player

It's funny how life is so full of irony.

Yesterday morning, I was trying very hard to get my nine year-old excited about his soccer game. He simply didn't want to go, and the harder I tried to convince him, the worse the situation seemed to get. I spoke of his responsibility to the team and how he'd be letting his fellow team members down if he didn't show up and play. I reminded him of all the time he had put into practicing and how he had some real talent in soccer. In a grand desperation attempt, I finally told him that if he didn't go play, he'd have to explain to the coach why he made that decision and why he chose to not be a team player.

Turns out, I needed that counsel just as much as my son did.

This morning was a VERY hard rehearsal for me. I was tired and became quickly annoyed at having to stop seemingly every five notes to try and fix a pitch problem (many of those problems being with the bass section). I love our associate director, Ryan Murphy, and he was doing exactly what he needed to be doing in trying to prepare us for the broadcast. But I was just struggling. And then I just wanted to yell to no one in particular "Why, oh why, do we always have so many problems singing in tune every freakin' week?!" 

As I was wallowing in my frustration and poor attitude, I suddenly remembered the talk with my son the day before. And then I realized that all my talk about being a team player and living up to my commitment to be part of a team, applied directly to me in that moment (and certainly in moments to come). The choir was my team, and Ryan was my coach for the day, and I needed to have an attitude adjustment so that we, as a team, could sing praises to God in a way that would please Him, and inspire the audience. 

So, just as my son eventually got out of the car and joined his team to play (even scoring a goal!), I made the decision to join my choir team--with more patience and faith this morning. 

And that decision made all the difference.

Until next time, God be with you.

My choir "team" today

 

MTC #141 - Seeing People for Who They Really Are

As today commemorates the 15th anniversary of the 9/11 tragedy, the choir's message in both song and spoken word was one of hope, peace, and rebuilding. The program wasn't specifically a 9/11 "special", but its themes were certainly applicable to the fallout from tragic event, including the songs we sang such as "Hold On", "My Song in the Night", "If the Savior Stood Beside Me", and "Amazing Grace." My favorite of the bunch, musically and lyrically, was "My Song in the Night". Along with 9/11 being a terrifying "night", we all have individual tragedies and hardships that make up our nights. I love the lyrics to this song which speak to getting through the nights:

O Jesus, my Savior, my song in the night
Come to us with Thy tender love, my soul's delight,
Unto Thee, O Lord, in affliction I call,
My comfort by day and my song in the night.
O why should I wander, an alien from Thee,
Or cry in the desert, Thy face to see,
My comfort and joy, my soul's delight,
O Jesus, my Savior, my song in the night

(I just have to add, too, that musically, this song is near perfect in expressing the meaning of the lyrics. My favorite part, musically, is the last 20 seconds or so. For me, it's as if those last 20 seconds represent us going through a trial, finding hope, experiencing fear, but in the end, being filled with peace.)

What I want to say, though, about tragedies, is that even though we desperately wish they never happen, it's always good to note what positive things come from them. I remember after 9/11 feeling like I saw people a little differently. And I remember hearing story after story after story of individuals who also saw their fellow brothers and sisters differently. The stories talked of kindness, service, love, lifting, and sympathizing. It was like people were seeing other people for who they really were. For who they really are. 

I remember having similar feelings after a wind storm hit my town of Centerville back in 2011. Amidst all of the damage incurred by the storm, people were out helping others in the days that followed. Church meetings were even cancelled so that individuals and families could go assist those in need. For a time, normal things that typically comprised daily life, were suspended. And I remember having a good feeling inside that even though a tragedy had occurred, we were all better because of it. Better because we had received a mini wake-up call that helped us to see that the most important thing in this life is how we treat people--how we love people. 

I hope that if there's anything we can take away from remembering 9/11, it's a resolve to look at the people around us as our brothers and sisters and be a little more kind, patient, and loving in our interactions with them. 

God is counting on us to do just that.

Until next time, God be with you.

MTC #140 - Odds & Ends #35

No particular theme for this post, just several things I wanted to mention.

First, the men of the choir were given a little rebuke today by our beloved director, Mack. He mentioned that for some time now, the men, in general, have needed to pay more attention to their facial expressions while on camera. What he's seeing doesn't reflect any energy or excitement or any sort of positive emotion that he'd expect to see from a member of this choir. It was a cause for reflection and a personal asking of "Is it I?"  I can't say if every bass and tenor took the invitation to do better, to heart, but I'm hoping so. As Mack also mentioned, "people listen with their eyes." And I can certainly see what he's saying. Eyes, in particular, have a way of letting another person know what you're thinking and feeling. And if we can keep the eyes bright (and the eyebrows a little raised), I think it'll go a long way to expressing how we feel about the heavenly music we're singing. It reminds me of the scripture in Luke which says: "The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light."

Second, we had a special guest show up at our rehearsal on Thursday. I probably shouldn't mention who it was because I don't really know what part he will play (if any) in a future performance the Choir will do. Suffice it to say, when my teenage daughter found out, she was all smiles.

Third, we did some recording after the broadcast today, and shoot! I probably can't talk about that either. Man! All the information we have to keep to ourselves before we're given the OK to share... It was a pretty fun recording session though (as much as recording sessions can be fun) given the nature of the piece. Which I'll just say was a little bit DIFFERENT than normal Mormon Tabernacle Choir music. An original arrangement from a musical. And that is about all I can say. :)

Fourth, while we have enjoyed singing in the Conference Center, it's time to go back to our home at the Tabernacle. Starting Thursday, we'll take our places there for rehearsal and will continue to be there until we start dress rehearsals for the Christmas show. Did I mention Christmas? Wow. I guess it isn't THAT far away.

Until next time, God be with you.

MTC #139 - Of Jenny Oaks Baker and of Recapturing

The past few weeks, the choir has enjoyed some level of normalcy as we really haven't had anything "extra" to perform or rehearse for. And, far be it from me to speak for the whole choir, but I think we've all enjoyed the mini-break! It's been nice to spend additional time at home and tend to other responsibilities. For the next couple of weeks however, we'll be doing some recording and then it's time, once again, to prepare the music for General Conference in October.

So it goes.

Today we were delighted to have on stage with us Jenny Oaks Baker, who is a Grammy nominated violin artist and who has released an amazing thirteen albums. I confess that I have not listened to any of those albums, but I was very impressed with her performances today. I think the thing that impressed me the most, aside from her obvious violin talent, was the spirit she brought with her. I just felt like it was important to her to connect with the Choir and connect with the audience. And through those connections, she was able to portray her love of inspiring music and her love of Jesus Christ. 

Turning to a different topic, I wanted to end my thoughts by mentioning this idea of "recapturing". I've mentioned before from time to time that it's easy, as a choir member, to sort of get into this habit or rhythm and start taking things for granted. The magic of performing and sharing a talent becomes a little bit ordinary. I realized on Thursday evening at rehearsal that I had descended into this state of being of which I've been describing. After rehearsing, it dawned on me that I hadn't even prayed for our visitors that evening! I always pray for them. I pray that as they listen to the music, their hearts will be lifted and they'll leave feeling happier and inspired. I've always felt a responsibility and an opportunity to pray for them. And then I started thinking of others things that I've let slip. 

Fortunately, today I felt like I had recaptured the magic and ascended back up to where I wanted to be. There was one point in the broadcast I even had this humbling surreal moment when I realized where I was, what I was doing, and that my family was back home watching on TV for me. And as I looked out at the audience, I was so grateful they came. A prayer went out to them and to others who would be listening throughout the world. 

We have the opportunity each day to recapture the magic and wonder of this or that. The magic of being a friend, a parent, a spouse, a coworker, or just one of those nice people you interact with when you're out and about. I hope we can embark on a recapturing mission and experience, again, what we may have temporarily lost or forgotten.

Until next time, God be with you. 

Bass section singing Down to the River

 

MTC #138 - To Observe and Learn

Due to a variety of reasons, I didn't attend Thursday's rehearsal. Which meant, of course, that my part in Sunday's broadcast switched from singing, to observing. 

As I sat out near the audience, I observed the following:

1) all of the ushers who come every Sunday to help people find their seats and direct them on where to go and where not to go. Yes, I can see them all when I am in the choir loft singing. But down in the audience seats, I can see their faces, I can see their smiles. I can see their devotion. They are one part of the whole Music & the Spoken Word experience, but an important part.

2) the faces and countenances of the choir and orchestra members up on the big screen. Some looked tired and worn. Others fumbled a bit with the words of the memorized piece. Some seemed to just be going through the routine. However, the majority reflected happiness in their eyes and a smile in their countenance and they seemed genuinely happy to be testifying to the things they believe in through music.

3) the Spoken Word which had to do with worrying. This hit home as I have many worries and many concerns. Some even tied to my choir experience. I was grateful for the advice to call upon God in the very moment you're needing help. And grateful for the counsel to put aside those worries you have no control over and focus on the ones you can act upon to make things better.

4)  the miracle of how it all comes together. From an observer view, I can see all of the cameras, the stage crew, the security people, the monitors, the lighting behind the choir, and the people/nature scenes that were chosen to accompany the songs being sung and the music being played. With everything in place and all the parts and pieces working together, it happens.

I missed singing today and the camaraderie of the people I sing with. But I was grateful to play the part of the observer and gain some perspectives I can think about in the weeks and months to come.

Until next time, God be with you. 

 

MTC Week #137 - Of Decoding the Number Board and a Perfect Program

Keeping music organized is always a challenge for the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Our librarians can certainly attest to that fact more than anyone else. (A big shout out to them--thanks for all you do!) I'm not exactly sure how many pieces of music are in the library, but certainly hundreds and hundreds. Each piece of music has a sticker in the upper right corner. And on that sticker is the catalog number, along with the singer's number (for example, I'm B-108, the B representing my part designation--bass). 

Each Sunday morning when we arrive at 7:25 for rehearsal, there's a music stand holding up a number board which tells us what order to put our music in, which pieces are memorized, and where the breaks occur. Here's a look:

The white diamond before the number means that piece will be put back into our blue (archive) folder after the broadcast is over. The red square means that is where the organ solo will take place. The yellow square is when Lloyd Newell will give the Spoken Word. And the yellow square under the beginning sequence of a set of numbers means that particular piece is to be sung memorized. Seeing this board helps us get right ready to go and allows Mack and Ryan more time to rehearse the music.

As a side note, there's been some speculation that one day we MIGHT use an electronic device (like an iPad) to read our music from (and mark it up, I assume). Our guest artists, the King's Singers, who were with us recently, each have an iPad they use when they rehearse and perform. Whether the Choir follows suit one day, I'm not sure. But a possibility. 


To end, I just wanted to express how great today's line-up was. To be honest, I typically like about every piece we sing in the choir, to one degree or another. But this set of five I really enjoyed. Give Said the Little Stream (Ryan Murphy's masterful arrangement); Bro. James' Air (a personal favorite); Somewhere (from West Side Story); Look at the World (a favorite by John Rutter); and Sing! (which has a fantastic organ solo). How grateful I am for music that uplifts and inspires. (And if you have a few minutes, you're invited to click on one of those links above)

And I almost forgot. I got to sing next to Greg today--a friend who came into the MTC with me and who I haven't sat next to for probably over a year. I guess the planets aligned!

Until next time, God be with you!