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.
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.
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| My choir "team" today |
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.
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.
