The choir arrived a half-hour early Thursday night to join the orchestra in rehearsing a bit, and then performing for a group of newly called temple presidents and their wives. It was a rather small audience (<100), but there was nothing small about our performance. We really tried to sing with our hearts and give these good brothers and sisters an experience that would not only help them feel God's love, but also give them courage as they began their labors at various temples around the world. After we sang our final number "Love Divine, All Loves Excelling", I looked out and noticed the majority of them wiping tears from their eyes. After standing and clapping, several put their hands on their heart and looked up to us as if to say "Thank you--we received what you wanted to give."
A really great experience.
Afterwards, we launched into regular rehearsal thinking the night would play out like any other Thursday night rehearsal. But about 1/2 way through, Ryan Murphy stopped and said that we had a surprise. On cue, Kristin Chenoweth came walking out on stage (along with her manager and some others in her party). We arose and started clapping as she made her way to the conductor's podium to say a few words. You can read all about the experience HERE, but there were two things that impressed me. First, she said that out of all the experiences she's had performing (and you can imagine she's had A LOT of performing experiences), performing with the Tabernacle Choir was in her top THREE. Wow. Second, as she sat down on one of the benches in the Tabernacle to watch a little bit of the rehearsal, you could tell just how excited and happy she was to be here. Her face had a permanent smile on it while we sang the piece she heard the most of: When the Saints Go Marching In.
She's just a great person. Period. Rick Elliott summed it up best when he said “She’s the kind of performer that just exudes so much love and warmth that people just respond. When you’re performing with somebody like that, it affects the whole performance. We love Kristin and it is a real treat to work with her.”
Other than that, today's performance of Music & the Spoken Word went really well. My favorite song of the five was a piece called "The Ground". I've never loved that title. But then I got to thinking about it. We owe a lot to the ground. Our food comes from the ground. Our cities are built upon the ground. All of the beautiful trees and plants are rooted in the ground. And it can be so beautiful--just like this song is! You're invited to click the link above and give it a listen. Three minutes of peace.
Until next time, God be with you.
PS: Our Christmas CD and DVD just went on sale recently (featuring Kristin Chenoweth) and you can find them HERE. Also, if CDs aren't your thing anymore, you can stream the music from Spotify HERE and Apple Music HERE.
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