An interesting article was published by the Deseret News this past week titled "Will There Be a Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square Christmas Concert This Year?"
As I saw that title, I had the very same question! Haha. So I clicked the link to read more.
The short answer to that question is "they still don't know." (I know you're just as surprised by that as I was) Meaning, of course, that they don't know yet whether or not the Christmas Concert will be of the traditional sort. You know, the ones where there's an actual live choir singing and an orchestra playing and the bells ringing and dancers dancing and a guest artist dazzling and another guest artist narrating.
The other short answer provided by the Choir's general manager Scott Barrick was "We have options, and the choir will not disappoint."
Hmmm--sounds intriguing. The choir, along with everyone else who makes watching the concert a tradition each year, will just have to wait and see which short answer comes into play. If I were a guessing man, I'd probably say that those "other options" might end up being invoked given the realities of COVID-19 fear. But who knows God's timetable with the pandemic. I have no doubt that if He wanted a traditional Christmas Concert to happen, He'd make a way for it to happen.
Much of the article talked about all of the increased exposure the Choir is getting at this time. Apparently viewership is up three times what it normally is! Much of that is, as the article points out, due to church members making Music & the Spoken Word part of their at-home worship service. Which makes sense. While I'd wager to say that most people who watch the choir (including all of the people who normally didn't, but now do) prefer live performances over reruns, I'm glad that viewership has tripled and that reruns continue to further the choir's mission. And who knows? Maybe when things get back to "normal", those who have recently discovered the Choir--as well as those who knew about the Choir but have started watching and listening to it more--will continue to do so and make it an integral part of how they worship, how they receive hope, and how they connect with heaven. And if THAT happens, perhaps this long choir break will have been worth it.
Until next time, God be with you.
No comments:
Post a Comment