The West Point Glee Club, from the West Point Military Academy in New York, joined us on Music & the Spoken Word today--which was fitting since today's broadcast was honoring the veterans. There was plenty of patriotic music to go around, from the familiar America the Beautiful and Battle Hymn of the Republic, the less familiar Because of the Brave and Mansions of the Lord. The Glee Club joined us on two numbers, and also sang their own piece, God is Nigh. Some interesting facts about the Glee Club. First, the president of the club is a young man from Farmington, UT, and is also a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He sang a brief solo in the song that the Glee Club performed today. Second, six male members of the Glee Club make up an a cappella group called the KnightCaps, and six females make up the a cappella group called the Knightingales. Third, the Glee Club's motto is “No Fun Without Music, No Music Without Fun!” And fourth, on their Instagram account today, they posted "As a finale to our Veteran’s Day tour in Utah, the Glee Club had the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to perform for the Tabernacle Choir’s “Music and the Spoken Word” broadcast. This program has aired every Sunday since 1929 with the longest continuous broadcast on air. It was broadcast live on several stations throughout the US and will be available to watch for years to come by audiences around the world! What an honor to join this historic and internationally acclaimed ensemble!"
Having the Club perform with us today brought back some nice memories of when the Tabernacle Choir sang at West Point on the 4th of July of 2015 (as part of our East Coast tour). It was a very cool experience. There's a partial write-up on that experience HERE, if you're interested. (And a video of our performance, HERE)
For those who have faithfully followed my blog, this next comment will come as no surprise: I'm always conflicted when we devote an entire broadcast to some holiday or event that is U.S.-centric. Since we are a worldwide Choir trying to represent a global Church, it doesn't seem quite fair that several of our broadcasts throughout the year cater to United States holidays. That said, I try very hard to remember that even though it may not be fair, these broadcasts do bring a lot of joy to people. And if THAT'S true, then I suppose an unfair thing can still be a good thing.
To end today's post, I did want to comment that the Choir is having it's semi-annual business meeting this coming Tuesday. At this meeting, the Choir leadership will announce three new pilot projects, which will involve Music and the Spoken Word, the Choir’s future travel schedule, as well as ways for the Choir to better reflect the worldwide mission of the Church. At the end of the meeting, President Russell M. Nelson will address the members of the Tabernacle Choir Organization and their families. Sister Wendy W. Nelson will also speak.
Looking forward to hearing what will be announced.
Until next time, God be with you.
Pictures from today's performance, below. Click to enlarge...
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