TCATS #474 - Christmas Broadcasts Commence!

With Thanksgiving come and gone, Music & the Spoken Word  will devote the next five broadcasts to celebrating the light, hope, joy, and magic of Christmas. We started things off right by having the Bells join us. And the seven songs shared today were...

Sussex Carol
English carol; Arr. Mack Wilberg

Whence Is That Goodly Fragrance Flowing?
French carol; Arr. Mack Wilberg

I Saw Three Ships (organ only)
English carol; Arr. Richard Elliott

Still, Still, Still
Austrian carol; Arr. Mack Wilberg

Carol of the Bells (bells only)
Ukrainian carol; Arr. Kevin McChesney

Noe! Noe!
French carol; Arr. Mack Wilberg

O Come All Ye Faithful
attr. John F. Wade; Arr. Mack Wilberg

It's really difficult to pick favorites when it comes to songs featured on these Christmas broadcasts. There are just so many good ones. For today though, I think the one I enjoyed singing the most was "Noe! Noe!" (take a listen HERE).  It's a very upbeat and joyful song and was one I just needed to hear today. (fun fact: the word "noe" is a latinization of the word "noel" which means birth of Christ or born on Christmas). 

After the broadcast, we went right into working on more Christmas songs for our upcoming concert. We still have two that we haven't even seen yet. And there's one new one today that we went through. 

The Christmas Concert seating chart came out this week and I will have the privilege of sitting next to Wes and Dave. I sat next to Wes last year for the Christmas Concert and feel grateful we get a round #2. Dave and I go way back to BYU Concert Choir days, so it's always fun to sit next to him, too. 

On a more contemplative note, I'm always thinking these days about my Choir experience and how long it will ultimately last. I have a lot of unresolved issues with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and I don't have a lot of hope that those issues will be resolved any time soon. In fact, they just seem to be growing. It creates sort of this incongruence problem as I try to put my whole heart and soul into the Choir experience while knowing the Choir and the Church are linked so tightly together. Fortunately for me I suppose, many of the songs we sing week to week are tied to the gospel of Jesus Christ itself--and not the institutional Church. Most of the gospel I can get behind  and truly believe in. But since the Choir represents the Church, it still makes it difficult. I don't know... I'm just trying to be honest and transparent here in letting you know it's a struggle. One that I don't know how to resolve and one that causes uncomfortable dissonance, often. 

We'll see where my journey takes me. 

OK. As I do every year, I wanted to give you some links to some great Christmas music resources. I hope you can incorporate these into your Christmas experience this year. Whether you're wanting a deeper relationship with Christ or wanting to re-live good memories of the past or just want to FEEL whatever uplifting/spiritual/sentimental/heart warming emotions Christmas music stirs up, I'm certain these resources can help. And let's face it. Songs on the radio like "Santa Baby" or "All I Want for Christmas Is You" may have their place in the secular celebration of Christmas, but there is more. 

Much more.

May you find what your soul needs during this Christmas season.

Until next time, God be with you. (Resources below)

 

Tabernacle Choir Christmas Playlists
(HERE (Spotify) and HERE (Apple))

Heartwarming Christmas videos (HERE)

TCATS #473 - Craig Jessop

Today's Choir experience was unique in three ways.

First, because of M. Russell Ballard's funeral on Friday, the stage area in the Tabernacle was transformed into more of a hierarchical podium which resulted in absolutely no room for the orchestra. As such, the songs we sang this week were accompanied by the organ (kudos to the organists who quickly adjusted and were able to make this work at a moment's notice!). 

Second, as luck would have it, I woke up this morning and my right front tooth's veneer had broken off. Which left me with just half a tooth! Let me tell you how excited I was to smile today--not! I think I was able to hide it fairly well but conversation with others was awkward as I tried not to say very much--and singing itself was challenging too because I wanted to keep my upper lip from going up too high on my face thus exposing my half tooth. Ug. I suppose the only good thing about it was that I became very grateful (very quickly) for teeth that look normal and realized how much confidence is tied to the ability to make facial expressions as needed without being embarrassed. 

Third, and most important, was that we had a guest conductor today, Brother Craig Jessop. Craig was the conductor of the Tabernacle Choir from 1999 to 2008. It was delight to be conducted by him today. He's a very kind and loving person who cares passionately about the music, but even more passionately about the people singing the music. He just seriously radiated love. At rehearsal Thursday night, he took some time to speak of his time as conductor and why he specifically chose the songs that we performed, today. During our rehearsal this morning, Mack shared his love of Craig and named a few significant things Craig did to help further the mission of the Choir during his tenure. He said that Dr. Jessop was a man of vision with talents to implement his visions which helped shape the Choir into what it is today. Anyway, I was very much uplifted by the whole experience (despite being self-conscious of my tooth issues). 

Craig Jessop

Our learning of Christmas music is in full-swing! As is the case every year, we have SO many pieces to become familiar with. This coming Sunday, we'll start work on a processional that will be part of the concert (I won't say more so as to keep the details a surprise). Learning that will take considerable time so we've been asked to spend as much outside time as possible learning the pieces and even memorizing the words to some since we won't always have access to the teleprompters.  Of course my favorite day in all of this preparation is the Tuesday and Wednesday of the actual concert week when we finally see all the parts and pieces come together. It's all very magical and a highlight of my overall Christmas experience.

Until next time, may God be with you.
 

While singing "Did You Think to Pray"

TCATS #472 - Back!

There's a well-known saying "Absence makes the heart grow fonder." And indeed, in the case of me taking an eight week break from the Tabernacle Choir, that saying turned out to be true. I have to admit that part of me was a bit sad during the break--mainly, I think, because I missed my Choir friends. But I have no regrets with my decision. 

It was needed. 

During my time off, amidst dealing with personal issues, I was able to think about the mission of the Choir and my role within that mission. And I came to the conclusion that even though I am struggling with a lot of things right now which sometimes influence my attitude, my devotion, and captious tendencies, I do have a love for the core gospel of Jesus Christ. So if nothing else, I can always remember that when I sing. 

Perhaps that is enough, for now.

Honestly, in any relationship, there's a give and take. And at this point in my life, I may need to take more from the choir then I'm giving back. I need my friendships. I need hugs and smiles. I need conversation that uplifts and sustains my hope. I need to feel part of something that has a worthwhile cause. I need to feel unity. And I need to be around people whom I can help. 

Speaking of helping others, the Lord was kind enough to give me some experiences and some opportunities to help others while I was away from Choir:

*Met with a friend who just wanted to hear more about my story and then ask for advice on how to combat loneliness. We had a good tearful discussion about that and he was grateful for the perspective.
*Met with a choir member who ended up coming out to me. He just needed a safe space to talk about the challenges he’s dealing with.
*I got a text from a loved one who said he wanted to call me and talk about some things he’s been dealing with.  He thanked me for sharing my coming out story many months ago and then said he struggles with his own sexual identity (he falls within the queer spectrum). He wanted some tips on how to move forward and it was a good discussion.
*Attended a Christ-centered LGBT conference (“GATHER”) and learned some things to help me in my journey. Met some good friends as well. One in particular said he had been praying to meet someone he could really talk to—as was glad I ended up being that person.
*Helped a loved one start therapy that has been a very positive experience for him.
*Have been helping my wife deal with some health issues and what was, at the time, a liver cancer scare (turned out it was benign).
*Got a text from another choir member who has been really kind and loving with my situation, but also was thankful for apparently giving him the courage to face some things he’s been needing to deal with.
*Was able to arrange a trip with my family to Puerto Vallarta and feel joy from seeing my kids have such a good time.

Have felt very grateful to be able to help.

As the Choir heads into the Christmas Concert prep season, I feel more motivated to do my part and learn well the songs we'll be sharing with the world. While this time of year is particularly hard for me in many ways, I always look forward to these Christmas Concerts as a time to just bask in all of the goodness that has come from Christ being born into this world. Whether you're religious or not, no one can really argue that the ideals Christ taught and stood for--such as loving others, being kind, seeking out the unfortunate and misunderstood, serving your neighbor, and seeking truth--aren't universally applicable to all women and men. It's also true that the world would be a better place if everyone personally invested in those ideals. The Christmas Concerts always give me a measure of hope that such ideals will be sought after more urgently by all. 

Before closing this post, I again want to thank all of those who have been so very kind and loving to me at this point in my life. I've felt overwhelmed with support. All of you who have sent texts, offered prayers, engaged in conversation, sent uplifting songs to listen to, given advice, and have just listened with love....THANK YOU.

You are the best humanity has to offer!

Until next time, God be with you.