MTC Week #103 - Christmas Concert Review Top Ten!

What an incredible week! And what an incredible Christmas Concert that I was so happy to be a part of! Last year's Christmas Concert was really unique, and fun, and of the warm-fuzzy variety (Santino Fontana & the Muppets). But this year's concert was much more Christ-centered and spoke to the true meaning of Christmas on so many different and important levels.

Here is what I loved, specifically, about the concert this year:


10) I loved the set, the lighting, all the Christmas trees and other decor that helped give the concert its look and feel. I would say that I loved all the fog, too (which was a prominent part of this year's concert), but while it probably enhanced the concert, it wasn't too much fun to breathe! We basses, who were on the very edge of the wall, seemed to get a particularly large dose of the fog.

At any rate, thanks to those who put in countless hours in creating the set.

9) I loved the costumes. As we would go to rehearsal for the past couple of weeks, we'd pass lots of tables of sewing machines, not to mention racks and racks of costumes, wigs, head decorations, etc. I have no idea all the time it took to outfit the guest artists and the dancers, but their monumental efforts are much appreciated.

8) I loved the dancers. They have a hard job trying to fit into tight spaces and narrow stages since most of the area we have to work with is filled up by choir members, orchestra, and guest artists. But they did a beautiful job sharing their talents and certainly enhanced the music and the overall choir experience.

7) I loved our guest artists. Broadway singer Laura Osnes, Metropolitan Opera Soloists Erin Morley—Soprano, Tamara Mumford—Mezzo-Soprano, Ben Bliss—Tenor, and Tyler Simpson—Bass. And then Martin Jarvis, acclaimed British screen and voice actor, was the narrator. They all brought such warmth and talent to this program. I was grateful to see them up close, to see their winks, their smiles, and to see their gratitude of being a part of the concert this year.

6) I loved hearing stories of "ticket miracles". The Choir members received 12 tickets each this year, and most likely gave most of those out to family members and friends. But I heard several stories of choir members having a couple of tickets left over and how they were able to bless the lives of complete strangers who had wanted so much to come to the program--but hadn't been able to get tickets. These stories were filled with reactions such as "Thank you!!", "You are an answer to my prayer!", "I was hoping to find someone with tickets to share." And there was even one lady who was so happy, she gave the choir member a big hug, right there in front of the ticket office.

5) I love the devotion of the stage crew. I've said this many times before, but all

of the behind the scenes people deserve such a huge round of applause. I can't imagine putting on a concert of this magnitude, only to have the audience send back no applause at the end. Hopefully though, as the audience was clapping these past three nights, they were thinking of, and being grateful for, this "invisible" group of talented individuals who make all of the magic possible.

4) I loved seeing the audience react to Rick Elliott's organ number. Standing ovation every night! What can I say? That guy has an amazing talent.

3) I loved visiting with other choir members. Spending a whole week with them would make some think that perhaps we'd grow weary of each other. Just the opposite. These types of things bring us together. And I appreciate the 1x1 time I had with a few, and the group time I had with many.
  

2) I loved, loved the songs we sang. Thanks to Mack Wilberg for selecting such wonderful music, and adding new arrangements this year that were grand and spirit-filled. My favorites were Farandole, Angels from the Realms of Glory, and, probably most of all, The Wexford Carol. I'm not sure where that carol has been hiding all of my life, but it's beautiful. I love everything about it. It's one of those songs where the notes and words and harmonies just fit together so naturally. I also was grateful for the part of the program that featured several works from Handel's Messiah. I had never heard the background of how The Messiah came to be, or how it impacted so many people at the time.

1) I love my Savior. I'm so grateful this concert was so focused on Him. He is the light of the world. And He makes it possible to feel happiness, to feel relief, to feel love, and to feel peace. 






I want to end with saying how much I appreciate my wife and kids. Their devotion and commitment to making our family "work" while I serve in this calling (and particularly during this past week) is amazing. And I'm so grateful to them. 

Until next time, God be with you! 

Thanks to members of Facebook, Deseret News, and The Salt Lake Tribune who are accredited for many of these photos :)

MTC Week #102 - 4,500th Broadcast!

History was made today as the Mormon Tabernacle Choir had their 4,500th broadcast of Music & the Spoken Word. It was a fitting day to reach that milestone, as not only the choir sang, but they were accompanied by the Orchestra at Temple Square and the Bells on Temple Square. And, given it was a Christmas special, there was a large number of people who attended and seemed to enjoy what they heard today. 

By my calculations (math was not my strong suit in school), the next milestone, the 5,000th episode, will occur on July 28, 2024. Or thereabouts.

Aside from making history, the choir is now (and has been) in full Christmas concert prep-mode. We're working hard to memorize the music and are anxious to see how it all comes together this week when the dancers and the guest artists combine with the orchestra and choir. 

A friend in the choir did a few calculations that I thought sum of Christmas week from a numbers perspective:

7 trips (120 miles) from Centerville to SLC in 8 days, 39 hours of Choir (including driving), 4 rehearsals, 5 performances, 1 recording session, 15 memorized songs (149 pages), including 8 new songs or new arrangements (78 pages), including 2 David Warner songs (23 pages): Welcome to Christmas concert week!

Numbers aside, we could start adding to that list in other ways: several spiritual experiences while singing beautiful Christmas songs, watching audiences be touched by the music and overall performances, hearing their clapping, feeling the energy and excitement of fellow choir members, seeing how the program affects the guest artists, and simply feeling the true meaning of Christmas. 

I'm thankful for this time of year, not for how busy things always are, but for those things that help keep me centered on Christ. One of those things is being in the Choir and singing these wonderful Christmas songs. 

Grateful!

Until next time, God be with you.
 

MTC Week #101 - For the Love of Christmas Songs

Christmas music, Christmas music, Christmas music everywhere! When the Choir starts meeting three times a week, with an extra rehearsal on Sunday as well, you know the Christmas season has fully arrived. We meet, we get right to work, we memorize, we internalize, and we enjoy. We also get tired and a bit overwhelmed at times. And I know our families miss us. But all in all, it's a wonderful experience. 

Do you think it's any coincidence that the holiday with the most incredibly moving music is the Christmas holiday? Yes, there are stirring patriotic songs and wonderful Easter ones as well. But I think Christmas songs take first prize.

So along Music & the Spoken Word today, we also participated in the First Presidency's Christmas Devotional, this evening. I loved how we opened with a piece from Handel's Messiah, "For Unto Us a Child is Born". It was perfect! We followed with "Noe! Noe!", "Carol of the Bells", and some others. "Carol of the Bells" was a special request from President Uchtdorf and he told about the history of the song in his address. If I remember right, the original title of the song was "Shchedryk" (Ukranian) which stands for "bountiful giver". 
 

Some basses singing "For Unto Us a Child is Born"

At any rate, it was a very fine evening, indeed. And intermixing the wonderful music with some spiritually uplifting messages was the perfect way to bring in the true spirit of Christmas.  

Not a very lengthy post for today, but it's time for me to get some sleep. Another week dawns soon, and with it, plenty more rehearsals and stresses of non-choir related life. 

Until next time, God be with you.

MTC Week #100 - One Hundred Weeks!

Today's Music & the Spoken Word program officially kicked off the Christmas season with several Christmas songs that I really enjoyed singing. However, it was a rather rough morning preparing for the program. Perhaps it was coming off of a holiday break. But whatever it was, we had our intonation issues--particularly the poor tenors and sopranos who got hammered over and over and over again for not singing high enough. Fortunately, all of the loving criticism given to us by our directors during rehearsal, paid off, and the program itself went very well. My two favorite pieces were "Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming" and "Noe! Noe!". The former we sang acapella (which doesn't happen too often in the choir) and it really sounded beautiful--capturing the awe, wonder, and peace that the season brings through our Savior Jesus Christ. The latter was just a fun, lively Christmas piece that captured the energy and excitement that the season brings. I particularly loved the organ accompaniment for that song.   

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As this marks one hundred weeks in the Choir for me, I wanted to list 100 things I love about this choir experience. But while I could probably do that, it would make for a very long blog entry. So, I'm going to shave a zero off of the 100, and include 10 things I love about my choir experience. And you can just multiple each of those by 10, and have it all equal 100 in the end. Sound OK?

10. I love singing with talented musicians who, for the most part, do an exceptional job singing the correct notes, rhythms, and pitch. (We all make mistakes and have our moments)

9. I love being directed by Mack Wilberg and Ryan Murphy. They are extremely talented, they love what they do, and they have taught me so many things.

8. I love looking out at the audience each week, and at concerts, to see how individuals are affected by the music they are hearing and experiencing. 

7. I love singing at General Conference. Being there, in the same room as the prophet and the general authorities, while being able to add to the spirit of the conference through song, it a great blessing. 

6. I love that my official Church calling is "musical missionary".

5. I love singing the songs that we sing. Occasionally there may be one or two I don't care for too much. But those are the exception. The notes, the melodies, the harmonies of these great songs fill me with peace and happiness.

4. I love how being a part of the Choir has affected my family. Music was already a big part of our home, but now the sounds of the Choir, the talk of Choir happenings, and the way the Choir helps others feel peace and happiness have become a standard among our way of life.   

3. I love the opportunity of seeing how it all works behind the scenes. There are SO MANY people involved in this organization who are never recognized or shown on TV. But it's because of them that things fall into place and the Choir is able to accomplish its mission.


2. I love the dear friends I've made in the Choir. They are exceptional individuals who I not only get to enjoy singing with, but get to enjoy other friendship aspects both inside and outside the Choir.


1. I love being able to share my testimony, through music, with so many people. As my personal testimony of the Savior has been shaped and molded by music throughout my entire life, it's humbling and exciting to share that testimony through song, with so many people who listen.        

Until next time, God be with you.

MTC Week #99 - A Thankful Heart is a Happy Heart

Music & the Spoken Word - Thanksgiving Special, 11-22-15

Many years ago when my kids were much younger, they used to watch a lot of Veggie Tales episodes. In one of these episodes, a character named Madame Blueberry was never content with the things she had. She always wanted more. Associates from the new department store "Stuff Mart" paid her a visit and fueled her desire to get more stuff. They even escorted her to the store where she picked out so many things that they had to deliver all of the items in a truck. Along the way, she ends up having several experiences (including this one) that make her realize that being happy is not related to buying things or having more than the next person, it's about being thankful for what you have already. 

I thought about that theme today as the Choir sang songs of being thankful. Bro. Wilberg mentioned at rehearsal that he struggles a bit each year, to come up with songs that truly reflect the Thanksgiving theme. But I thought he did a great job with the repertoire he put together. While I actually enjoyed singing all of them, I think my favorite was "Thou Gracious God, Whose Mercy Lends."  I particularly liked the last verse:

We thank thee, Father; let thy grace
our loving circle still embrace,
thy mercy shed its heavenly store,
thy peace be with us evermore.

Do we not all long for God's grace? His love? His mercy? Do we not all strive to live our lives so we can feel His peace? There's certainly nothing else like it.
 
Sometimes I struggle with Thanksgiving. Don't get me wrong. I enjoy the time off, the time with family, eating yummy food, and being able to relax from the regular stress of each week. I just hope I spend enough time being thankful. I think, in my head, that I should have this huge "thankful event" occur inside me, to mark the day. That rarely happens though. It probably doesn't happen for most people. I think, though, as long as we take at least a few minutes, perhaps in prayer, to express our gratitude, we'll be able to have that happy heart that Madame Blueberry was hoping to find--and did find, in the end.

Until next time, God be with you.

MTC Week #98 - Christmas Prep Begins

I don't have any first-hand Mormon Tabernacle Choir experiences to share with you this time, since I took both Thursday night and Sunday morning, to be with my family. My wife had a flute performance Thursday evening and I was excited to support her in that. Then, this morning, since my wife is Primary President and the Primary Program was today, I attended our ward to see that program and enjoy listening to lots of great primary songs. It was a great event and kudos to my wife and her counselors for having it work out so well! It was also nice just to attend my ward as that has been a rarity this year.

The Choir's upcoming Christmas Concert is only a month away and last week, we started extra rehearsals to start learning the music. While I can't disclose what we're actually singing for the concert (just to keep it a surprise for those who get to attend or watch it on DVD later), we've certainly enjoyed rehearsing the music. 

Speaking of rehearsing, just to get a feel for what it's like for Choir this time of year, below is a look at our schedule:

Busy, busy, busy. But despite it being busy, it's very rewarding and I'm constantly grateful for the opportunity. The Christmas Concert is the Choir's most popular concert of the year and millions end up seeing it. So it's both an opportunity and a serious responsibility to do all I can to help make this a heart-felt event--one in which people will feel peace, and hope, and the love of their Savior.

I'll end with a story.

So this past week, my wife and I decided to get a phone for my daughter (for her birthday). I went to the AT&T store and was helped by a guy named Matt. Since it was a new store, with new employees, there were lots of other guys observing the process of me getting a new phone. Anyway, Matt was from Nashville, Tennessee, and had just moved out a few weeks before to help open this store. He's a big music fan and when I asked if he had heard of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, his eyes lit up and he said that his dad was a big fan and had encouraged him to see the choir live while he was living out here. 

I told him I was in the choir and after Matt and the other guys responded with "No way!", "That's really cool,", etc. the other guys began telling Matt he needed to go to Temple Square and see all of the beautiful things that were there. I chimed in by telling him when the choir practiced, when Music and the Spoken Word was, and about our upcoming Christmas concert.  The other guys said it was impossible to get tickets to the concert, but I told Matt I'd give him two of my allotment so he could attend. 

While I didn't get any additional discounts on my phone, Matt was excited to get the tickets and really looks forward to going. Whether he ends up wanting to know more about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or not, I hope he feels love and acceptance from not only his fellow Utah brothers and sisters, but from his Savior, too.

Until next time, God be with you.

MTC Week #97 - Paying Tribute

Keeping with tradition, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Orchestra at Temple Square, and Bells on Temple Square, presented a program today to honor all of the veterans (in conjunction with Veterans Day, November 11). As such, all of the songs had a patriotic theme including This Land is Your Land, Flag of the Free, and one of my favorite patriotic songs, My Country 'Tis of Thee. 

My appreciation for those who once served in the military to defend our freedoms can't come from first-hand knowledge or experience of what war is like. But it can come from studying history and learning about the terrible price paid for the freedoms we enjoy today.

I just finished reading a book called "All the Light We Cannot See," which took

me on an emotional World War II roller coaster. To be fair, this book was not a daily accounting of the details of how that war played out. Nor did it focus too much on all the soldiers and how things were on the front lines. Rather, the book focused on the lives of just a few individuals and how they endured all of the tragic consequences that came from the war. Family separations, sad living conditions, hopes and dreams shattered, lives forever altered. And at the inferred center of all of these consequences were the soldiers themselves. Called upon to not only endure these same consequences, but to be thrown into the heart of fear, of death, of duty, and a desperation to make sense of it all. 

In the end, it made me appreciate the life I have today. The freedoms I enjoy, the family I'm connected with, the food on the table, the shelter over my head, the opportunities to pursue goals and dreams, and the reminder to enjoy the little things we often take for granted.

So, I'm grateful for the program Sunday honoring our vets. Thankful for their sacrifices and dedication. Yes, sometimes the lyrics to a few of these patriotic songs can be a little contrived. But overall, they, along with the inspiring arrangements and notes and rhythms themselves, paint a picture of freedom that I'm very grateful for.

I end with the lyrics from the first and last verse of My Country 'Tis of Thee. When's the last time you really thought about these?

My country 'tis of thee,
Sweet land of liberty,
Of thee I sing.
Land where my fathers died!
Land of the Pilgrim's pride!
From every mountain side,
Let freedom ring!

Our father's God to, Thee,
Author of liberty,
To Thee we sing.
Long may our land be bright
With freedom's holy light;
Protect us by Thy might,
Great God, our King!


Until next time, God be with you.