TCATS #296 - Happy Birthday Pres. Nelson!

President Russell M. Nelson knows how to do a birthday right!

The choir and orchestra spent Wednesday night and Thursday night prepping for the festivities, with the actual Birthday Celebration being live-broadcast Friday evening. You can read official news reports of this grand event HERE, HERE, and HERE. My "personal observation" report is below and includes the top six reasons why this was one of my favorite concerts to-date.

Ready? 
Here we go...

6. The concert was one-night only. And it was being broadcast live. All of which meant we needed to do our best and only had one chance to do so. Pressure on!

5. The songs themselves were all ones I really loved both musically and lyrically. It's rare when that happens--so I felt especially excited to perform and put my whole heart and soul into it.

4. It was interesting to see the four guest artists rehearse and prepare. Watching them in this way is always an opportunity for the choir and orchestra to kind of get a glimpse into their personality. I find myself surprised sometimes, when I see how easy-going some are, and how perfectionistically demanding others are. How some are so warm and just want to share their love through hugs, and how others work to maintain professional boundaries.

3.  The person we were honoring was, no doubt, worthy of every accolade. President Nelson is an incredible man who has done so much good in the world on so many different levels. And even though the focus was on him, and singing songs that were his favorites, everything tied back to Christ or attributes of Christ that President Nelson exemplifies and that we should work to exemplify as well.

2. Seeing President Eyring react to the rousing upbeat number that The Bonner Family performed. He was leaning out of his chair so far that I was afraid he'd topple out at any moment! His face had the biggest smile on it, and his whole body was just moving to the beat. I half-joked after the concert to my bass buddies that maybe we'd get more such music in our local congregations! Haha. Nice thought, but probably not.

1.  The song Let Us All Press On (arranged by Richard Elliott). As mentioned, I loved all of the songs on the program, but this one, which we ended with--well, there was just something about it. I felt very "spiritually tingly" throughout the whole number--and especially at the end as we all swelled in volume and emotion: "As we do what's right, we have no need to fear! For the Lord, our Helper, will ever be near. In the days of trial, His Saints He will cheer and prosper the cause of truth!"

If you missed the event, you can watch it HERE.

Until next time, God be with you. 

The Bonner Family, singing their Hallelujah Prophet Medley

Nathan Pacheco and Donnie Osmond after singing "The Prayer"

Jenny Oaks Baker and Family Four, performing a Sound of Music Medley

Gentri performing Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing

The basses singing Let Us All Press On

 

Pres Nelson thanking everyone

TCATS #295 - Of the UN, Recording, & a Suprise Visitor

The choir had a busier week than usual, beginning on Tuesday evening as we put on a mini-concert for the people involved with the United Nations conference--which was held in Salt Lake City this year. The concert consisted of five songs perfectly chosen to highlight the overall goals of the UN: Fill the World with Love, What a Wonderful World, One Person (Can Change the World), Hold On, and Climb Every Mountain. We ended with our signature piece, God Be With You, and received kind words and clapping afterwards. It was a nice event!

Following the concert, we went right into a recording session from about 7:45 to 9:15. I can't talk about exactly what we were recording, but I can tell you that the excerpts of songs were less than 30 notes, total (for the choir). Did it really take an hour and a half to record 30 note? Yes, yes it did :)  President M. Russell Ballard was in the recording booth listening to, and observing the process, and later mentioned to us that he was surprised at how long it all took. 

Speaking of President Ballard, he came to our rehearsal on Thursday night, stepped up to the conducting podium, and not only thanked us for our recording efforts, but asked if he could offer the opening prayer. The prayer was recorded and we're waiting to see if we can let others read the transcript. But I'll just say it was a neat prayer and it was clear how much the leadership of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints appreciates the uplifting and inspiring music that we get to share with the world each week. They love us and support us and are grateful for the time and efforts we put into this unique calling. Special experience, to be sure.

Well, today's extra rehearsal after the broadcast starts the first of many extra rehearsals to come. Probably for each Sunday for the rest of the year! We have President Nelson's Birthday Celebration this coming week, then General Conference, and then we start extra rehearsals for the Christmas Concert starting the week after conference. The choir "train ride" rarely slows down during the year, but typically when September hits, the train ride increases in speed and includes plenty of twists and turns and hills. 

I hope to enjoy it all. Because someday, I'll have to get off, never to get back on.

Until next time, God be with you. 

 

TCATS #294 - Leaving the 99

I was grateful to be with my choir friends Thursday night for our weekly rehearsal, but I skipped the Music & Spoken Word broadcast today to attend my home ward at 9:00AM. Why, you ask? So that I could enjoy taking the Sacrament with my family and hear my daughter speak. Rebekah just returned from serving a mission to Birmingham, England, and today she was given the opportunity to share her testimony of Jesus Christ and share some experiences she had during the past 18 months. As part of the talk she gave, she included a testimony from "Joe". Joe had a very messed up life before he met my daughter and her companion. He was on drugs, an alcoholic, and ready to give up on life. But as learned about the gospel and how much his Savior loved him, he was able to successfully break free from those destructive habits and today enjoys membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In fact, he's been sober for well over a year now and is truly loving the new life he has. Rebekah mentioned that if her entire 18 months had been spent just to help Joe, it would have been worth it a hundred times over. (See picture above)

Anyway, it was a great meeting and I am grateful for all that she did to help the people of England (and help each of one of her companions) come unto Christ. 

As for the choir, we will all reconvene at the Conference Center in two-days time to do a mini-concert for the individuals who make up the United Nations.  Following the concert, we'll do a little recording (top secret!), and then call it a night--only to reconvene again Thursday for our normal rehearsal and prep for Sunday morning. 

Never a dull moment!

Until next time, God be with you.

Looks like my friend Wes took "my" seat today (middle row, right of center). Grateful for all these guys. While I missed them, I didn't miss having to wear the white coat. (haha)

 

TCATS #293 - One Shy of the Perfect Five

So close!

Every so often the planets align, and we have a Music & the Spoken Word broadcast in which I love ALL FIVE songs we're singing (occasionally we sing six songs, but you get the point). After rehearsal Thursday, a friend asked me to guess which of the five songs was his least favorite. I smiled and responded with my least favorite, hoping they'd match up. And indeed they did! I thought I'd keep the little experiment going, so I asked a couple of my carpool buddies on our walk to the car and they responded the same way. 

Of course, this isn't to say that I Think the World is Glorious doesn't have some good qualities. It certainly does. I mean, who doesn't love birds, bees, and blossoms? Who doesn't love to proclaim "I sing and sing and sing and sing" over and over [and over] again? In all seriousness, some people might absolutely love the song. And I completely respect that. I've learned over and over again that one of the main reasons we sing such a variety of songs is because there's such a variety of people out there to connect with. For me though, the song is just a little too sappy--too sugary...too something. 

That aside, the other four songs we sang today are among my favorites. 

SIMPLE GIFTS: The song mentions that it's a gift to be simple and that true simplicity is gained when we're going through the process of bowing and bending and turning to "come 'round right." To me, this means that as we go through the ups and downs of life, the painful experiences as well as the joyful ones, that we are letting all of these experiences and emotions steer us in the right direction.  I don't think simple necessarily means easy. In fact, living simply can, paradoxically, be hard to do. And sometimes the choices we make don't allow ourselves to "come 'round right"--we don't "turn" to God and follow his commandments. But when we do, we find that the simple life is the best life, all things considered. 

PILGRIM SONG: I hope one day that the basses get to sing the first verse of this song along with the other men in the choir. But whether or not that happens, I absolutely love the melody, harmonies, and beautiful orchestration of this song. It also reminds me of my sister Mary who would often "sing the Christian song" and "contemplate the hour when the messenger [would] say 'Come quit this house of clay, and with bright angels tower.'" Love you Mary.


HIS VOICE AS THE SOUND: A beautiful, somewhat haunting folk-song about the Lord's voice being the sound we should hear--the sound we should follow. It's the sound that should resonate within our heart and within our soul. For me, too, the song seems to connect the Christ of long ago, with the Christ of today--and why it is that we should worship Him and strive to be like Him. One person who heard it during the last General Conference commented "Sublime, unexpected, for a moment I went to heaven...".

WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD: This new arrangement by Mack Wilberg had us all thinking about the iconic Louis Armstrong singing this song. I don't know...it's just a great, simple, innocent, happy song! My favorite lyric? "I see friends shaking hands saying how do you do. They're really saying "I love you." Wouldn't the world be a better place--a more wonderful place--if we could all just respect and love one another as Christ would have us do?

It may not have been the perfect five for me, but it was the perfect four. And I'll take that any day!

Until next time, God be with you.

PS: Our new organist, Joseph Peeples, had his debut performance today! Well done Joseph, and thanks for sharing your talents with the world. 

Singing Pilgrim Song today

TCATS #292 - Ordinary? Extraordinary.

Well, every so often, I don't have a lot to say about my Tabernacle Choir journey. And this week is one of those weeks. It's weird when this happens! It's not that my love of singing in the choir and all of the experiences that go with it has diminished. In fact, it's during these "very normal" weeks that I'm almost more grateful for it all because I can simply focus on being in the moment and enjoying the process. I also have to remind myself that just because my experience is normal doesn't mean everyone else's is. To that point, I talked to one friend today who had a very amazing and personal spiritual experience while singing our last number on the broadcast--Guide Us O Thou Great Jehovah. And I can only imagine that other special experiences were happening all around me and to those listening around the world, too. My take home message this week, then, is that it's never just about me (or you) or what's going on in my head or heart (or yours). It's about being the kind of singer (or the kind of person in general) who can actively contribute to, and enhance, all of those special experiences that are occurring. 

Now then...since I don't have much more to say this week, I thought it would be fun to see what others had to say about today's broadcast of Music & the Spoken Word: 

Until next time, God be with you.

TCATS #291 - Library Duty!

There's a well-known saying that goes "You don't know what you've got 'till it's gone." I'd like to modify that slightly: "You don't know about a task until you have to do it yourself."

So my choir friend Willy was talking about his upcoming trip to Alaska several weeks ago, and knowing he had recently been called to serve in the Choir Library, I asked if he needed someone to fill in for him while he was away. He happily accepted my offer. So for the past two weeks I've been learning all about the role of a choir librarian. Before I get too far into sharing my experience though, I should probably clarify. This calling that some choir members receive to serve in the library would more accurately be described as a Choir Librarian helper, since there are several individuals who actually work in the library full-time.

Full-time, you ask? Really?
Yes, really. 

I don't know how many pieces of music the library has. But each piece we have has a number on it. And if I recall correctly, we have one piece that is #2005 (highest I can remember). So, if we assume there are over 2000 pieces of music and we times that by close to 400 choir members (not to mention the orchestra members have their pieces of music), you'll get an idea of how many pieces of music the librarians have to catalogue, store, distribute, collect, etc. 

At any rate, the helpers, as I've decided to call them (two per part), go into the library after the broadcast is over each Sunday, and collect all of the music from the boxes (each choir member has a box, or music "locker"). They then stack each of them in piles sequentially. Each piece has a number, as I described earlier. But in addition to the piece number, the music also has the choir member number (for example, I'm "B-108"). So they stack them starting with B-01, T-01, S-01, and A-01 all the way up to the end of the part numbers. Since I was helping with the Baritones, Steve and I (Steve being the other helper for the Baritones) would gather B-01 thru B-55 I think it was, and put them in piles sequentially, and make note of any choir member that didn't turn in a certain piece of music. When we encounter that scenario, it significantly slows things down because we have to check their folder to make sure it wasn't just misfiled. If it's there, we put it in our pile and resume. 

There are various ways to accomplish the main objective, but in the end, we have large piles of each piece. We then we put them in the main library shelves for the actual librarians to scan in and after being scanned, they place them back on the shelves where they are finally stored until next time we sing them.  

When it was all said and done, I had gained a new appreciation for both the full-time librarians, and the library helpers who certainly contribute significantly to the effort. And, I'd have to say, it was actually kind of fun--in a way. I like tasks where I can visibly see the results of my efforts and this is certainly one of those types of tasks.

Now would I think it was fun after three, four, six months doing it each week? Hmmm. That is a very good question.

Until next time, God be with you.

Part of the library. You can see the many boxes where choir members store their music.

 

Sorting the pieces of music into piles, sequentially.

Full-time librarians scanning in music

Moveable/slideable music lockers where music is stored when not in use

TCATS #290 - Run the Race

Having been gone a week on vacation to Washington to visit my wife's side of the family, I don't have a lot of actual choir happenings to report--at least first-hand. I do know that this past Thursday, the choir sang for around 27 governors who visited Utah for the National Governors Association meeting that was occurring in Salt Lake City. The program consisted of a lot of patriotic music and was very well received.

At any rate, I returned from my vacation Saturday night and thus went into the Conference Center this morning to observe the Music & the Spoken Word rehearsal and broadcast. It was an interesting experience. I was mentally prepared for the fact that I'd be a little sad I wasn't actually participating. But I wasn't prepared for various thoughts that started entering my head--thoughts along the lines of "Ryan, why are you even part of the Choir? You're not worthy to be in this group. Your talents just aren't good enough. Who are you trying to fool? Your friends in the choir really don't care that you're there. Time to just give up."

While I knew those thoughts were not coming from a divine source, they sort of infused me with doubts. Doubts that were hard to shake off. I got some relief during one of the songs the choir sang today "Homeward Bound"--and then again during the last number "O Come Ye Nations of the Earth". But it wasn't until later when I went back to the day I was set apart (officially called) that I remembered that yes, God did want me here and He did have confidence in my abilities and talents. After all, He's the one that gave them to me in the first place. And while there are hundreds of others who are just as equally or more qualified to serve in this calling, for some reason He chose me. So here I am. Just doing my best. And while I mess up all the time and have lots of room for improvement, I rely upon God and my wife and kids and friends to support and simply move forward with the opportunities I've been given. 

So move forward I'll continue to do--with patience in myself and my many failings--just like it says in the second song referenced above: "Oh, come ye children of the light, with patience run the race."

Until next time, God be with you.

P.S. With my blog reaching 20,000 visits, I just want to thank each of you readers for your support. Hopefully the things I share occasionally lift and inspire each of you in some small way.