TCATS #432 - America from the Outside

Often times my attitude towards the Tabernacle Choir is, to be honest, a self-centered and critical one. "What is the Choir doing for me personally? How come the Choir is doing this or that (and do I agree or disagree)? How come they don't see what I'm seeing? Why is the Choir falling short of my expectations?" 

And so it goes. I'm not proud of that attitude and I try and switch it around when I consciously realize what I'm doing. But then there are times I consciously CHOOSE to be critical.

This week was one of those weeks. At least, it started out that way.

One of the facts that is always on my mind is that the Tabernacle Choir should represent all members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, wherever they might be. Since over half the membership of the Church is outside the United States, I can't help but cringe when we devote a whole broadcast to singing about America. It'd be one thing if we sang about such topics as freedom, liberty, justice, following your dreams, unification, brotherhood/sisterhood, etc. without specifying a country. These are universal themes the cross nationalities and cultures. But when we sing "America, America, God shed His grace on thee," (along with the rest of the lyrics), it just seems we are more exclusionary than inclusionary.

So, because I was a bit miffed we were spending our 30 min broadcast singing about America, AND I wasn't feeling very patriotic anyway, I was all poised to not participate.  But the day before rehearsal, I changed my mind. My sense of duty kicked in (much like Frederic in Pirates of Penzance) and it just made me feel better once the decision was made to participate.

As Thursday and Sunday unfolded, I started to think about a few things.

Could there be people listening to the broadcast who...

...needed to be reminded of the ideal America? 

...wanted to feel the peace from recalling patriotic memories of yesteryear?

... had loved ones who had lost their lives defending the freedoms of this nation?

...simply needed some hope that despite all of America's issues, justice, truth, and freedom could prevail?

...just wanted to enjoy the music not so much for its meaning, but simply from a musicality standpoint? (some of these patriotic pieces are full of emotion and inspiration!)

Ryan Murphy shared with us that his mom, who's from Belgium, absolutely loves this yearly patriotic broadcast because to her, it reminds her of how much joy she and others felt with American soldiers came and liberated them from the Germans during WW2. That got me thinking about another subset of people living in various countries who are thankful for what the US did for them at some point in time.  

Anyway, not to draw this out, but I just gained a better appreciation for what this US-centric broadcast might mean to people all over the world. It might be very positive for them, for reasons listed above and several others I'm sure. And looking at everything from this new lens made the broadcast itself ever the more meaningful and enjoyable to be a part of.

Moral of the story? Try to see the bigger picture. Yes, experiences are about you and that's awesome. But they are so much more, too. 

Until next time, God be with you. 

TCATS #431 - Finding the Good

The one particularly special thing about today's Music & the Spoken Word performance, was that we had the opportunity to perform a Spanish piece--a piece that, from what I've heard, in pretty popular in Hispanic circles. I did a search for it on YouTube and got at least a dozen hits so I think defining it as "popular" can be confirmed. It's called "ALABARÉ" and the version we sang today was arranged by none other than our director Mack Wilberg. I don't think I really loved the piece from a musicality standpoint, but I loved performing it because I just get excited to share music that resonates with people who either speak a different language or live in another country or both. 

The last piece on today's program is one that I really, really didn't like. And as much as I try (really hard!) to take the high road and remember that it's not about me, that we're singing these songs for other people, that songs I personally don't like might very well be someone else's favorite (or the one that inspires them the most), that I need to re-invent the experience each time, etc. etc., sometimes I just fail at that and sort of put on a fake happy smile and just sing the song without much enthusiasm or conviction. Such is what happened today. "On Great Lone Hills", one of the songs from the choral work "Finlandia", is actually a song that's familiar to many people since the hymn "Be Still My Soul" is based on the same tune. I take issue with the song for two reasons. First, the song starts out with this big orchestral intro full of strings and horns and percussion. It's almost like the beginning of one of those Sousa marches. Very grand. That's not my issue. My issue is that it deceptively draws the audience in and leads them to believe that the rest of the song will be just as exciting. BUZZ. Nope. Suddenly the tempo drops, the orchestrations pull way back and the choir sort of plods along singing the song (which leads to the second reason: plodding along). To me it's just sort of...well...boring. At any rate, just as the audience is surely about to fall asleep, the orchestration picks up again and we end with a bang. (For anyone who loves this song, my sincerest apologies. I certainly respect your right to love whatever song you want to love!)

As I left Choir and was thinking all day what to write about in this blog entry, I thought "You know, I should find something good about "On Great Lone Hills" and expound on it." And why not? I think it's a good exercise for all of us to try and find something good in all situations and in all people we interact with. Wouldn't you agree? So after thinking about it, I went to the lyrics of the song and found a few words that actually resonated with me: "all crowned with light."

I believe that most people are crowned with a degree of light. And in this world that is becoming more divisive and divided than ever (a lot of which we've witnessed this weekend), there's no better time to remember God's second great commandment to love others. We don't need to agree with them or endorse their beliefs. But we can accept them by seeing and acknowledging their light--no matter how small it is or how different a hue it is.

We can respect them. 

We can try to find common ground with meaningful conversation and an understanding heart. 

So I hope we can all do that.  

Until next time, God be with you.

TCATS #430 - Promises

A heartfelt kudos to all the fathers out there who work hard each day to do their best! Thanks for your efforts. And for those who aren't fathers yet or who might not be for one reason or another, I'd bet 10 to 1 you have plenty of father-like attributes that you employ in different ways within your sphere of influence. 

As the day is almost done and I'm really tired, I'm going to make this a quick entry. Ever since I first sang Ryan Murphy's arrangement of STANDING ON THE PROMISES, it's made an everlasting impression on me. Walking the covenant path within the Gospel of Jesus Christ is what it's all about and this song helps remind me not only why the path is important, but the blessings that result when that walk is made each and every day. 

Today as I sang this song, I just felt a renewed sense of hope that everything would work out in the end. 

My favorite moment in the song is at the end when the orchestra is at its fullest and we're singing full voice: "Standing on the promises! Standing on the promises! Standing on the pro-mi-ses of God." It's like everyone at that moment is just singing with their whole heart and soul and it produces all the feels. 

You've been hereby challenged to look for ways that you can stand more firmly in your beliefs--however that looks to you.

Until next time, God be with you.

 

PS: Links below to listen to this song:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/4vXQvthIlV0BzNh97x6Sam?si=28eab3a4b3f24d22

Apple: https://music.apple.com/us/album/standing-on-the-promises/1452638314?i=1452639468

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__DTGtQy5H4

TCATS #429 - The Murphy Show

The last time Ryan Murphy ran the Tabernacle Choir & Orchestra "show" completely, was a really long time ago. So long ago that I'm not even sure when it was. Typically Ryan will conduct one or two songs on a broadcast and then will be given the last 20 minutes of a Thursday or Sunday rehearsal to take us through various upcoming pieces that he'll be directing. But this week, Ryan directed all of Thursday's rehearsal and then did both the broadcast today and the extra rehearsal afterwards. (Where Mack was, the Choir wasn't told)

While there are several commonalities between Wilberg and Murphy (they are both musically brilliant, work us hard, compose and arrange pieces we love, and have ears that catch the slightest of intonation issues-- which sometimes drive us crazy), they are different in a few significant ways. As I was thinking about what ways those were, a friend of mine brought up this topic on his own accord and it was interesting to find out that his perspective and observations largely matched up with mine. 

Rather than compare and contrast though (since I don't want this to come across as one is better than the other), I'll just focus on some things I enjoy about Ryan Murphy.

My admiration and respect for Ryan started back in my BYU Concert Choir days. Ryan was in the Choir with me, but rather than contributing to the choir by using his awesome tenor voice, he usually acted in the capacity of accompanist. I thought on more than one occasion how talented he was. 

Coming into the Tabernacle Choir almost 20 years later, it was fun to see him in a director role. While Ryan doesn't waste any time in rehearsals, he does take the time to give us back stories of the songs we're singing. I REALLY appreciate that. Knowing the back story of a song (why it was written, who it was written for, etc.) makes singing it all the more rewarding. Along with back stories, we sometimes get personal commentary on why certain songs mean so much to Ryan. These commentaries and personal experiences also really enhance the songs we sing because we can often relate to them ourselves.

Another thing about Ryan I like is he'll spontaneously start playing on the piano some song from the 80s--just for fun. Like on Thursday, right after rehearsing one our upcoming numbers, the clock happened to strike 9 PM and Ryan started playing Billy Joel's "Piano Man". And of course many in the Choir started singing "It's nine o'clock on a Saturday, the regular crowd shuffles in...". That's as far as we got, but it was fun. I often think how awesome it would be to have an 80s sing-a-long with Ryan, haha. But I digress...

One hope I have, should Ryan ever become the main director for the Choir one day, is that he'll work on refreshing the songs we sing that are tied to musicals. I love "Climb Every Mountain" (Sound of Music) and "Tonight" (West Side Story) and "It's a Grand Night for Singing" (State Fair) just as much as the next guy, but I dare say there are some songs from musicals in the past decade that would be really, really cool to sing (and might make inroads more effectively with the younger generation). 

I'm grateful for both Mack Wilberg and Ryan Murphy. They each bring their own style and testimony to the Tabernacle Choir experience. This week in particular though, it was nice to have Ryan take the reigns and to share in the experience he helped create for all of us. 

Until next time, God be with you.

TCATS #428 - No One Deserves to be Forgotten

Today's Music & the Spoken Word performance was rather historic in my mind. I don't think you'll find any public commentary or officially written article about it. But I'm sure there are those who noticed the shift from the program focusing solely on the Memorial Day theme (honoring US military members who gave their lives) to a more international/global friendly theme of remembering all those who have lived and died--everyday people from all walks of life who made their contribution to the world and have since passed on. 

To be clear, remembering those who served in the US military is certainly important. And I honor them for the choice they made to protect and strengthen the principles of freedom and human decency (like many of you, I have several ancestors who fought in wars). But because the Tabernacle Choir has a mission to be a globally inclusive choir--one that reaches out to all people around the world with musical messages of love, hope, and peace--it only makes sense (in my opinion) that our broadcasts should focus less on a certain group of people in a specific country, and more on the whole human family wherever they are found.

The songs sung on the program today largely reflected that inclusivity (as did the Spoken Word itself). Here are some thoughts on each:

GOD OF OUR FATHERS, WHOSE ALMIGHTY HAND: It's true that this song was actually written to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the US Declaration of Independence, but the lyrics of the song speak to universal themes of tribulation, hope, and relying on God to help preserve things that matter most. A few lyrics: "nourish us in peace", "refresh thy people", "lead us from night", and "fill all our lives with love and grace divine."

BLADES OF GRASS AND PURE WHITE STONES: This is the one US-centric song that was sung today, specifically referring to those in the US military who now lie in rest at the Arlington Cemetery (under blades of grass and pure white stones). 

BROTHER JAMES' AIR: One of my personal favorite songs, this hymn was composed by a Scottish man named James who was a healer, mystic, and poet. The lyrics are taken directly from Psalm 23. The tune itself is so, so pretty and the lyrics are as well. My favorite lyric excerpts? "My soul he doth restore again", "He leadeth me, the quiet waters by", and "goodness and mercy all my days shall surely follow me". 

A FLOWER REMEMBERED: Today was the first day the choir sung this song. It was composed by the well known John Rutter and was written specifically for the Japanese people who lost so many of their fellow brothers and sisters in the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. This one has a special place in my heart as I was able to serve a mission to Japan and came to love the Japanese people. While I was sad we didn't get to sing at least one verse in Japanese (maybe in the future?), I'm grateful the lyrics of this song apply to all those who lost their lives in tragic events. My favorite few lines are "I hear the echoes of many voices. Sometimes they're distant, sometimes so clear. Through all the sounds of life they seem to whisper: Will you remember?" 

AMAZING GRACE: I don't think this song needs any introduction. It's worldwide appeal to Christians particularly (though certainly not exclusively!), is well known. Do we not all need more grace in our lives? Not only as recipients of such from God, but as givers of grace to others in the spirit of forgiveness? This particular version of the song is really quite spectacular musically speaking and we were joined today by a group playing the bagpipes which made it even more spectacular. Here's a link that will take you to today's performance of it.

 

If you compare this selection of songs to the set we performed in 2019, you'd have to agree we're moving in the right direction as far as appealing to more of a world-wide audience. (The songs sung on May 26, 2019 included The Star Spangled Banner, My Country 'Tis of Thee, America the Beautiful, The Pledge of Allegiance, and A Tribute to the Armed Forces, along with a couple of others).

In the spirit of the "remembering everyone" theme, the title of today's blog post comes from a musical I fell in love with years ago called "Dear Evan Hansen". If you're not familiar with it, you can look it up and read about its story and important themes. One of the main messages of the musical though, is that we're all important. We all deserve to be remembered. We all matter. I leave you with some of the lyrics to DISAPPEAR--one of the songs from the musical.

Guys like you and me
We're just the losers
Who keep waiting to be seen, right?

I mean no one seems to care
Or stops to notice that we're there
So we get lost in the in-between

But
If you can somehow keep them thinking of me
And make me more than an abandoned memory
Well that means we matter too
It means someone will see that you are there

No one deserves to be forgotten
No one deserves to fade away
No one should come and go
And have no one know he was ever even here
No one deserves to disappear
To disappear
Disappear

It's true.
Even if you've always been that
Barely-in-the-background kind of guy
You still matter
And even if you're somebody who can't escape the feeling
That the world's passed you by
You still matter
If you never get around to doing some remarkable thing
That doesn't mean
That you're not worth remembering
Think of the people who need to know
They need to know
So you need
To show them
I need to show them
That no one deserves to be forgotten
No one deserves to fade away

No one deserves to disappear
No one should flicker out or have any doubt
That it matters that they are here
No one deserves to disappear

 

Until next time, God be with you. 

PS: The Choir is debuting a new video today (link HERE) which has one of my favorite songs as the theme (Love Divine, All Loves Excelling). Check it out!

TCATS #427 - Welcome New Choir Members!

Retiring members of the choir left their seats open this week to be filled by new members of choir. I'm not entirely sure how many new ones we have this time, but it's a larger number than usual. So much so that on Thursday night for rehearsal, there weren't enough seats for everyone! I suppose that's a good problem to have because it ensures a full loft moving forward. At any rate though, as I've mentioned every year since I've been in the choir, the energy and excitement and humble anticipation of these new members always takes me by surprise. I was sitting next to a new baritone today (Steve) and he commented on what fantastic music we get to sing--so many truly great pieces. I sort of nodded my head in agreement, but in my mind I was like "Yeah Ryan...why don't you think of THAT fact instead of thinking about how unhappy you are sometimes to sing some of these great songs for the 56th time!" 

It's comments like the ones Steve made that always put me in my place each year and help me be more grateful for the experience I'm having. So thanks, Newbies!

Not sure there's too much more to say about this week. 

Well, maybe just one thing to illustrate the point that everyone of us needs each other.

One of the songs we sang today was sung 2/3rds of the time by us holding our folders. The last 1/3rd was sung memorized--mainly because while we were singing the first 2/3rds of the song, the broadcast was showing what we call "overroll"--videos of nature, people, families, etc--so it really didn't matter if we used our folders or not. But the last 1/3rd, the cameras were on the choir, so right before that happened, we were supposed to lower our folders.

Well, guess who was the only person not to lower his folder? Yep. Yours truly.

As that was unfolding, I started getting nudges from the person next to me and the person behind me. As first I was like "what's up guys?!" and then I realized what they were trying to communicate to me. I quickly lowered my folder, but whether or not I did that in time, I'm not sure.

My fears were confirmed when, after the broadcast, the technicians informed Mack that we needed to re-film that song. Whether it was because there was some other problem that happened or whether it was because the camera caught me lowering my folder, I'm not sure. But you can bet I felt pretty terrible about it.

That said, I was grateful for my fellow basses looking out for me.  I've realized more and more lately that as much as we might get in the mindset occasionally that we can do things on our own, it's probably not true. We need other people. We need to be around them, to love them, to help them, and to gently correct them (and be corrected by them) if needs be. 

Until next time, God be with you. 

(And congrats newbies on officially starting your journey)

TCATS #426 - Retirement 2022

A very bitter-sweet day for 30+ members of the Choir and Orchestra who officially retired today. While I'm sure it was probably more bitter than sweet, I'd imagine the sweet part about it was thinking about how many lives they've influenced over the years and how many wonderful memories they've made. I've always been a fan of the theory that each person in the choir matters. From an earlier blog post:

"Even though we're unique, there are others in the world who are similar to us. They share similar burdens, have similar experiences, and conquer similar fears. They connect with who we are, at our core, and are influenced by our compassion and our empathy. Call them our "soul buddies" if you will.

So as singers, when we put everything who makes us, us, into our voices, combining the beautiful medium of communication (the song) with the sum total of our souls, we each end up influencing different people. Annie in California, Julio in Mexico, Monique in France, and Illiyan in Bulgaria hear the same united voices, but their souls are most affected and influenced by that one person who is their soul buddy. They feel the strength of the unified sound which is a combination of all of the unique voices. But they connect with that one voice. That one voice that can so effectively lift them and leave them with a feeling that they are not alone."

So, I think if you believed THAT (compounded over 20 years of Choir service), you'd be left with a pretty sweet feeling.

For me personally today, I felt particularly sad to have Ryan Bateman be part of the group retiring. Ryan and I have been great friends ever since I joined the Choir in 2014. I remember the day our friendship began. It was in the Conference Center during the summer. We had taken our assigned seats, but because of various people missing, the seating manager started rearranging us and I was stationed next to Ryan. I'm sure there was a little bit of the normal get-to-know-you talk, but after the broadcast was over, he put his hand on my shoulder and expressed how grateful he was to have made a new friend and how he looked forward to getting to know me better. I was impressed. And from that day forward, our friendship grew through conversations during choir breaks, singing next to each other during various performances (before I was moved several rows down on the seating chart), and having some rewarding experiences on choir tours. I've always appreciated Ryan's kindness, patience, and unconditional love. His rich choir history (having joined the choir in 1999) gave way to him often sharing interesting and insightful thoughts on music we've sung and on various experiences we had. We've also been able to enjoy occasional lunches outside of Choir which have been good since social time at Choir is always in small doses. 

At any rate, I'm grateful for Ryan and will be praying for him and this interesting transition he'll be going through in the months and years ahead. In the words of Maria from The Sound of Music (cue "Climb Every Mountain"), "Where the Lord closes a door, somewhere he opens a window." You'll find your window Ryan. As will the other retirees.

I'll end with some photos of Ryan. 

Until next time, God be with you.