TCATS #463 - Member Meeting Review

It was nice to have the BYU-Idaho Singers with us today as our guests on Music & the Spoken Word. They sang two numbers themselves ("When We Love", and "Unclouded Day") which I very much enjoyed, and they joined us in singing two of our pieces. Unfortunately, two of the songs we sang are ones that I really, really don't like to sing (and I'm not alone!).  One of those is a song we sing regularly: "I Think the World is Glorious". And you know what? I really do think the world is a glorious place. Just not when I sing that song. The sing-songy repetition just kills me. And some of the lyrics make some assumptions that I don't agree with. The other song is "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands." Again, does the song deliver a comforting message? Absolutely. But for some reason I just don't like the tune, and the repetition in the song is terribly annoying. Another reason I don't like the song is that in my opinion, it really should be titled "THEY'VE Got the Whole World in THEIR Hands." If we think that God the Father is the only one running the show, then we are failing to understand our own theology. We DO have a Heavenly Mother as well and I have no doubt whatsoever that She is more actively involved than we collectively give Her credit for. 

At any rate, shifting focus....

On Tuesday night, the Choir Presidency held the first Semi-annual Member Meeting of this year. There were several items discussed. One of those was our Mexico Tour in June (providing some additional details--including tickets now being free to our concerts) and the tentative tour schedule for the next three years. Since this is tentative and non-specific, I feel it OK to share here. Basically, during the next three years we'll be going to the Southwestern US, some Asian country, and two South American countries. We'll also be doing an additional domestic tour and an international tour. Tours will be in February and September of each year.

It was cool to find out, in particular, that'd we be going to Asia somewhere. I spent a couple of years in Japan and immediately thought how great it'd be to go back there with the Choir. But, who knows. It may be some other Asian country.

We also talked about progress being made in broadcasting MSW in Spanish and Portuguese. I believe the plans are for that to start in June. I'm excited for our Spanish and Portuguese viewers to see our weekly program in their native language (minus the music itself) and to see the various video footage they display on TV while we're singing songs be footage of native people. 

One other thing we talked about was the concept of how our musicianship will increase proportional to our discipleship. And vice versa. Both are important in this calling. I have work to do in both areas, to be honest, and hope that I can focus on those things that will help me be a better musician and a better Christian. 

Until next time, may God be with you.

"Together They Held the World In Its Place" by Caitlin Connolly

TCATS #462 - Conference Singers from Abroad!

I think I got more compliments about today's MSW broadcast than I have in a long time. Many loved the new hymn by Mack titled "Do You Love Me"; some enjoyed the last two "bigger" numbers ("Let Us All Press On", and "Come Thou Fount"); and some just felt peace throughout the whole program. It feels good to hear feedback and it feels good to contribute to something that helps others feel something positive. 

I'll keep this short as I didn't have too much for today's post. But of note, the individuals from around the world who will be joining the Choir to sing in the upcoming sessions of General Conference, arrived recently. Eight or so of them were there today and after watching MSW, they came up and joined us in the loft to practice Conference music. I kind of had to shake my head though while they were sitting out on the front row of the audience benches (as the Choir was rehearsing). It was like the paparazzi had descended upon!  All of the Choir leaders shook their hands and engaged in conversation while there were those taking photos and videoing them from various angles. The reason I was shaking my head is because in the bi-monthly Choir newsletter we received last week, it instructed us to do the following in regards to these international guest Choir members:

1. Feel encouraged to befriend and get to know them (without interrupting rehearsal, of course). Be
mindful of social cues in your interactions. We want them to feel welcome but don't wish to make
them feel interrogated or on display. [This clearly did not happen. Not only did Mack have to turn around and quiet all of those involved in welcoming the group, but the guest choir members themselves certainly must have felt like they were on display with all of the attention, picture taking, and videoing.]

2. Please refrain from over glamorizing or idealizing them. [Hmmm. Well, whether they felt over-glamorized today or not, I guess we'll never know for sure. But it's certainly possible.]

At any rate, it IS pretty cool to have them here. I don't know their names or what countries they come from, and I'm not sure I'll get to meet them all personally, but there's no doubt they'll uniquely contribute to the musical goodness of General Conference. Apparently they will each be formally introduced to us this coming Thursday so I may be able to give you all some additional details, later.

The only other tidbit I wanted to include today is that this coming Tuesday is our semi-annual member meeting and the majority of that meeting will focus on the upcoming Mexico City tour, as well as tours for the rest of this year and the next three years. Looking forward to knowing more about this shift from the traditional way that the Choir has toured in the past. More details in my post next week.

Make it a good week my friends. And borrowing from one of the today's songs, let us all press on!

Until next time, God be with you.

TCATS #461 - Conference - My Reality

[NOTE: My last post painted the picture of a reimagined General Conference experience–an experience that I’ve continued to hope for and wish for over the past few years. In mentioning this to my therapist recently, he brought up the concept of Radical Acceptance. This concept is defined as “the ability to accept situations that are outside of your control without judging them, which in turn reduces the suffering that is caused by them.” Note that lack of judgment does not mean agreeing with or approving of the situation. It’s just accepting reality for what it is and not becoming negatively affected by that reality. So… as I endeavor to do this in regards to General Conference, I’ve been given some homework. And that homework involves rewriting my recent post and describing General Conference in realistic terms. In theory, this will help me inch a little closer to radical acceptance of my General Conference experience.]

It is April 1, 2023. I enter the Conference Center stage area and take my place in the loft well before the conference actually begins. The platform area where the Orchestra at Temple Square is normally situated for rehearsals and performances has been replaced by cascading rows of plush velvet seats. In front of each of these seats is a monitor screen so that the Seventy and other officers of the Church will easily be able to see whatever the multiple broadcasting cameras are focused on. I let out a small sigh, not understanding why the members of the Seventy have to be up on the stand at all. It’s not as if the cameras actually focus in on these brethren–which means that the larger audience watching conference remotely never really gets to see their faces or know who they are anyway. So why do they occupy this precious space? My mind wrestles with the dissonance. Having the Orchestra be able to participate in Conference would add such richness and beauty to the otherwise lone Conference instrument–the organ. 

 

But I need to accept the fact that this will not change. It is what it is. It’s outside of my control and it’s taking energy away from things I can control. Maybe I can envision the Orchestra with us even when they’re not. Maybe I can appreciate the spirit of Orchestra members and feel their prayers that the Choir will do its best to fulfill the mission of Conference even when they, themselves, can’t actively help with that fulfillment. Maybe I can partially sing for them–to somehow give voice to their silence. 

 

With all of the music for conference memorized, there is no music in front of me to review. However, I do get sad about the fact that the music selected for Conference comes mostly from a “Conference collection” of pieces that are cycled through every so often. It’s true that we don’t sing the same songs every conference, but there are repeats, and the songs are mostly hymns from our 1984 hymn book (typically arranged by our directors). There are also selections from the Primary song book, a few from Janice Kapp Perry, and once in a while, a newly written piece that has that traditional hymn “look and feel”. Once again, I think about the very large repertoire of songs the Choir sings week to week on Music & the Spoken Word and wonder for the hundredth time why we can’t expand our General Conference horizons and sing some of those songs. They are uplifting! They testify of Christ and of gospel themes and principles. The argument has been made that performing some of these songs at Conference would cost the Church money because of the royalties involved. But if that were true, wouldn’t we have to pay royalties for Music & the Spoken Word? Also, say we did have to pay royalties. Wouldn’t it be worth it for the Church to pay them? Wouldn’t that be money well spent? Isn’t praising God through music worth the price?

 

OK. Again Ryan, we need to get past this. Very narrow music selection for Conference will not change. I cannot change it. It’s outside of my control and it’s taking energy away from things I can control. And what can I control when it comes to what we’re singing? Well, maybe I have zero say in what we’re singing, but I do have a say in focusing on the people–maybe even “the one”--who will be listening to these traditional songs. The words to these songs are still uplifting. They still inspire. They still help people feel peace. So if I think of these people who are listening while I sing, and focus on the words inspiring them, then I can better let go of my desire for more diverse Conference music and use that energy for faith and hope that those I’m singing to will feel something. Something good. Something that will take away their weariness, their hardships, their woundedness, if only for a few minutes. 

 

As I sit there in my seat still pondering the music, I turn my attention to the reality of Conference sessions being long, unengaging, and unvaried. Talk, talk, music. Talk, talk, talk, music. Talk, talk, music. The format is just so hard for me. In addition to the format, is what’s in the talks themselves. Are there good things that uplift and inspire? Most certainly. Are there also things that cause hurt, frustration, and disconnectedness? Yes. And then there’s the fact that there’s no better place to see patriarchy on display, than at Conference. Yes, I appreciate talks by the brethren. Of course I do. I’m inspired by, and learn from them. But women give great talks too. And while there are a few women who usually speak at Conference, they are far outnumbered by the men. Could not the wives of the apostles speak? Could not women who sit on the general boards of the Relief Society and YW organizations speak? And how about just women who are on the “front lines” trying to do their best in living a life led by Jesus Christ? How refreshing would that be?

 

But this will not change. The effects of patriarchy will continue. Women will not be equally represented. The dry format of Conference, devoid of any multi-media or other creative, attention-focusing enhancements will persist (despite what’s referenced in the new Church manual “Teaching in the Savior’s Way that includes this teaching tip:  “Varying your teaching methods will help you meet diverse needs.”). Talks will continue to be given that cause pain to the marginalized and those living on the inside of the edge.  These facts are outside of my control and they are taking energy away from things I can control. I’ll choose to put my energy into being more thankful for the women we do get to hear from. What can I learn from them? How do their words teach and inspire me? Are there talks that LDS women have given at different events that I could look up and read? I’ll also choose to give grace to myself when I need to tune-out –knowing I can always read the talks later if they are too triggering or too sleep-inducing (given how many there are). Additionally, whenever I hear “Heavenly Father” or “God” referenced, I’ll make an on-the-fly mental adjustment substituting these references with “Heavenly Parents”. For surely we have a loving Heavenly Mother who is active and involved. What does it say in the Church’s Family Proclamation: “Husband and wife have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children [and] are obligated to help one another as equal partners.” If Heavenly Mother is an equal partner to our Heavenly Father, surely she should be referenced and acknowledged more for Her important role in our lives. Lastly, I’ll seek out the great multimedia resources the Church produces and let them impact me in inspirational ways outside of Conference.

 

OK. I think I’m ready. When I do walk into the Conference Center on April 1st, I’m going to accept the “Conference reality” as it is. I’m going to let go of the frustration that comes from wishing and longing and instead, I’ll intentionally choose to focus on what I can control. Instead of just knowing that General Conference won’t change, I am now accepting that it won’t. Does this mean that my mind won’t occasionally get bothered by what I see and what I wish could change? No. I’m human. I come up short. I falter and sometimes downright fail. But I’ve thought carefully (and documented in this blog) about alternate/positive ways to use my energy during General Conference and I plan to quickly turn my attention to those ways whenever my mortal failings of wishing and longing descend upon me.

 

I’m hoping this makes all the difference. 

And to be honest, I think it already has.

 

TCATS #460 - Conference Reimagined

The Tabernacle Choir enters the Conference Center stage area and begins taking their seats well before General Conference begins. It's the first Sunday in April and they'll be singing at the two sessions that Conference has been reduced to. (The Quorum of the Twelve, in consulting with the Relief Society presidency and the other auxillary presidencies, decided that five sessions--10 hours--was a little too long for most church members). Special to this session are members from other countries who have been flown in to help sing praises to God with the regular choir members.

Also entering the expanded stage section is the Orchestra at Temple Square--a Conference first! This talented group has wanted to be part of the music for Conference for decades, but has never been able to because of the tradition of having members of the Seventy occupy precious stage space. (The Seventy now take their seats in the general audience section, with their wives and families--a change which they are happy about.) The orchestra starts warming up, thrilled to be there, and thrilled to add their talents to creating music that will inspire and uplift. 

As both choir and orchestra members look over the music lineup for these sessions, they are happy to be singing a very diverse set of pieces that are not only inspiring and testify of Christ and gospel principles, but are sure to resonate with the global diverse church membership. Yes, there are the traditional conference favorites ("How Firm a Foundation", "Redeemer of Israel", and "High on the Mountain Top"), but at long last, there are songs like spiritual anthems "Love Divine, All Loves Excelling,"  and "Praise to the Lord the Almighty";  and spirituals like "Down to the River to Pray", "and My God is So High"; and inspiring songs from musicals like "Hold On" and "Fill the World With Love";  and classics like Beethoven's "Hallelujah" and Holst's "Psalm 148";  and Hispanic favorites like "Alaberé". 

In addition to the wonderful new changes to the music, the speaker line-up has also been modified from the traditional format. Along with the members of the Twelve Apostles and the prophet of course, several sisters from the presidencies of the Relief Society, Young Womens, and Primary will speak, along with sisters who serve on their boards, and several wives of the apostles. Rounding out the speakers are three youth from other countries, giving their talks in their native tongue. All talks will be approximately eight minutes or shorter.

Several of the talks will include multi-media elements in them, including footage from the scripture videos and other inspirational videos the Church has published. These video excerpts will help to highlight what the talks are all about and drive home the important gospel messages. The talks also have had more inclusive language centered on one important aspect of this church: the family. Instead of exclusively referring to "Heavenly Father" and "God the Father", leaders of the church have now started using "Heavenly Parents". Some of the talks, too, will focus exclusively on those within the church that feel like they struggle to fit into the mainstream membership--including singles and LGBTQ individuals.

As this new conference format plays out and finally comes to a conclusion, all have been edified in a higher and holier and more inclusive way. Attention spans have been honored, music and talks have inspired and uplifted, and women and men and those on the fringes have felt equally represented and loved. A beautiful spiritual and uplifting feast indeed.

Until next time, God be with you.

TCATS #459 - Shalom

Since there is absolutely no news or out-of-the-ordinary happenings to report on this week, I'll focus on one of the songs we sang called "Light Dawns on a Weary World". This is a song that Mack Wilberg wrote, with lyrics by Mary Lousie Bringle. While this song is not really one of my favorite that we sing, the lyrics do have a good message: hope for a better world. I found it a little odd, though, that one of the lines exclaimed "As all the world in wonder echoes Shalom". 

The reason I found this odd is that while there is a part of the world where people use that greeting ("Shalom"), it is not universal by any means. In fact there are probably more people in the world who don't use that greeting, than do. That said, the word does have a really cool meaning. Some have whittled it down to meaning "peace". And while peace is awesome and a great thing to say to people, the word actually means completeness, wholeness, and tranquility. What more could you want for anyone than that?! 

As an aside, my son has been having a fun time using the ChatGPT app--an AI program that can not only explain things to you--about any subject--but can write stories and essays and whatever you want ask it. I thought I'd hop on the ChatGPT bandwagon and ask it to do the following:

-->Compose 100 word essay about how awesome it would be if everyone greeted each other with the word "shalom". 

Here's what the results were:

"If everyone greeted each other with the word "shalom," the world would be a more peaceful and harmonious place. "Shalom" is a Hebrew word that means "peace," and using it as a greeting would symbolize a desire for peace and goodwill towards others. It would transcend language and cultural barriers and bring people together in a shared desire for harmony. "Shalom" could serve as a reminder to all of us that we are all human beings, with a shared need for peace and understanding. If we greeted each other with "shalom," we could create a more compassionate and inclusive world, one greeting at a time."

Pretty impressive. 

Gosh, maybe I should just turn this blog over to ChatGPT...

At any rate, I think we should start a revolution and have everyone greet everyone else with the word "shalom". Anyone with me?

Until next time, God be with you. (And shalom)

TCATS #458 - ELIJAH

Every year when mid-October comes around, the Tabernacle Choir starts working on Christmas music for the annual Christmas Concert. We have many extra rehearsals which lead up to "Christmas Concert Week"--the week that we spend all of our nights at the Conference Center putting everything together, and then actually performing the concert. It's always considered the most exhausting time of the year for us. 

Well, I can say without hesitation that Christmas Concert Week was nothing compared to the week we just had. A week I'll simply label as "Elijah Week"! 

On Tuesday night (and after extra rehearsals starting clear back in November!), the Choir and the Utah Symphony and the four soloists met at the Tabernacle to go through the 1st half of the Elijah Oratorio. We took notes from the director, Thierry Fischer, regarding entrances, the need to enunciate more clearly (diction, diction, diction!), tempo, and several other things that came up. We then repeated that process on Wednesday night, this time going through the 2nd half. On Thursday we went through the entire oratorio from beginning to end, (including a 20 min intermission), and felt pretty confident that we were ready for the performances on Fri and Sat. 

You've got to understand though, that singing this music is emotionally and physically draining. I don't recall ANYTHING exacting this much from me. So many of the songs are extremely intense and trying to ensure adequate diction just makes it all the more difficult. To add to that, while Thierry is an exceptionally gifted director, his expertise does not lie in choral directing per se. As a choir, we were largely responsible for entrances and exits on our own--which necessitated continual and precise counting. Our brains just had so much to do! It's hard to describe how focused we had to be. Needless to say, we went home each night ready to fall into our beds. 

That all said, the performances themselves went very well. Both Mack Wilberg and Ryan Murphy, along with several others in the choir leadership, expressed compliment after compliment and informed us of all the accolades they had received from those in attendance. It felt good to know that all of the hard work had paid off and we had held our own on a world stage.

Personally, while I can appreciate this opportunity we had (and realize that doing hard things helps us grow and hone our skills), I'm glad it's over. With everything going on in my life personally right now, it was all just too much. I'm not sure my mental health would have lasted another day. 

My friend Wes asked me on Friday night what my favorite song was from ELIJAH. I almost laughed thinking "You make a big assumption thinking I have any favorites at all!" But I do have to admit that amidst all of the triggering songs, there are a select few that brought me some peace. And I finally concluded that my favorite was one called "Cast Thy Burden Upon the Lord". It comes at a place in the story where the priest of Baal have tried, in vain, to have their God send down fire. And it's now Elijah's turn. The words to the song are the following:

Cast thy burden upon the Lord,
and He shall sustain thee.
He will never suffer the righteous to fall,
for He is at thy right hand.
Thy mercy, Lord, is great, and far above the heavens.
No man who hopes in Thee
shall e'er be put to shame!

This short song was very comforting to me and I was grateful for its message. Particularly helping me believe that God will be there when we fall--He won't leave us alone. 

This helped to offset songs that had lyrics such as

"God is angry with the wicked every day, and if the wicked turn not, the Lord will whet His sword..."
"Wo unto them who forsake Him! Destruction shall fall upon them..."
"Take all the prophets of Baal...seize them and slay them!"
"Go forth; seize him! He shall die!"
"Yet doth the Lord see it not. He mocketh at us; His curse hath fallen down upon us; His wrath will pursue us, 'til He destroy us!"
"Blessed are all they that fear Him."

At any rate, you get the point.

All in all, I'm grateful for all of the people who sustained me during this experience. Their support and encouragement and optimism and sensitivity were much appreciated. And while I might have been one of the few who didn't love this opportunity, the feeling of doing something hard and receiving such positive feedback on the results, was gratifying. 

ELIJAH....RIP.

Until next time, God be with you.

TCATS #457 - Wearing a Suit Less Than Twenty Years Old

History was made last week when we sang seven songs on one broadcast--and it looks like history was made again this week. Anyone who's watched the Tabernacle Choir perform knows that when it comes to the suits the men wear, they all look the same. The only one that stands out amongst the four we rotate through is the blazer and grey slacks combo. All the others just look "dark". It's true we used to have a white jacket we wore (and if you want to go back even farther, we used to wear a maroon colored suit, too). Thankfully they retired both the maroon and the white some time ago.

I don't know how old our suits are, but they've got to be at least 20 years and counting. Many are showing their age. They are worn, they don't fit well, and despite being dry cleaned from time to time (which actually isn't that often), they have this slight emanating aroma. To say I feel like the suits match the special and important mission we're tasked with would be a serious stretch. 

Yes, it's true that getting four new suits for everyone would cost a lot of money. But could the Church handle that cost? Most certainly. No problem. 

At any rate, we were fitted for a new suit/tax back in the Fall of 2019. Most of the brethren were excited to have a new suit, tailored to them, that had a more modern cut, and was clean and fresh. Once we actually got the suits though, we couldn't wear them because we weren't even singing together for those two years of the pandemic. At long last though, today was the day! I'm not exactly sure why they chose today, but I guess that doesn't matter too much. The fact is we got to wear them, we thought they looked good, and it felt really nice to wear a suit that was made in this decade. :) 

Below are some pics. You can watch the broadcast HERE. 

A special shout out to our wardrobe committee members who honestly do the very best they can taking care of what we have. It's certainly not their fault we have old, worn suits. Hopefully the new gray suit will pave the way for other new ones.