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The Mormon
Tabernacle Choir: Look Out, Southern States, Here We Come!
by
Robb Cundick
John
Longhurst at the mighty Rogers.
In Salt Lake
City there is an army hard at work, training intensely and honing
its skills in preparation for a sweep through the Southern United
States in June. Fortunately, these are gentle warriors who plot
no schemes of destruction; for this is a great choral army: The
Mormon Tabernacle Choir.
Surely in the
annals of touring musicians, it is no exaggeration to characterize
us as an army. The total number of travelers will be around of 500,
including:
• Approximately
330 singers.
• 2 Conductors
(Craig Jessop and Mack Wilberg).
• 3 Tabernacle
Organists (John Longhurst, Clay Christiansen, and Richard Elliot).
• A 20-piece
ensemble from the Orchestra at Temple Square.
• Choir
Staff members (under President Mac Christensen).
• A stage
crew to transport (via an 18 wheeler) and set up risers, a traveling
electronic organ and a synthesizer.
• An
entourage of spouses and other family members (all of whom pay
their own way).
To carry the
military metaphor a little further, we are training under "combat
conditions." Weekly tour rehearsals (which began May 1) take place
in the new Conference Center Theater, where our comfortable choir
loft seats have been traded for closely packed folding chairs. The
crowded stage holds Choir, instrumentalists, a synthesizer (which
will be used primarily for piano parts), and a Rogers electronic
organ. The Rogers, while no competitor to the peerless pipes of
the Tabernacle, does a credible job. Finally, let's not forget that
the famed Tabernacle acoustics have been left across the street
as well. But all of this is important to prepare us for conditions
"on the road".
Our
"General" instructs his troops.
Two years have
passed since our last major trip (Europe in 1998), so excitement
is mounting. A full-blown tour within the United States does not
happen as often as you may think - there has only been one previous
since I joined in 1990. While such a tour may sound fun - and is
indeed a glorious experience - you may be surprised to learn of
its demands. Consider the itinerary (all dates are in June):
• 15th
- Fly to Houston, TX. Afternoon rehearsal and evening concert
in Jones Hall for the Performing Arts.
• 16th
- 260 mile bus ride to Ft Worth. Afternoon rehearsal and evening
concert at Bass Auditorium.
• 17th
- 520 mile bus ride to New Orleans, LA.
• 18th
- Afternoon rehearsal and evening concert at Saenger Theatre,
New Orleans.
• 19th
- 350 mile bus ride to Birmingham, AL.
• 20th
- Afternoon taping of "Music and the Spoken Word," evening
concert at Jefferson Civic Center Concert Hall, Birmingham.
• 21st
- 150 mile bus ride to Atlanta, GA. Afternoon rehearsal and evening
concert at Fox Theater (site of the premier of Gone With The
Wind).
• 22nd
- 450 mile bus ride to Tampa, FL.
• 23rd
- Afternoon rehearsal and evening concert at Tampa Bay Performing
Arts Center.
• 24th
- 85 mile Bus ride to Orlando, FL.
• 25th
- Afternoon rehearsal and evening concert at Bob Carr Performing
Arts Center, Orlando.
• 26th
- 230 mile bus ride to Miami, FL.
• 27th
- Afternoon rehearsal and evening concert at Knight Performing
Arts Center, Miami.
• 28th
- Return flight to Salt Lake City.
As you can see,
though most of us have full time jobs and must carefully ration
time off to participate, touring with the Choir is no vacation.
Still, there will be enough free time for quick bus tours of many
of the cities and perhaps a bit of shopping [the Choir has been
known to descend on a souvenir shop like a swarm of those famous
Mormon crickets]. And this trip promises a unique opportunity for
some extracurricular fun: a day and a half at Walt Disney World.
But the primary motivation for such a journey is not to see interesting
sights; it's to serve the Lord. Singing in the Choir is, simply
put, a mission.
Those of you
who have been on missions know there's a lot of day-to-day grind
interspersed with the spiritual high points. The condensed mission
of this tour will be no different - except that perhaps the heaven-sent
highs will be more predictable. Nothing will top the exhilarating
concerts where the Spirit of the Lord enraptures our hearts and
enlivens our voices. And no sight will linger more in our minds
than the smiles and glow on the faces of those whose lives we have
gladdened.
Choir
member David Jackman arrived at practice early to work on memorization.
In a past article
I mentioned how President Hinckley has exhorted the Choir to become
even better than it is. Are we doing anything to meet that challenge?
Absolutely! For example: this is the first time in my experience
(and perhaps ever) that the Choir will be memorizing all
of the music for the tour. While we'll be performing the same program
everywhere - and many of the favorites have been memorized in the
past - that's not to detract from what is a very intimidating challenge
for many of us. Here is the program:
I. Hymns of
Praise
• A Choral
Fanfare (by Mack Wilberg)
• Praise
to the Lord, the Almighty (arr. Mack Wilberg)
• The
King of Love My Shepherd Is (arr. Mack Wilberg)
• All
Creatures of Our God and King (arr. Barlow Bradford)
II. Choral Masterworks
• We
Hasten Thee (Women's Voices. JS Bach)
• Hallelujah
Chorus (from Beethoven's "Mount of Olives")
• Slava
(sung in Russian. From Rachmaninoff's "All-Night Vigil")
• Glory
(Rimsky-Korsakoff)
III. Two Sacred
American Choral Works
• O Magnum
Mysterium (by Morten Lauridsen)
• How
Beautiful Upon the Mountains (from Robert Cundick's "The Redeemer")
IV. Songs of
the Land
• America
the Beautiful (arr. Mack Wilberg)
• This
Land is Your Land (arr. Perry Faith/Michael Davis)
• Down
In the Valley (Men's voices, arr. George Mead)
• Climb
Every Mountain (arr. Arthur Harris)
• The
Battle of Jericho (arr. Moses Hogan)
• Cindy
(arr. Mack Wilberg)
IV. Hymns of
Faith
• Amazing
Grace (arr. Mack Wilberg)
• Come,
Come Ye Saints (arr. Spencer Cornwall)
• Come
Thou Fount of Every Blessing (arr. Mack Wilberg)
The arranging
and composing talents of Mack Wilberg and Barlow Bradford have added
new vigor and beauty to the Choir's repertoire, and this will be
the first tour where we will be able to take full advantage of them.
But not to break with tradition, the favorite encore will be Peter
Wilhousky's arrangement of The Battle Hymn of the Republic.
I wonder how many times I have sung that in my 11 years in the Choir?
I'll bet at least 60, and even so, the climax never fails to send
chills down my spine. These concerts will be rapidly paced and without
intermission. The music offers ample showcase of both the mighty
fortissimos for which the Choir is famous, and the velvet
pianissimos that breathe our Heavenly Father's Spirit so
profoundly. No recording can match the experience of a live performance
by the Choir.
Memorizing so
much music will take many hours of concentration but is worth the
effort. We will be free to better watch our conductors and connect
with the audience. Beyond that, faith and sacrifice do indeed precede
the miracles we hope to bring to pass in the lives of those who
hear us.
Let me illustrate
the kind of miracle I am talking about. During the 1998 European
tour the Choir gave a concert in a church at El Escorial, which
is near Madrid, Spain. It is a national landmark where many Spanish
Royalty are buried, and is particularly close to the hearts of the
Spanish people. It was a great honor to be invited to perform there.
At the beginning of the concert many of us noticed a Priest who
sat down, folded his arms and seemed to obstinately say, "Show me
something I don't already know." This man looked as though he would
be impossible to reach, and yet we watched his face gradually transform
from hardness to happiness as the concert progressed. I can still
remember his smile and vigorous applause - we had gained a new friend.
Seldom have we seen the Choir's ability to change hearts demonstrated
so visibly. It is improbable that he will join the Church in this
life, yet surely he will never again smirk at the mention of Mormonism.
Our intense
training has but one purpose: that we may be ready vassals to our
Heavenly Father; that through us, He may touch all who come to our
concerts. So if you live within driving distance of, Houston, Ft.
Worth, New Orleans, Birmingham, Atlanta, Tampa, Orlando, or Miami,
come and see us - and bring your friends! Tickets can be obtained
online at the following addresses:
Houston
Click
Here for More Information
Ft.
Worth
Info on the concert can be found at:
Click
Here for More Information
Note:
Page indicates that this concert is sold out.
New
Orleans
Click
Here for More Information
Birmingham
Click
Here for More Information
Atlanta
Click
Here for More Information
Tampa
Click
Here for More Information
Orlando
Click
Here for More Information
Miami
Click
Here for More Information
In the interest
of family budgets, most concerts have some tickets that are lower
priced than you would find for similar events. The choice seats
are pricey, but in line with other events at these concert halls.
The Church does not finance the Choir's tours. Rather, the money
comes from album royalties and private donations, so it is important
to obtain some of the funds through ticket sales. But remember that
this Choral Army promises to deliver something that doesn't come
through town every day - a musical and spiritual feast full of the
love and Spirit of our Heavenly Father.
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© 2001 Meridian
Magazine. All Rights Reserved.
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