The Hottest Ticket in Town
By Robb Cundick, with pictures by Deb Gehris

Editor’s note:  Next week, PBS stations nationwide will air the 2004 Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square Christmas concert, “Christmas with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Featuring Audra McDonald and Peter Graves.”   Meridian writer Robb Cundick offers this fascinating account of the filming, as experienced by a member of the choir.

How did it come to this? Four concerts in a 21,000-seat hall — making a total of more than 80,000 tickets — and still they were all gone in an hour or two!

On the morning when tickets for the 2005 Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square Christmas concerts became available, there were more than three thousand people lined up outside the Conference Center ticket office, some having stayed overnight to be at the front of the line. Phone lines and the Internet ticket site were jammed; many people never were able to get in.

Our Christmas concerts are not just popular, they have become a phenomenon. And for good reason: every year we find ourselves saying, “How are we going to top this one?”

Anticipation is always high when the latest guest artists are announced. Programs in recent years have featured such internationally-known celebrities as Angela Lansbury, Walter Cronkite, Bryn Terfel, Frederica Von Stade, Audra McDonald, and Peter Graves. This year’s guests were Metropolitan Opera star Renée Fleming and stage and screen actress Claire Bloom.

But writing about the Christmas concerts presents a dilemma: Since so many people are unable to see them live, what’s the fun in telling about what they’ve missed? Fortunately, those who are unable to attend have an alternative: for the past few years our concerts have been produced for future broadcast on nationwide public television. During Christmas week of 2005, many PBS stations will be airing our 2004 Christmas offering, "Christmas with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Featuring Audra McDonald and Peter Graves." And so, rather than telling about this year, it makes more sense to recall last year’s concert, since this will be the first opportunity for most people to see it.

It is always interesting to observe the reactions of the guest artists to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square. Usually they are performing with us for the very first time. But no matter what their level of appreciation for us when they come, they inevitably become great friends by the time they leave.

Audra McDonald

Audra McDonald has the distinction of being the first Broadway actress ever to receive a Tony Award for each of her first three major roles; and she has since added a fourth. Critics have hailed her as the next Broadway diva, comparing her talents to those of Barbara Streisand, Judy Garland, and Julie Andrews. She is perhaps the first African American superstar of musicals. Many will recall her performance as Miss Grace Farrell — Daddy Warbucks' assistant in the 1999 made-for-television production of the musical, “Annie.”

When she first arrived in Salt Lake City, Ms. McDonald was less familiar with the Choir than many of our recent guests. I had the opportunity to listen as she was interviewed by Ed Payne, producer for the Christmas program. In response to a question about her reaction when she was approached about singing with the Choir, she said she was surprised — it didn’t seem like the perfect match at first. However when her in-laws (who are lifelong Choir fans) learned of the invitation, they strongly urged her to accept.

When Ed asked how she felt after her first night of singing with us, she exclaimed, “It's an incredibly moving, awe inspiring, spiritual, and fun experience. There are so many adjectives I could use, and they would all fit. What moves me most about the Choir is the singularity of sound. They sound like one voice — one multifaceted voice. Some people might call it the voice of God or the voice of angels. But it's just a singular sound that reaches down to the bottom of your soul. I defy anyone not to be moved by it… to just listen to it is an incredible experience. To then stand in front of it — to be a part of that sound; be buoyed by that sound; be supported by that sound; be enveloped by that sound — is miraculous. This is going to be an experience that I will have in my heart for the rest of my life.”

When Ed asked what had surprised her the most, she said, “How well they move… I was watching them during one of the rehearsals and I said to someone, ‘They're moving like a gospel choir!’ The sound is beautiful, the spirit is high; they're having a great time. I didn't think they'd be able to move that well.” (She was undoubtedly referring to our performance of the African carol, “Betelehemu.”)

After her interview with Ed, I had the opportunity to talk with her. I asked if there was anything in particular she would like to say to the Choir. “Thank you for this experience,” she answered. “It’s been so wonderful to watch and listen to the Choir. And the generosity has been overwhelming. That’s the first thing I said to my husband — that I’ve never been so well treated in my life. It’s just a warm, good feeling that the Choir gives — and that’s all secondary to the music. Thank you for the incredible welcome!”

I knew that she had met with our beloved President Gordon B. Hinckley (president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints), and I asked for her impressions. She seemed a little unsure how to begin and remarked that she wanted to choose her words carefully so as not to offend.

When she met him, her first thought was, “I just want to sit down and hear everything of your history. I want to hear how you met your wife. I want to hear how your family came over here.” As she continued I could see that her concern had to do with the difficulty of finding an appropriate adjective to describe a man who we revere as a prophet and yet she found so approachable as to be almost, well… I’ve looked through the thesaurus and I can’t find the right word, either. “Grandfatherly” might come close, but it still doesn’t seem appropriate for the Prophet.

Perhaps my initial impulse was best: I tried to reassure her by saying, “That’s the wonderful thing for us, too — he’s just so down to earth.” “Oh!” she replied, “That’s why I don’t mean to offend when I say that. Instead of thinking, ‘[He] is [like] the Pope, I must bow,’ I thought, ‘What a great guy! I want to hang out with him. I want to sit down over a piece of cheesecake and just have him tell me some stories about his life and his history.’” Isn’t that a fun image — President Hinckley and Audra McDonald swapping stories over a piece of cheesecake? I’ll bet President Hinckley would think so, too!

Peter Graves

Peter Graves has combined an enormously successful career on the silver screen — where he starred in films as diverse as Stalag 17 and Airplane — with an equally rewarding television career. He is perhaps best known for his six years on the television series, “Mission: Impossible.”

Ed Payne also interviewed Mr. Graves. Once again, the first question was about his reaction when approached about performing with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

“I was overwhelmed,” he responded. “This Choir has been a favorite of mine for a lot of years. I go back to all of the early morning broadcasts that I used to hear in Minnesota when I was a little kid, or when I was in college and followed them all the years living in Southern California… I love music and I love choir music. This is the premier choir that I know about. I’ve heard the Vienna Boys Choir, but they sing too high for me. I was thrilled to be included in this!”

If I were to ask each Choir or Orchestra member what was most impressive about Peter Graves, I suspect the most frequent answer would be his obvious devotion to his wife, Joan. The day of the dress rehearsal was their 54th wedding anniversary. She was unable to be present that day, but following a weather-delayed journey to Salt Lake City, she was in the Conference Center for the Sunday performance. In front of that huge audience, Peter sang a special song he has sung every year on their anniversary. To sing to her so intimately in front of that vast audience — as though it were just the two of them present — was very touching. When Ed asked for the secret of their enduring bond, Peter replied, “I get asked that question a lot, and my heavens there are a lot of different answers to it. My sister-in-law expressed it best. She said, ‘What’s the secret to your long, happily married life? ...You promised!’”

When asked what Christmas means to him, Peter said, “It’s about all the lessons it teaches us — peace on earth and good will toward man. Those thoughts become stronger in each of us at the time of the celebration of the birth of Jesus. Unfortunately, most of the time it doesn’t last much past the first of the next year, but those are important things to us — important to remember and to attempt to live by for all the rest of the year.”

“We hope that the Choir is trying to spread that message,” Ed told him. “What are your thoughts on that?”

“The Choir is absolutely inspirational,” returned Peter. “When they sing the hymns anyone who is in hearing distance of that cannot help but be moved and be thoughtful about what they are singing. It is a powerful tool, that Choir.”

As in previous years, the 2004 Christmas concerts gave the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and the Orchestra at Temple Square the opportunity to make yet two more celebrity friends. From now on, whenever we hear news of Audra McDonald or Peter Graves, our ears will perk up and we’ll relive fond memories of our experiences with them. And — if their reaction as we sang “God Be With You Till We Meet Again” is any indication — it is likely they will feel the same way when they hear news of us.

The Program

And so, if — like so many other people — you were unable to attend one of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square Christmas concerts in the Conference Center, make the PBS broadcast part your annual Christmas tradition! In addition to Ms. McDonald and Mr. Graves, the 2004 concert featured a special guest appearance by Kristin Hakala, prima ballerina from Ballet West, Utah's highly acclaimed dance company. Ms. Hakala performed two selections from The Nutcracker.

Vocal selections included traditional and contemporary favorites such as “Angels from the Realms of Glory,” “Deck the Halls,” “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” “Silver Bells,” and “We Need a Little Christmas.” African-American spirituals such as “I Wonder as I Wander” and “Sweet Little Jesus Boy” were especially powerful and moving as performed by Audra McDonald. In addition to narrating the Christmas story, Peter Graves performed “In Search of the King,” based on a story by Henry Van Dyke.

KUED Channel 7 in Salt Lake City will carry "Christmas with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Featuring Audra McDonald and Peter Graves" several times during Christmas week (click here for a schedule). To see when the program will air on your local PBS station, go to www.pbs.org, click on "Programs A-Z," enter your zip code, and select your local PBS station. Then look for the title. Though over ninety percent of PBS stations plan to show it, there’s a chance it may not be available in your area. If that’s the case, call your local station and ask why! A DVD of the concert is also available for purchase (click here for more information).

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