Category: Tabernacle Choir

Love Thy Neighbor Concert

7/16/2022

The Tabernacle Choir Concert last night was lovely. Quiet in tone, but very lovely. It began with two favorite numbers honoring the Pioneers. The visuals combined with the beautiful music had me in tears from the start. The announcers for the concert were pulled from the choir and orchestra. Some were seasoned professionals from the broadcasting field, others were new members of the choir from different lands and cultural heritages. They brought a new look to a Tabernacle Choir concert experience. The soloist for the evening was the new Director of Opera at BYU, Shea Owens. What a magnificent baritone voice! The music and messages were beautiful and tear-jerking.

The music and spoken words were exactly on point for the theme of "Love Thy Neighbor." I was tearing up, honestly full on weeping, throughout the entire concert. I actually could have used some comic relief.

They created a special video on the topic of "Love Thy Neighbor" with a new song and ideas for how to go about serving others in the Savior's way:

"I Would Be True" YouTube video.

We were invited to share it via our phones at a certain point in the concert. The only problem was that I think we overloaded the internet connection. Many people around me couldn't get a connection let alone a download. But we enjoyed the live music.

And, not to nit pick, but there were some things that were conspicuously absent from last night's concert. No Rick Elliott doing a show stopping organ piece. No Lloyd Newell. And no section of stunning classical choral masterworks. I really missed those usually expected elements.

I hope future concerts will have more bells and whistles. While I enjoyed the concert, it was all on one emotional thread, hence the weeping. What I have come to expect from actually attending a Tabernacle Choir Concert in person didn't really happen. All was very introspective. I had hoped for more color, good humor, excitement and hope and joy and motivation! (And dancers! I love seeing dancers at the concert! That's what makes coming to a live concert in the Conference Center so amazing and VERY different from watching the concert on television!)

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Climb Every Mountain

2/17/2022

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At the end of each concert on tour (at least the ones I was part of), the Tabernacle Choir's audiences were given a choice of encore numbers. They were asked to vote by text. Almost uniformly, "Climb Every Mountain" was chosen for the encore number. I could only guess that our audiences loved the universal message of that song. We would all go out of the performance filled with HOPE.

In the early 1960's, I remember seeing a short movie about the Von Trapp Family Singers. It was more like a Newsreel production shown before the main movie in the theater, and yet, even as a child, I felt quite a connection to their story. They were a singing family, and so was mine. My mother had us singing all over the place, any time.

I knew about the Broadway Musical "The Sound of Music" popular from 1960. My mother made sure we sang some of the songs. But then in 1965, a friend of my Aunt Dot's was directing a stage production of "The Sound of Music" while we were visiting Provo for the summer. My mother marched me over to audition. I got the part of Marta, the 7 year old. I was actually 9 that summer, but that didn't seem to matter. My mother and my aunt were cast as nuns.

Also that summer, the movie "The Sound of Music" opened in theaters all across the country. We went to see the movie during the time were were in rehearsals. What a difference that made to our show. We only wished we could do the scene with the puppets! We also wished we could sing "Do Re Mi" with the background of places in Salzburg, Austria. What a thrill it was to sing all of that glorious music and have a great experience. I still remember the final scene where we climbed up the fake mountain singing "Climb Every Mountain." That song always gave me the feeling of HOPE.

In 2019, my sisters took me on a European trip. We visited Salzburg and took the "Sound of Music" tour. We sang all the way. Such fun! Oh how everyone needs HOPE in this world. I am glad for my religious convictions, but also grateful for inspiring stories and songs that help us face each day with courage and HOPE. May we have courage to face life's challenges and climb every mountain until we find our dream.

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Happy 90th Birthday John Williams!

2/9/2022

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“Citius, Altius, Fortius” (“Faster, Higher, Stronger”) Every time I sang these words from John Williams' "Call of the Champions," I felt I had a legitimate link to the famous composer. After all, he wrote that piece specifically for the Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square to perform at the Opening Ceremony of the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.

John Williams is a legend in his own time. His music is known and loved by people all over the world. His REACH is astounding! His music has the power to create memories and pull them back whenever people hear his music again. His music has brought dinosaurs to life, made bicycles fly, made the FORCE real, helped heroes win battles, made Christmas magical, and still makes people afraid of sharks with two single notes.

In July 1977, I remember standing in an extremely long line winding around a couple of city blocks on a hot, humid night in Alexandria, Virginia trying to explain to my Dad how much he would enjoy seeing "Star Wars." I tried to sing him what I remembered from the title theme. I wanted him to have the same kind of powerful memory from seeing "Star Wars" that I had after seeing it the week before in Salt Lake City, Utah. When I think about or hear this music, I can instantly feel, see, hear, smell, taste, and almost touch those memories from back in 1977. That music is so powerful to me.

Fall 1977 was the start of my last year in the Music Department at BYU. As part of my studies, I worked on some modern avant garde music. I actually was assigned as a vocalist to one of the composer lab classes. Student composers were to demonstrate proficiency in writing in the various styles they were studying.  My job was to sight-sing their new experimental music. I was a good sight-singer, so I was valuable to the lab, but I tended to scratch my head at some of the antics they made me do. None of those pieces would be appreciated beyond music elitist circles, I was absolutely sure. None would have the REACH and POWER that the film and concert music of John Williams would.

If I could, I would certainly thank John Williams personally for the impact his music has had in my life. I am so grateful that I got to sing several great John Williams pieces as a member of the Tabernacle Choir. Such a thrill to think I have a legitimate link to my musical idol! Happy 90th Birthday, sir!

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Something Old Becomes New Again

1/23/2022

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Many hymn composers have been anxiously awaiting news of the new LDS Hymnal. They may have submitted their own hymns or just filled out surveys indicating their preferences for current hymns they feel should be eliminated from future use. (My sources tell me we still have years to wait.) In any case, they are having a hard time waiting.

Hymns, like other songs, may have their day in the sun, then people tire of them and they get abandoned. Apparently, that was the fate of some formerly popular hymns from bygone eras. For example, take "If the Way Be Full of Trial, Weary Not" by John R. Sweney (1837-1899) and W. H. Flaville (1829-1897). This hymn was first published in Christian hymnals in 1878. It was included 1909 edition of the LDS “Deseret Sunday School Songs,” and in the 1951 LDS children’s songbook “The Children Sing.” Apparently by the 1970's, it had fallen out of favor.

This hymn had a re-introduction into the LDS music scene when the Tabernacle Choir was requested to sing it on the "Golden Days, 85th Birthday Celebration Concert" for President Thomas S. Monson in 2012. The message is so typical of President Monson's ministry which can be summed up as "never tire of well-doing and always be ready to go to the rescue." What a great message of Ministering for these times of Pandemic trials, as well.

A Mack Wilberg arrangement sung by the Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square seems to be a great formula for bringing long-forgotten hymns back into the collective LDS memory. Other hymns left out of the 1985 Hymnal that people seem to be advocating for again are "Amazing Grace," "It Is Well with my Soul," "Come Thou Fount," "Love Divine, All Love's Excelling," and others.

Perhaps something that must happen for a hymn to become favored again is for the listener to have a profound spiritual experience with it. That makes all the difference. A great arrangement sung by a group whose mission is to be a conduit for the Spirit sets up that scenario perfectly. Many people, myself included, have had profound spiritual experiences singing or listening to these hymns in powerful, new arrangements. Something old becomes new again.

Because most Ward Choirs have no orchestra at the ready, my arrangement of "If the Way Be Full of Trial, Weary Not" has a piano accompaniment. This Treble Chorus SSA version is the latest addition to my SATB and Solo versions.

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Family Messiah Sing 2021

12/23/2021

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Some of my favorite early memories are of Sunday mornings when my mother would put on her LP recording of the Tabernacle Choir singing selections from Handel's Messiah. That was her way of waking up her children and filling our souls with great music and the Spirit. She actually sang on that album, so it was doubly important to her to pass on the love of singing Messiah. To her it was a family legacy.

No one knows for sure just how singing Handel's oratorio became such a family tradition. Certainly, my Grandma and Grandpa Thompson loved singing the "Hallelujah Chorus." Grandma Lora had sung in the Mormon Tabernacle Choir when that great chorus had become synonymous with the choir in the early days of Music and the Spoken Word. When four of their children later sang in the Tabernacle choir, they already knew and loved Handel's Messiah.

I remember big family gatherings for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or Easter when the main event (after the meal) was singing. My aunts and uncles loved to sing and they particularly loved singing Messiah together. They sang the choruses, of course, but also sang the solos. Nearly all of them had sung as soloists professionally. It seemed that whenever Messiah was performed locally, they were sought after for solo work. These family sings went on for hours. (It takes that long to sing a major oratorio.) It was tricky crowding all of the singing relatives into the favorite gathering place, my Aunt's small house. (I thought the house would explode from all the people and their very loud singing!)

Fortunately, for us, nowadays, my brother Bob Lee has a much bigger gathering place. His house has room for 30+ singers and a 9 foot Steinway grand piano. He has hosted the Family Messiah Sing for the past 20 years at least. In fact, his family produced a Messiah Sing in San Diego, complete with orchestra, for many years prior to their move to Utah.

Blood on the piano keys midway through clean-up

Despite the somewhat smaller group of singers this year, we still managed to give it our all. We sang most of the choruses and solos, skipping just a few of the lesser known ones. Bob's son Robert even added a bit of French horn and trumpet to the mix. Because we have singers who really love to sing the solos, we had to have a rule: "sing one and then you're done." Our pianist, Bob's daughter Amy Gabbitas, really gave her all --- in fact she shed blood! About halfway through the evening, her finger started bleeding all over the keys of the piano. But, after a clean-up and a bandaid, she was ready to continue. Now that's true dedication!

We love singing Handel's Messiah together! Now it can be Christmas.

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Opera Singing Uncles

10/17/2021

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My uncles Sam, Bob, and John Thompson were terrific opera singers. They had magnificent, huge, heroic voices with such beautiful ringing tones. Individually, they were each power houses, but can you imagine how they sounded singing together? Amazing!

Although they each could have pursued singing careers, Sam was the only one who actually did for a time. He was even touted as the Number 1 Tenor in Europe during the 1960's. I just love these little statuettes. Aunt Janie picked them up somewhere during one of her travels and they sat on a shelf above her piano for years. They perfectly resemble my singing uncles!

Sam, Bob, and John Thompson about 1960

Aunt Janie Thompson wrote special material for them to sing, an arrangement she called "On the Campus at the "Y." During the song they mentioned all of the enticing activities college guys in the late 1950's would encounter at BYU. Studying, going to ball games, socializing, taking time out to serve a mission, searching for a wife, and getting culture --- that's the point where they each sang part of an operatic aria. Such a fun number!

In 1955, Sam was asked to go to SLC to audition for the Tabernacle Choir. He was just 18 and beginning his opera studies at BYU. He took my mother Carolyn to accompany him and his brother John (for moral support). Director J. Spencer Cornwall was looking for men to fill out the choir's Tenor and Bass sections. He was especially interested in young voices. (The choir had not recovered from the War Years yet.) "The youngest tenor I have is 70 years old!"

Sam and Carolyn walked in for the audition. After just a few notes, the director said, "You're in! Here's the music. Learn it. We leave for Europe in two weeks." He handed Sam a heavy stack of choral music, then asked, "Are there any others at home like you?" Sam said, "Well, my brother John is a tenor. He's just out in the hall. And this is my sister, Carolyn. She's a high soprano. And, too bad my brother Bob isn't here. He's a Baritone. Bob's still serving in the army. But he'll be home soon."

That's how my mother and her brothers joined the Tabernacle Choir. They sang in the choir off and on from 1955 through the 1960's. (The commitments were not so strict as they are nowadays. They sang when they could.)

Sam and John went on that 1955 European Tour, but my mother did not. She was having a little production of her own. Me. I came along in November. (In those days they didn't allow pregnant ladies to go on tours. And we saw a picture in the Church Museum from a 1955 Music and the Spoken Word broadcast where my mom looks like she has morning sickness. Perhaps that protocol was justified.)

P.S. I remembered that my cousin Bob Thompson posted this recording of one of our uncles' performances. It is probably from the Family Show during the celebration of our Grandparent's 50th Wedding in about 1970. (The fidelity isn't great, but it is the best we've got anyway.) John, Bob and Sam sang "On the Campus at the "Y" then (many years after they they had sung it as students at BYU).

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Oh, to Sing Again

4/2/2021

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Over the past few months, people have been telling me that I have been a part of their Stake Conferences. Well, not just me. Really, some old Tabernacle Choir videos were played in their meetings. I just happened to be visible in some of those videos.

It sure would be nice to be able to sing with the Choir again. The current members of the Choir have that same wish, too! They wish the Tabernacle Choir was able to sing LIVE and IN PERSON again.

(See? There I am on the bottom row left of the
Soprano I section singing "Come Thou Fount.")

Being in the choir loft during General Conference was always so amazing. For those of you who watch for these kinds of things, the choir loft is always completely full for Conference. In fact, there are even a few who cannot fit, so they have to sit out for a session and rotate in during another. Either those people have had less than stellar attendance, or they are one of the newbies.

The outpouring of the Spirit is very moving during Conference. I was always so impressed that I could feel the presence of the Spirit from the time I entered the immense Conference Center early in the morning. We loved sharing the stand with our Apostles and Prophets, and Teachers and Leaders. And when we sang, I always felt that we had extra singers helping from beyond the veil. Perhaps my Grandma, Uncles and my Mom were there to sing when we were too overcome by the Spirit. (There were those times when I knew I wasn't singing. I was trying, but it was hard to sing through the tears!)

In the meantime, I guess General Conference Music will be provided again by videos of past performances of the Tabernacle Choir. My friends saw me during the last two Conferences. Who knows? Maybe, I will get to sing again in this weekend's Conference. (It's just not the same as being there in person!)

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Sliding or Scooping Up to a Pitch

2/24/2020

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Our ward choir director has big aspirations for us. She likes to challenge us with classical repertoire. We usually have about 25 singers, some very accomplished, but most are just regular folk who happen to like to sing, including some young children. Last Sunday, a lot of regulars were missing due to illness. The few of us in attendance had some big shoes to fill.

Felix Mendelssohn 1809-1847

"He Watching Over Israel" by Felix Mendelssohn is one of the loveliest choral pieces from the Elijah oratorio. It has a lyrical opening statement followed by development and restatement in the other voices. Then comes the exciting fugue section where the the text "shouldst thou walking in grief languish" climbs and climbs. The ending sums up with the opening words again "He watching over Israel slumbers not nor sleeps" reassuring us that God watches over us night and day.

Just because the melodies and words are lovely doesn't mean that they are easy to sing. Each of the voice parts has challenging lines with changes in dynamics and pitches that are difficult to negotiate. Singing this piece in a typical small church choir can be a challenge.

The opening line "He watching over Israel slumbers not not sleeps" has a dramatic jump in pitch for the sopranos (and tenors) in the middle of the line. What is so hard is that the "SLU" in "slumbers" happens on a sudden leap to a high F# sung pianissimo. The conductor pointed out that the singers shouldn't scoop or slide up to that high F#. ("Oh really? Then you try it!" the ladies were muttering under their breaths.)

The problem was that the "S" is an un-pitched consonant. So, it doesn't help to place the pitch immediately. Many singers forget that they have to prepare their thinking, breath management and consonant/vowel placement for the landing in a way that works best in a choral situation. Unfortunately, they allowed the "SL" to slide or scoop up to the pitch before they landed on the vowel. They were very out of tune as a section as well.

What was explained to the soprano section was that they needed to get through the "S" first consonant quickly and on to the second consonant. The un-pitched "S" cannot help, but the following "L" is a pitched consonant and can serve to lock in the pitch before opening into the "U" vowel on "slumbers." (It takes thought and preparation to manage it though!)

That explanation quickly cleared up the matter. (Yay! Too bad there are so many other issues we need to tackle in that piece! We need our regulars back!)

* * * * * * * * *
So fun to see so many faces I love and remember in this Tabernacle Choir clip of "He Watching Over Israel." If you look quickly in the opening pass over the soprano section, you will even see me!

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Sing-Along with the Tabernacle Choir

6/17/2019

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One of the messages for the Adult Session of our recent Stake Conference was "Ministering in a Higher, Holier Way." Our visiting Area Authority Elder Foster got up midway during the meeting and announced that we would next be singing a special musical number together. And because it was not a very well-known hymn, we would be singing along with a video by the Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square. He explained that this hymn was a favorite of President Thomas S. Monson's and that it beautifully detailed the theme of Ministering. He also mentioned that we should not worry because he made sure the lyrics were included on the screen.

President Thomas S. Monson

Once the music started, I recognized the hymn and the performance. The video was taken from the 85th Birthday Celebration of Thomas S. Monson (Golden Days 1:21:30) and I had been there singing in the Choir! I remembered how this hymn had not been in our hymnbook since the Deseret Sunday School Hymnal of 1908. I wondered if anyone in the congregation would recognize it besides me. Sure enough, the congregation dutifully tried to sing along for the first verse. That's the verse that is in a normal range. Then came the chorus with a couple of octave jumps up in the melodic line. Then came the verse that the men sing alone, then came the modulations to much higher keys. Soon I noticed I was singing the high notes by myself. The people near me were slinking down in their chairs or looking sheepishly around to see if anyone else was singing --- besides me, of course.

"If the Way Be Full of Trial, Weary Not" is a wonderful hymn by John R. Sweney. Other, more familiar hymns he wrote are "There Is Sunshine in My Soul Today" and "The Lord Is My Light." He was famous not only as a hymn-writer but an enthusiastic choral director. Also, he was known, as someone who could really make a congregation sing. But I decided that it really helps if the congregation actually knows the hymn and the arrangement to get them to sing out.

Later, I had the opportunity to thank Elder Foster for including that sing-along during the meeting. I told him that I thought it was such fun to sing with the choir again and mentioned that I had been in that video as a former Tabernacle Choir member. But I wondered why he chose that unfamiliar hymn to use for our congregation. He said that it was the message he wanted to use for the theme of his talk. He would have just played the video for people to listen to, but understood that if they felt like they were to participate they might actually read and internalize the words better.

Well, I hope that was what happened. I am not so sure judging from the comments I got. I think I may have been a big distraction. One man came up to me and asked if I was a professional singer or something. I told him that I just happened to know that hymn arrangement because I had sung in that video. He said, "I knew it! You had to have been in the Tabernacle Choir. My wife was right. She said that was the only way you would have been able to sing like that." Distraction or not, I still enjoyed singing that wonderful hymn!

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Finding a Voice Again

4/26/2019

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Easter Weekend, my sister got me tickets to attend the Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square Concert. It was a beautiful presentation with the Choir and Orchestra, the Bells, and eight Trumpeters, plus four excellent narrators.

I have not been to many concerts in the Tabernacle as a spectator, and the last time I attended in the Tabernacle I sat where I could only hear the very busy violins. (That was not what I came to hear! To say the acoustics in the Tabernacle are unique is definitely an UNDERSTATEMENT! Sometimes you sit in a place that picks up just certain frequencies. And yet, other seats have a perfectly blended sound.) Anyway, we ended up sitting up in the balcony next to my old section. We actually sat very near to the ladies in the picture above -- my soprano friends! I loved hearing the concert from that very familiar vantage point!

The program featured several songs that I know very well --- "Unfold Ye Portals Everlasting," "In The Garden," and "Worthy Is the Lamb." I couldn't help singing along. (Oh, relax! I did not let my voice rise out of the fabric of the choir sound. Besides, my daughter was there at my elbow ready to give me the signal if ever it did.)

This experience of singing with the choir was an important turning point for me, though. For more than a year, I wondered if I would ever be able to sing again. The heaviness and stress of intense care-giving and ultimate grieving from the death of my husband has weighed me down. I just have not felt like singing. Raising my voice in song with my choir friends and feeling the rush once more of that spirit-filled wonderful sound buoyed me up. It made me want to sing again. Perhaps now I can find my voice!

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<<Previous

Love Thy Neighbor Concert

Climb Every Mountain

Happy 90th Birthday John Williams!

Something Old Becomes New Again

Family Messiah Sing 2021

Opera Singing Uncles

Oh, to Sing Again

Sliding or Scooping Up to a Pitch

Sing-Along with the Tabernacle Choir

Finding a Voice Again

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