Most_Wonderful_Time_of_the_Year_CD_product Mormon Tabernacle Choir Website

For more than 160 years, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir has represented The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- day Saints throughout the world, standing as an icon of the restored gospel. Praise to the Man: Songs Honoring the Prophet Joseph is their ultimate musical tribute to the life and mission of Joseph Smith and the Restoration. Joined by the Orchestra at Temple Square, the Choir presents matchless performances of newly recorded songs including “Joseph Smith’s First Prayer,” “Praise to the Man,” and “The Morning Breaks.” Latter- day Saints everywhere can join the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square in honoring the Prophet Joseph, reflecting on the Church’s humble beginnings, and celebrating its subsequent rising with this essential and inspiring album.
The world-renowned Mormon Tabernacle Choir is a 360-voice group that was formed in 1847, shortly after the Latter-day Saint pioneers arrived in the Salt Lake Valley. The Choir - a volunteer organization - includes men and women from many different backgrounds and professions and ranges in age from 25 to 60. Choir members reflect a medley of unique lives and experiences and are brought together by their love for singing and their faith. There are 186 women and 174 men, with 91 sopranos, 95 altos, 81 tenors and 93 bases.
Ever since this American Choir started performing in Utah in 1847, it has been singing to the entire world. The broad appeal of its music and its storied history have made it one of the most revered and best-loved musical organizations in the world.
The Mormon Tabernacle Choir is best known for its weekly Sunday broadcast in the U.S., Music and the Spoken Word, which originates from Temple Square in Salt Lake City. This program has been a weekly tradition in America since 1929 and is carried on thousands of radio, television and cable stations.
The Choir is also well known for its recordings, among them a Grammy Award-winning rendition of "Battle Hymn of the Republic." Its recordings have earned two platinum and five gold albums.
The Choir has recorded with some of the world's great orchestras, including the Philadelphia Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic Orchestra and the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra. It now performs regularly with the Orchestra at Temple Square, a 110-member symphony of Church members - all volunteer like the Choir - formed in 1999.
Concert tours over the years have taken the Choir to the great concert halls of Europe, Mexico, Brazil, Canada, Japan, Australia, Israel, Russia and the United States. The choir has also performed for numerous U.S. presidents, both at inaugural ceremonies and in the White House. The Choir performed many times during the 2002 Winter Olympic Games, most notably for the opening ceremonies from Salt Lake City, broadcast internationally.
Mormon Tabernacle Choir Fact Sheet
The Mormon Tabernacle Choir—with 360 members—is a volunteer organization.
The Choir includes 186 women and 174 men, comprising: • 91 sopranos • 95 altos • 81 tenors • 93 basses
Auditions are held semi-annually in January and July each year. New Choir members enter a three-month training program prior to full membership in the Choir.
Walter Cronkite described them with one word following his December 2002 performances with the Choir: “Divine.” U.S. President Ronald Reagan has referred to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir as “America’s Choir.”
The Choir has appeared at 13 World’s Fairs and Expositions, performed at the inaugurations of five U.S. presidents, and sung for numerous telecasts and special events.
Five of the Choir’s recordings have achieved gold record status and two have achieved the level of platinum record. Among the most popular has been a Grammy-award-winning release of “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” with the Philadelphia Philharmonic Orchestra.
The Choir’s Sounds of Glory, directed by Craig Jessop, helped win a Grammy Award in 2003 for its producer Robert Woods.
July 2003 – July 2004 marks the Choir’s 75th anniversary year of its broadcast Music and the Spoken Word, the longest continuous-running network program in the world. It is broadcast weekly via 2,000 radio and television stations and cable systems.
The Choir has released more than 150 recordings and several films and videotapes. Consider the Lilies is the Choir’s first album released on its solely owned record label.
Other Notes: - A number of Choir members have university degrees in music and many others are professionally trained. All are competent musicians and include men and women from many walks of life. - The Choir practices for a minimum of five hours per week and performs an average of 75 times per year. - Members serve a maximum of 20 years in the Choir or until age 60. - There are 20 husband-wife combinations in the Choir. - Many families boast two or more generations of Choir membership—the longest is six generations. - The 110 members of the Orchestra at Temple Square are also volunteers.