Tabernacle Choir

I grew up with the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square. That’s their current name; for most of my life they’ve been the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. The name of our church is really long: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It was founded in 1830. For most of its history its nickname has been the Mormon Church. This comes from The Book of Mormon, another testament of Christ that we set alongside the Old and New Testaments of the Bible as scripture. When asked for religious affiliation when filling out forms, we have put Latter-day Saint or LDS.

But in recent years the prophet, leader of the church and the only one authorized to receive revelation for the entire church, has instructed us to call the church by its whole name, stressing that we do believe in Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world. Hence the name of the choir has changed. They perform in the Tabernacle on Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah, so that’s their new name. It’s still true that if you search YouTube for “motab”, the Tabernacle Choir on Temple Square will be the result.

Since the Conference Center in Salt Lake City was built, many of the choir’s performances have been there instead. The Conference Center seats twenty-one thousand people, and has room for a full orchestra besides. It sits across the street from the pioneer-built Tabernacle, with its wooden pews and iconic organ. Both are used to broadcast Music and the Spoken Word and other programs worldwide. There are many historic recordings of the choir singing at presidential inaugurations, Memorial Day celebrations, Christmas and Easter devotionals and concerts, and performing with a wide variety of public figures, singing, playing, and speaking. Lloyd Newell and Mack Wilburg, two men who have been associated with the choir for many years, are household names in many western states and wherever saints listen to their weekly program.

So many people want to hear them and so many people want to perform with them, that they have traveled all over the world, most recently to the Philippines, accompanied in concert by performers native to each place. They have started a program where members of the church in good standing can apply to sing with them for a short term. Full time membership in the choir counts as an unpaid service mission, with obligations to sing every Sunday and twice a year at General Conference, with rehearsals and concerts on other days as well. So many saints want to join that they limit membership terms to 20 years or age 60, whichever comes first.

I love their music; it brings me peace.