2006 by Intellectual Reserve. All rights reserved.
Once again the Christmas lights shine brightly on Salt Lake City’s Temple Square. Families flock downtown to stroll about and delight in the beautiful scene. In the Conference Center, workers are busily constructing a new set for the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square’s Christmas concerts.
Many people look forward to attending these concerts as part of their annual Christmas tradition. But in spite of the 21,000-seat capacity of the Conference Center, tickets are still in high demand and it is not possible to accommodate everyone who wants to come.
Fortunately, there is a second option. In recent years the concerts have been videotaped and produced for later nationwide broadcast on public television. (They are also available for purchase on DVD.) This year’s TV special, “Christmas with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square featuring Rene Fleming and Claire Bloom,” is scheduled to air nationwide on PBS television on December 20 at 8:00 pm, and December 24 at 9:00 pm (both times are Eastern; check local listings for the time in your area).
Guests Claire Bloom and Rene Fleming are presented mementos of their appearance by President Gordon B. Hinckley.
For the Choir and Orchestra to be featured at prime time on Christmas Eve is remarkable, and it speaks to the superb quality of the program as well as the exciting guest stars that join us. PBS is also showing an encore performance of the 2003 Christmas concert with Frederica von Stade and Bryn Terfel, which will air on Friday, December 22 (again, check local listings for exact time).
For those of us who sing in the Choir, other the Church’s General Conferences there is no more exciting time to sing on Temple Square. Watching the DVD of last year’s concert made me anticipate this year’s even more. It also made me want to share a little bit of the “behind the scenes” from last year in hopes of encouraging more people to see it. Translated to “television-speak,” let’s just say that this is the “must see” event of the Christmas season!
Guest Rene Fleming on the set of the 2005 Christmas program.
Produced with Care
The programs are produced in partnership with the University of Utah’s public television station, KUED. Special effort is made to capture all of the excitement and magic of Christmas in the Conference Center. Eleven to twelve cameras – including two “jib cameras” that are mounted on large booms – and in excess of 100 microphones (including many individual mics for instruments in the orchestra) are employed.
All four concerts (including the Sunday morning performance of Music and the Spoken Word and following mini-concert) are taped. In addition, there is a Saturday afternoon taping session minus audience. This allows for shots that would be a distraction to the live performances as well as retakes of the most complex and critical segments. Last year all of this resulted in 55-60 hours of tape, which were edited down to a 78-minute program. The editing process took three months, so you can imagine the special care that has gone into its production.
Guest Star Rene Fleming
Once again, 2005’s guest stars were world class. Rene Fleming is a two-time Grammy award winner whose vocal artistry is sought all over the world on stages and in recordings. Choir Director Craig Jessop put it this way: “Truly the reigning diva on the planet right now in the world of sopranos is Rene Fleming. And she’s accustomed to singing with the Berlin Philharmonic, the Vienna Philharmonic, the New York Philharmonic, the Boston Symphony, the Philadelphia Orchestra, and yes, now, the Orchestra at Temple Square!”
Rene Fleming
Speaking about her reaction when she was first asked to be our guest, Ms. Fleming said, “I went very quickly back to my memories of seeing the Choir on television as a child. And the size of the Choir and the homogenous sound in unison of so many voices made an incredible impression upon me when I was very young. It is arguably one of the finest choirs in the world, with a long tradition of producing annually wonderful shows with enormous quality. So I was thrilled to be asked to join and to come here and to experience it firsthand for myself.”
The Choir and Orchestra relished the opportunity to work so closely with a singer the caliber of Miss Fleming. We were enchanted by the rich, smooth, and refined qualities of her voice. But what most impressed us was the way she made even the most difficult vocal passages seem effortless.
Imagine, then, our delight when she said the following about us: “The quality of the music making is so high. I almost fell down the first time I sang Lo, How a Rose Ere Blooming’ when I heard [that] this choir of 360 people can sing perfectly in tune and hold pitch for a very long strophic song.
Rene Fleming with the Choir’s basses.
“I have to tell you, that is so difficult. I mean, small groups of singers, solo singers, can’t do that a cappella. That really impressed me. The quality of the orchestra is also terrific and that everybody volunteers is obviously unique. Nothing else exists like this in the world!”
To perform with such a singer in the prime of her career, and then have her say, “How do you do it?” in reference to us was an amazing tribute. And it confirmed that the hard work of Craig Jessop and Mack Wilberg in helping the Choir reach for ever higher standards is paying off. Staying on pitch is very difficult indeed, and we are not always so successful. But it is heartening to know that we were able to impress such a formidable judge as Rene Fleming.
Rene Fleming with Choir directors Mack Wilberg and Craig Jessop
Claire Bloom
English actress Claire Bloom made her first London stage appearance in 1947 at the age of sixteen. Her first film role was in 1948, and she was chosen by Charlie Chaplin in 1952 to appear in his film “Limelight.” This catapulted her to stardom and it remains one of her most memorable roles.
It is hard to imagine that there could have been a better complement to Rene Fleming’s divine singing than Claire Bloom’s heavenly speaking.
As Craig pointed out, listening to her exquisite, finely-cultured English accent would be pleasure enough were she simply to read pages from the phone book. But to focus her narrative artistry upon the story of the Nativity was a perfect match. Her moving and reverential rendition was certainly one of the highlights of the evening.
Claire Bloom
In company with others from the Choir I had an opportunity to talk with Claire. She was frank in admitting that despite her Jewish heritage, she is not a believer. “I’m not a religious person,” she said, “so I find it astonishing that everyone [here] has such commitment to [their] belief. It seems to give people great happiness and great contentment. There couldn’t be anything wrong with it, that’s for sure. I look at your lovely faces and it hasn’t done you any harm and probably a lot of good. And then there is such a sense of community or spirit that must be extraordinary. I never had it because I’ve moved from place to place including when I was a child.” But she did add that she finds the story of the Savior’s birth to be very beautiful.
The author meets with Claire Bloom.
Reflecting upon Claire’s words, one finds it noteworthy that – whatever their personal level of belief – our Christmas guests seem to always have something to say about the special spirit they feel when they are with us. She commented that she has never met with such warmth and kindness and generosity.
Our “Anonymous” Guests
But our celebrity guests are only a small sampling of those whose lives are brightened by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square. Let me close by relating a personal experience.
Over the past couple of years I have become acquainted with a Choir fan from Chile named Juan Gajardo. I met Juan via the Internet. He is an architect by profession. He is not a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but became acquainted with the Choir when he heard one of our recordings as a young man. He has loved our music ever since and has eagerly purchased each new album and DVD as soon as it became available.
In October of 2005, Juan contacted me to say that he was making plans to come with his mother to Salt Lake City for the Christmas concert and to ask about how to obtain tickets. I helped him get tickets for both the Thursday preview and Friday evening’s performance. After their arrival, I met them for dinner before the Friday concert. They had already attended the preview and were thrilled about it.
The author meets with Juan Gajardo and his mother.
Communication was difficult. I do not speak Spanish and Juan’s English is limited, but it was such a delight for me to spend time with these wonderful people and realize that they had flown all the way from Chile just to hear us sing.
Before our meal, Juan offered a blessing upon the food; he gave a beautiful prayer in which he asked for the Lord’s blessings upon me. During that prayer that I felt a special bond with Juan and his mother and it is my fondest memory from the Christmas concerts of 2005.
I think this is because – while the stellar guests and production values of the concerts are impressive – the most essential ingredient remains the sharing of our testimonies that the Savior of mankind is indeed a reality today as He has been throughout history. It is not just our love for the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, but our belief in Jesus Christ, that made us feel close that day.
I hope that all who read this article will watch the PBS broadcast and encourage family and friends to do so as well. Because whether it be world-class opera star Rene Fleming, acclaimed actress Claire Bloom, or architect Juan Gajardo from Chile, that which brings the most joy to members of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square is to know that – in touching hearts with our singing and playing – we are bringing them closer to our Heavenly Father.
And the more hearts that are given that opportunity, the better!
