Music

June 16^th, 1995. It now seems so long ago. The Tabernacle Choir was standing on risers at the west side of the gothic-style City and County Building in downtown Salt Lake City. It was the day of the official announcement of the host city for the 2002 Winter Olympics. We had been invited to sing patriotic songs at what was billed as, “The Party of the Century.” That Salt Lake City would actually be chosen seemed to be a foregone conclusion, and when the announcement was made (live from Budapest) we were caught up in the joyous cheering of 40,000 people!

But then came the revelations about the scandalous bidding process, and in the intervening years it has seemed somehow inappropriate to be excited about what some have termed to be “ill-gotten gains.” Until now…

Perhaps it was the shock of September 11. Perhaps it is the news stories about athletes and visitors coming from all over the world. Perhaps it is the transformation of our city: banners on the streets, huge lighted murals on tall buildings, the Christmas lights on Temple Square brightening the nights once again, thousands of seats being added to Rice Stadium (where the Opening Ceremonies will be held). Whatever it is, the Olympics are once again fueling excitement. There could be no better time for nations to join together in peace and unity. We are delighted to have the world coming to Salt Lake City!

John Williams conducts the Tabernacle Choir and the Utah Symphony in his latest composition: the Olympic Theme, “Call of the Champions.”

Recording with John Williams
We in the Choir have already spent weeks in preparation. It began in late November when we joined with the Utah Symphony to record the Olympic Theme, “Call of the Champions,” composed by John Williams. “Citius! Altius! Fortius!” (Faster, Higher, Stronger) it begins. We were instructed to sing those words loud enough to echo off of the Wasatch Mountains, and we drilled over and over until we got it right. There at the conductor’s podium stood John Williams himself, leading us in yet another exciting and memorable theme. I heard someone say, “I feel like my bicycle is going to rise up into the sky!” (Williams has composed themes for countless movies, including “E.T.”, “Star Wars,” “Superman,” “Indiana Jones,” “E.T.,” “Schindler’s List,” “Jaws” and “Close Encounters of the Third Kind”). Athletes would do well to listen to this theme repeatedly before their event – it makes you want to go right out and run around the house! Williams was delighted with the Choir, and we learned later he was so enthused that he agreed to conduct part of our first Cultural Olympiad Concert.

Huge sports mural adorns a tall building behind this statue of Joseph Smith. Though the Church will not proselytize Olympic Visitors, the world-wide attention we will receive would surely please Brother Joseph.

Light of the World
In early January we held two 3-hour recording sessions at BYU Motion Picture Studios for the Church’s production, “Light of the World” (to be held in the Conference Center during the Olympics). The Orchestra at Temple Square is also participating, and had done their part of the track earlier. Elder Richard G. Scott of the Quorum of the Twelve was present and stayed for the entire evening. He spoke to us of the great importance the Brethren have placed on this production. Though the Church feels it would be inappropriate to aggressively proselytize our Olympic visitors, we certainly want them to go away with a better understanding of – and appreciation for – our beliefs and values.

Recording session at BYU Motion Picture studios for the Church’s Olympic production, “Light of the World.”

To have Elder Scott sitting there in front of us; to hear his testimony; to listen to him pray for us with his characteristic loving demeanor – all of this elevated what ordinarily might have been a more casual occasion to a higher spiritual plane. I am sure those feelings will be reflected in the music. And based on our impression of the music, “Light of the World” promises to be a delightful production. Thank you for your wonderful example and support, Elder Scott!

Merry Olympics! Christmas lights are at Temple Square are staying on late this year to complement the Olympic theme, “Light the Fire Within.”

Preparing for the Opening Ceremonies
Later in the week we started with recording sessions for the Opening Ceremonies. These sessions were held with the Utah Symphony at Abravanel Hall. There were three separate evenings, spent with a number of different composers and conductors, but three particular experiences stand out.

Michael Kamen
Composer Michael Kamen, like John Williams, has written music for numerous movies. His credentials include studying oboe at Julliard School of Music. But his style is different from anything the Tabernacle Choir has encountered before. As his bio states, he pioneered the genre “rock/classical fusion,” forming the New York Rock Ensemble. He has worked with groups such as The Eurythmics, Pink Floyd, Metallica, and Bob Dylan. (Hmm… now his bio can say, “from Metallica to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir” – now there’s a wide range!).

I wasn’t familiar with his background at the time, but as we began to work together it felt awkward – like we were from different worlds. But we warmed to one another and most of the session went well. However the most difficult section of music – written in 11/8 time – had been saved for last. Though we had rehearsed it intensely, we still struggled to stay in sync with the pre-recorded instrumental track and be together as a group. After many takes, Michael seemed happy and wanted to play it back for us. But the playback revealed that the Choir was woefully behind the accompaniment. We felt discouraged after having worked so hard. Michael said, “don’t worry about it – we can make digital time adjustments so everything will come out perfectly.” But that failed to comfort because we’d rather do things right and not have to rely on technology.

Brother Jessop seemed discouraged as well, but he seemed to know just what to do. He told Michael we had a special number to sing for him and led us in a rousing rendition of “Joshua fit de Battle of Jericho.” It felt good to be back in familiar territory. Michael seemed to enjoy it, but what followed was even better: “God Be With You ‘Til We Meet Again.” Just as with Angela Lansbury last month, Michael Kamen began to weep. The Spirit of the Lord brought different worlds together, and once again we had made a friend for whom the word “Mormon” will forever take on new meaning.

Sting
Each member of the Choir has signed a confidentiality agreement stating that we will keep details about the Opening Ceremonies secret, so I will be careful to reveal nothing that has not already appeared in public news reports. The Salt Lake Organizing Committee announced all of the marquee participants last week, so it should be OK to tell you about our experience with the rock star, “Sting.

Here again, the Olympics have brought together musical worlds that would otherwise be unlikely to meet. I remember Sting from his role in the science fiction movie, “Dune.” His web site says that he has delved into all kinds of styles: from rock, reggae, jazz and country all the way to Celtic and Middle Eastern strains. I liked the piece we are doing with him, but should probably not reveal what it is.

Sting entered our recording session while it was already in progress. Dressed in black leather pants, he sat next to Brother Jessop and donned a pair of headphones, listening intently (his own track had already been recorded). He seemed impressed and asked, “when are you coming to London?” and then quipped that he had enough bedrooms for everyone. At the conclusion, he stepped before us and said, “I am deeply moved. To hear human beings sing this way – with such clarity and unity – makes me proud to be a human being… one of God’s children.” Brother Jessop later told us that as he left the stage following Sting’s exit, he found him waiting at the door. With tears in his eyes, Sting gave Brother Jessop a hug and said, “I don’t do this. But I am really, genuinely touched.” How unexpected, and how wonderful!

Some of my fellow Second Tenors try out their Olympic Whistles.

The Whistles
The Deseret News revealed last week that a whistle would be given to each spectator at the Opening Ceremonies. I won’t say how they will be used but there is an amusing tale to tell about the Choir’s experience with them.

When we returned from one of our recording session breaks we were each given a package containing a whistle. I couldn’t imagine what it was for, but continued into the hall to find that pandemonium had broken out: Choir members had unwrapped their whistles and were merrily tooting away. It was like a bunch of children on Christmas morning! I remarked to a friend that it made me shudder to think what would have happened if they’d given us bee-bee guns. Give a kid a toy…

As with the rest of the music, the “whistle track” was to be pre-recorded. The Mormon Tabernacle Choir seemed to be the most logical victims (uh… I mean the ones given the privilege) to carry out that task. I am losing count of the number of unique situations that are coming up! Can you imagine the Choir tooting whistles at General Conference? No – I thought not. But wait until you hear it. It ought to be fun and even quite moving given the occasion to which it will apply.

Stunning glass sculptures by Dale Chihuly are on display inside and outside of Abravanel Hall as part of the Olympic Arts Festival.

Singing for the World
The coming month will be perhaps the most intense in the Choir’s history. This week there are two half-day rehearsals for the Opening Ceremonies as well as the actual performance on Friday, February 8^th. Over the next three weeks we’ll need to be downtown nearly every night (we do have a couple of Mondays off for Family Home Evening). We will participate in 13 performances of “Light of the World” and sing 8 concerts for the Cultural Olympiad along with our usual weekly performances of Music and the Spoken Word. But I haven’t heard any complaints; we’re excited!

www.saltlake2002.com estimates that the audience for the Opening Ceremonies will approach 3.5 billion. I think I can safely say that is the largest gathering for which the Choir will ever sing. In fact, it is a number so large that it may well exceed the sum total of all our live audiences since 1847. We look forward to seeing you and the rest of the world on Friday night! And I will undoubtedly find more to write about in the coming weeks.

Late-breaking news: the Choir has been invited to appear on “The NBC Today Show.” We’ll broadcast live from the Tabernacle during the 8 AM hour (New York time) on Thursday, February 7.