On May 15, 2011, my time as a singer in the Mormon Tabernacle Choir finally came to an end. Since I first entered the Choir in July of 1990 I always knew this day would come. Service in the Choir is limited to 20 years or age 60-whichever comes first. In my case, I actually got a little extra time because retirements are now held just once a year-after the April General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Before this change in policy I would have stepped down after the October semi-annual conference. So I was blessed with an extra 6 months!
I loved every minute of my 20 years in the Choir. No matter what I was doing-whether singing in a rehearsal, broadcast, recording session, or concert-it was all a great privilege and joy. To commemorate those wonderful years I have decided to write about ten experiences that have been especially meaningful to me.
Read Part 1- The first five experiences here.
5. The 2002 Winter Olympic Games
“…the time passed away with us, and also our lives passed away like as it were unto us a dream…” Jacob 7:26.
This verse from the Book of Mormon seems like an ideal way to describe the experience of the 2002 Winter Olympic Games. There has never been a time when more was asked of the Choir. As we looked back afterwards it really did seem like a dream.
To begin with, Salt Lake City itself had been transformed so much that it was like another world: banners on the streets and huge lighted murals on the Church Office Building and other tall structures. And the colorful and bright Christmas lights of Temple Square had remained in place to illuminate the nights.
The intensity of those weeks added to the dream-like quality. Beginning in January there were recording sessions for the Opening Ceremony. When we recorded the Olympic Theme, “Call of the Champions,” with the Utah Symphony, composer John Williams himself directed us.
There were rehearsals for four Cultural Olympiad concerts featuring the Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square. Guests for the concerts included soprano Frederica von Stade, the U.S. Army Band Herald Trumpets, composer/conductor John Williams, the International Children’s Choir, The King Singers, clarinetist Richard Stoltzman, and percussionist Evelyn Glennie. We also recorded and rehearsed for the Church’s special production, “Light of the World,” which was performed in the Conference Center for our Olympic visitors.
During the weeks of the Games themselves we performed or rehearsed every day but Mondays. Many nights we did double duty. Since we were only needed at the beginning and end of “Light of the World,” we would perform the beginning, hurry to the Conference Center’s Little Theater to rehearse for the Cultural Olympiad concerts, and then return to the Conference Center stage for the finale.
Besides the concerts and performances in the Conference Center there was a welcoming ceremony for President Bush at the Utah State Capitol building and an appearance with weatherman Al Roker for a segment of NBC’s “Today Show. For fun, Roker managed to get the Choir to do a live impromptu performance of “There was a farmer had a dog and Bingo was his name-o!” and he got us to do the “Wave”!
Participating in the Opening Ceremony was an absolutely unforgettable experience; not only the rehearsals and the event itself, but hours spent waiting in the University of Utah’s indoor tennis center before entering the stadium. The center was filled with thousands of participants in colorful costumes; there was lots of noise and activity. Members of the Choir passed the time in a little “sing-in” with a choir from Salt Lake City’s Calvary Baptist Church, and all the while there was a constant beat of drums played by Utah’s five Native American tribes.
In the stadium it was very cold, especially on the nights of the two rehearsals. The Salt Lake Organizing Committee had provided us with long white coats as our costume and we had been told to wear anything and everything underneath in order to keep warm. I remember putting on so many layers that I probably resembled a polar bear by the time I buttoned the coat. Once everything was in place I had to practically waddle from the tennis center to the stadium.
Inside the stadium we sat in front of the athletes and the towering Olympic Caldron. This gave us front row seats for the performances on the ice. When the athletes marched in, we waved and shouted welcomes as they came by in the aisles. And with so many returned missionaries and foreign language speakers in the Choir, many heard greetings in their native language!
But because it represents the kind of impact we were able to have upon individuals, I think my favorite memory from the Olympics will always be our experience recording a segment of the Opening Ceremony soundtrack with the rock star Sting.
He entered our recording session in Abravanel Hall while it was already in progress. Dressed in black leather pants, he sat down next to our director, Craig Jessop, and donned a pair of headphones. Listening intently (his guitar solo had already been recorded), he seemed impressed and asked, “When are you coming to London?” quipping that he thought he had enough bedrooms for us all.
At the conclusion he stepped to the conductor’s podium 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 when he followed Sting off the stage, Sting waited at the door and while giving Brother Jessop a hug, said, “I don’t normally do this, but I am really, genuinely, touched.”
If I ever get back to England maybe I’ll try taking Sting up on that offer to stay at his house!
4. The Nauvoo Temple Dedication
Besides the tour to Israel, the greatest spiritual memory from my time in the Mormon Tabernacle Choir is the dedication of the Nauvoo Temple.
Because there was no way to fit 360 members of the choir into the assembly room of the temple at once, we were divided into four 80-voice choirs which would rotate, singing at ten of the thirteen sessions (local choirs sang at the others). It was also decided that the fairest way to choose those to participate in the opening session would be to base it on length of service. At that time I had been a member for twelve years and I barely I squeaked in.
We stayed in Quincy, Illinois, about an hour’s drive from Nauvoo, and that hour was filled with anticipation. As we rode along in the bus I was reminded of childhood trips to Manti, Utah, where my forefathers had helped to build another magnificent temple. As Dad drove the car up the Sanpete Valley, Mom would occupy our attention by challenging us to see who could be first to spot the spires of the temple.
How exciting it was when someone finally cried, There it is!” and we thrilled at the glorious sight of the sun reflected from its two towers.
It is no surprise, then, that there was a sense of dj vu when we rounded a curve alongside the Mississippi river and someone said, “There’s the temple!” The Nauvoo Temple: standing tall once again on a hill overlooking that great bend of the river where the original had always remained in paintings and dreams. Its majesty grew as we neared Nauvoo until, as the bus entered the streets of the old part of the city, we looked up to see it dominate the view-the same way our forefathers must have seen it in 1845.
I have to admit that after having heard so many amazing stories about past temple dedications, I wondered if something special might happen. I thought back to one of my ancestors who wrote that she had heard the voices of a heavenly choir at the dedication of the Manti Temple. I also thought about the meeting in Nauvoo after the death of the prophet Joseph, when Brigham Young spoke to the people and many said he seemed to take on Joseph’s appearance and manner of speech.
As we took our places at that first dedicatory session I had the feeling that everything in the room was spiritually connected. This feeling remained throughout the service. The best I can come up with to describe it is that the space seemed filled with a tangible substance; like still water, only much lighter and purer, and crystal clear. It seemed to wrap me like a warm blanket. Singing in that atmosphere felt transcendent. I hope that we were able to give voice to the unity and joy in that room – to translate in sound what we felt in spirit and thereby make the experience more complete. It felt like that was what happened, and even more so when all joined in singing, “The Spirit of God” at the end of the “Hosanna Anthem.”
To walk out of the temple with that spiritual feeling; to see the smiles of those standing outside; to look to the west and see an orange sun fading into the haze over the Mississippi river; and then to turn around and look up at the tower of the temple, was an experience I will never forget. I remember remarking, “I still can’t believe it’s back!” In the days that followed I heard repeated comments about the wonderful spiritual feelings the other choirs experienced in their sessions.
But though the feelings of the spirit were very strong and it did feel like unseen visitors were close at hand, I cannot say that I experienced anything that might be termed miraculous at the dedication of the Nauvoo Temple. Do such experiences still happen? Were the ones that have been described in the past real?
Shortly after our return a good friend in the Choir related to me privately an experience that was very similar to the reports of the transfiguration of Brigham Young mentioned earlier. It was a sacred, personal gift of special meaning to him. He has only shared it with closest friends and family and so it would inappropriate for me to share more detail. But I trust him very much; he is highly educated and not the type of person to make something up. And so I can witness that while critics have been skeptical of such incidents, they do happen in our day. And I have no doubt that they also happened as they were described in the past. Surely such experiences are granted not only for those who are blessed to receive them but for those of us who are willing to take them at their word and rejoice in the gifts of our Heavenly Father!
3. The American Choral Directors Association National Convention
Life is filled with challenges. New ones arise all the time. Each test provides opportunity for growth as we learn new things and reach within to gather strength. Our faith grows as we seek and receive help from our Heavenly Father. But not all challenges are equal. From time to time something comes along that requires unusual effort, a special resolve, and a stretch of our talents and abilities.
For the Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square, the invitation to sing at the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) convention held in Los Angeles, California in February of 2005 was just such an occasion. Craig Jessop and Mack Wilberg, our directors at the time, were always intent upon refining every detail of our performances, but as they prepared us for this one, the level of expectation soared to unprecedented heights. Never had they been so unrelenting; stopping every time there was the slightest problem with pitch, notes, rhythm or diction. Passages were repeated seemingly without end, pausing each time to analyze problems and try again until they were done perfectly.
But even more than this, Brother Jessop emphasized the importance of sharing our spiritual feelings. We needed to transcend music, keeping a prayer in our hearts that we might radiate the real motivation that underlies our singing. He gave us much to ponder when he said, “If we put music on the altar and worship it, we fail. That’s not what we’re about. If music becomes the medium-the way we express our faith-then it succeeds.”
There were three performances: two in the beautiful Walt Disney Hall and one at a nearby house of worship-the Cathedral of Our Lady of Angels. Disney Hall was certainly the equal or better of any concert hall in which we had ever performed. From the first notes, we could tell we were going to love it.
As we entered for the first evening performance it was thrilling to see it filled with eager concert-goers. The term cognoscenti refers to those who are especially knowledgeable about a subject, and herewas an audience filled with thecognoscenti of the choral world. However, the term can also take on an aristocratic connotation-a bit highbrow and stuffy-and given the prior buildup we had received I had expected the audience would be reserved and critical. But those words had no place in Disney Hall that night. Had our performances not lived up to our reputation our listeners’ enthusiasm would undoubtedly have cooled quickly. However, our careful musical and spiritual preparation made for a performance that was, as had been hoped, transcendent.
We sang with a single voice and with great power. As we intoned the soft, sweet pieces such as “Glory to God in the Highest” from Rachmaninoff’sAll Night Vigil and our carefully prepared “How Can I Keep from Singing?”(arranged by Brother Wilberg) I was reminded of the feelings I had when we sang at the dedication of the Nauvoo Temple. If we were feeling such things, would the audience feel them, too?
The responses at all three concerts were no less than fully ecstatic; each performance surely being up to the highest standards the Choir has ever achieved. The large chamber of the Cathedral was a challenging place to sing but the pews were packed, with many having to stand. Throughout the concert and afterwards we saw many tears and knew that we had touched many hearts.
By the final concert at Disney Hall we were exhausted and yet that seemed to be the best performance of all.
Yes, we were excited and the adrenaline generated by singing for such a distinguished audience helped.But beyond that, we knew that credit for our energy and endurance was due to Him whose Spirit we sought to emanate.
And now that I have retired from the Choir, there is another memory from our days at ACDA that has added significance. The walk from our hotel to Disney Hall stretched up a long hill. We made our way through buildings with escalators and up steeply-sloped streets. As I observed the long line of singers and instrumentalists stretched along the path in front of me I was reminded of murals on each side of the nave of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Angels: on the walls weredepicted columns of the faithful saints who through the ages have become beloved to members of the Catholic Church.
That imagery in turn brought to mind the path of the generations of singers that have made up the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Within my viewwere those who were just beginning their service as well as those for whom the journey was nearly at an end. And beyond that, in my mind’s eye it seemed I could see the line extended to those who had finished the journey, continued on with their lives, and then on into eternity.
At the time, I felt that those of us on the pathway of the present had represented them all, and that we had represented them well. And now that I have joined those on the path beyond, I look to our successors to represent us, and I am confident that they, too, will represent us well.
2. The Christmas Concerts
My favorite time of year for singing has always been Christmas, and there’s nothing better than singing Christmas music with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Christmas on Temple Square is always a feast for both the eyes and the heart-the beautiful decorations, the lights, and singing carols about birth of our Savior.
When I joined the Choir there was as of yet no Conference Center; the Christmas concerts were held in the Tabernacle. To see that beloved, historical building decked out with garlands of pine and beautifully-lit Christmas trees was always a treat.
When Jerrold Ottley was the director, each year’sconcert began with “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.”We sometimes had special guests, but not every year. Over my first ten years the guests included the Salt Lake Children’s Choir, the BYU Brass & Percussion Ensemble, tenor Robert Breault, newsman Charles Osgood, the Canadian Brass, actress Megan Follows of “Anne of Green Gables,” and Salt Lake’s own Wesley Bell Ringers from the Christ United Methodist Church.
There were never enough tickets to fill the demand and so when the Conference Center was completed in the year 2000 it was only natural to move across the street and take advantage of the greater capacity. But while the Conference Center is amazingly intimate for such a gigantic building, the performers cannot help but be further removed from the audience than in the Tabernacle, and so it seemed that this large space required something more than what had been done in the past.
The first change was to invite one or two major guest stars every year.Gladys Knight and actress Roma Downey joined us the first year. Next came Angela Lansbury, followed by Walter Cronkite (I’ll never forget the delight on Mr. Cronkite’s face as he conducted the Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square in Handel’s “Hallelujah Chorus” from Messiah).Soprano Frederica von Stade and Baritone Bryn Terfel joined us the next year, followed by Broadway star Audra McDonald and actor Peter Graves, of “Mission Impossible” fame.
World class opera star Rene Fleming and actress Claire Bloomcame in 2005, but I have to say that my very favorite guest artistof all the Christmas Concerts I participated in was the Scandanavian singer, Sissel, who was guest in 2006. Her voice is so sweet and pure and there was such a spiritual dimension to her singing.
Next came the King’s Singers, followed by Broadway leading man Brian Stokes Mitchell and actor Edward K. Hermann (whose family, incidentally, are members of the Church, although he himself is not). Natalie Cole and historian David McCullough followed in 2009 and then, in 2010-my last Christmas concert with the Choir-our guests were American Idol finalist and member of the Church, David Archuleta, and actor Michael York.
Besides the guest stars, the concerts in the Conference Center have featured our wonderful Orchestra at Temple Square and more recently the Bells on Temple Square. A new traditional highlight has emerged with virtuoso organ performances by our fabulous Tabernacle Organist, Richard Elliott. Not to be left out are the beautifully-choreographed dances, including thegrand processionals that have become the new tradition to begin the concerts.And then there are the elaborate sets that take days to build and have included whole Christmas villages.
Yes, I’ll miss singing in them, but what fun it will be to sit in the audience and enjoy the whole spectacle. If I can get a ticket, that is, because even with a capacity of over 21,000 seats per concert (with four concerts, including the dress rehearsal and a mini-concert following the Sunday broadcast that makes a total of over 80.000 tickets) there are still not enough to fill the demand. I have joked that next we should move the concerts to the 65,000 seat LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo. To tell the truth, if Christmas were in July instead of December it might be a good idea!
But my most treasured memory about the Christmas concerts is the series of reactions fromour guest artists at the conclusion of their experiences on Temple Square. I think Sissel summed it up best when she said, “There is so much to bring home… the joy of singing, the joy of sharing, the music. But most of all, the love of the people. …I was so overwhelmed by this love. I will bring that with me and I will carry it. I will also try to learn something from it.”
Without fail, our guest artists have told us that they have had feelings during their experiences with us that are hard to describe. It has been so touching to see them try to find words to express feelings that are so familiar to those of us who spend a great deal of time on Temple Square: the spirit of love,whose source, of course, is our Heavenly Father.
1. My Retirement from the Choir
Finally, we come down to the last of my ten most cherished experiences, and for that I have chosen my retirement from the Choir. Retirement really was an amazing experience. For most of my twenty years it seemed like it was so far in the future that it would never arrive. And then it came so suddenly that it almost seemed to take me by surprise.
Not to be morbid, but after it was finished I felt that in a strange way it had parallels to death.
For all these years I have watched others go through it. They have sung in their final Sunday broadcast of Music and the Spoken Word and then filed down to the stage in front of the Choir where they have been privileged to sit in those big red chairs that are normally used by General Authorities.
There, they have gone through a ceremony where their thoughts upon retirement are read, they are given a plaque, and then greeted and thanked by the President of the Church. For me it was President Monson, and before him, President Hinckley always made time in his schedule to attend.
At the end of the ceremony, those who are retiring have turned and faced the Choir for a final rendition of “God Be With You Till We Meet Again,” followed by a closing prayer. And then they have moved on.
When it was my turn to look up at the Choir and say goodbye it seemed like I was looking back upon my life, because in many ways the Choir has been my life these past twenty years. And then it was time to turn away and move on, following in the footsteps of so many who have gone on before me. So in that way it did remind me of what it might be like when my turn comes to move on from this world. When that time comes, I hope I can look back upon my entire life with the same fondness that I felt looking back upon my experiences in the Choir.
To close,let me share the thoughtsthat I wrote about my retirement prior to the ceremony. Each of us was asked to express our feelings in 250 words or less and submit them in advance. As each retiree stepped forward to be honored, our director, Mack Wilberg, read what we had written to all present-the Choir and Staff, the Prophet, and our families and friends in the audience:
As I end my service in the Choir I’d like to pay tribute to the Tabernacle-this sacred house that has come to feel like home.
Through the years I have relished the spirit I have felt here. It began on an exciting day in April, 1965, when our family sat behind the Choir as Dad was sustained as Tabernacle Organist.With Dad’s new position came treasured opportunities to pace the balcony while listening to him practice, or turn pages for him in recitals, or sit nearby when he played for General Conference.
On bright Saturday mornings from 1969 through 1978 I delighted in making music here with Mormon Youth Symphony.
And then, as the nineties approached, my brother, Tom, perceived that joining the Choir would offer a front row seat from which to savor Dad’s concluding years at the organ.I will always be thankful to Tom for blazing the trail. With voice lessons and hard work I followed him a year later; and for both of us, the original motivation to be near Dad quickly advanced to the realization that we would never think of leaving before our allotted time was up.
Although the end came all too quickly, these twenty additional years in the Tabernacle have been a gift from heaven. And the consolation of stepping aside today is the knowledge that someone else can now enjoy this matchless experience. To the new T-51: may you find as much joy in this hallowed building as I have.
Incidentally, the new T-51 is named Wayne Eckman, the Choir hasn’t missed a beat without me, and since May I’ve found out that it’s almost as much fun to listen to them as it was to sing with them!
