Tabernacle Choir resumes live performances after 19-month hiatus for COVID

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) – After closing for over a year and a half, the Tabernacle Choir will resume live performances this Sunday, October 24.

Sunday broadcasts of “Music & the Spoken Word” have been interrupted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The last show aired on March 8, 2020, just before the nationwide shutdown. Live broadcasts are part of a 93-year-old choral tradition.

“Thanks to the success of the Tabernacle Choir’s COVID protocols and building on her singing experience during the October general conference sessions, the entire choir, as well as the Temple Square Orchestra and Temple Square Bells , will be performing in person for the first Live Music & the Spoken Word program in 19 months! officials say.

The broadcast will originate from the Temple Square Conference Center. Officials say a public hearing won’t be introduced until after 2022. The shows will bring new changes such as an opening sequence with a new logo for “Music & the Spoken Word.”

Four new songs will also debut, including Mack Wilberg’s new composition, “We Thank Thee, Lord, for This New Day”, new arrangements of “Tuya es la gloria (To Thee Be the Glory)”, (sung in Spanish and English) and “Now Thank We All Our God”, as well as Richard Elliott’s new organ solo, “Praise and Thanksgiving”. Future broadcasts will also feature new music from Wilberg and Associate Music Director Ryan Murphy.

Earlier in September, the Tabernacle Choir resumed rehearsals after a 19-month hiatus. Mandatory proof of COVID-19 vaccination as well as pre-repeat tests have been put in place. The efforts were part of a “multi-layered COVID protection plan” to ensure the safety of all staff and choir members.

In early October, the choir performed live at the 191st Semi-Annual General Conference.

“As we all continue to lean forward, the choir organization is working hard to ensure that this in-person singing step continues to be successful through our COVID protocols,” officials said. “We hope that as soon as conditions allow, the public in person will again be invited to join the choir for their performances. “

You can watch the broadcasts live on the official Tabernacle Choir website.