The coming year will be eventful for the Church's music organizations on Temple Square, with changes affecting both the Tabernacle Choir and the Mormon Youth Chorus and Symphony. Changes announced this week include:
Beginning in June (or during the summer of 1999) the Mormon Youth Chorus will be reorganized and become a training choir for the Tabernacle Choir. Current members of the Mormon Youth Chorus will be given first opportunity to qualify for the training choir. The name of the training choir will be The Temple Square Chorale.The symphony orchestra will be reorganized under a new name, The Orchestra at Temple Square. Without regard to age, qualification will be based on Church membership, worthiness and talent.
The Mormon Youth Chorus and Symphony, as now constituted, will continue its scheduled rehearsals and concerts through the end of May 1999. These include the traditional Easter concert, April 16-17, and a culminating concert on May 21-22 in the Salt Lake Tabernacle. On June 1, Robert C. Bowden, musical director to the chorus and symphony for more than a quarter of a century, will relinquish his baton; he will officially retire Sept. 1.
Regarding the Tabernacle Choir, the minimum age to audition will be lowered from 30 to 25, with the length of service remaining at a maximum of 20 years or age 60, whichever comes first.
The Tabernacle Choir, The Temple Square Chorale and The Orchestra at Temple Square will be united under one Church-service president, assisted by a full-time administrator.
Tabernacle Choir Pres. Wendell Smoot said the new musical organizations will currently be under the direction of Jerold Ottley, musical director of the Tabernacle Choir, who is in his 25th year of service. Craig Jessop will continue in his position as associate director of the Tabernacle Choir and will work with all three organizations. Brother Jessop will be joined on May 1 by two new associate directors, Mack Wilberg and Barlow Bradford. (Please see Church News, Dec. 12, 1998, p. 5, for biographical information on the two new associate directors.)
Pres. Smoot said that Brother Wilberg, in addition to duties as an associate director of the Tabernacle Choir, will continue to compose and arrange and be responsible for The Temple Square Chorale. He said that Brother Bradford will have primary responsibility for The Orchestra at Temple Square, in addition to his arranging and work as an associate director of the Tabernacle Choir.
Further organizational details will be announced as the changes are implemented on June 1.