Music is the true universal language, and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir has taken advantage of it. They're less than 400 strong but they've conquered the world, singing from their hearts and winning over a global audience.
Transcending religious beliefs and political and geographic boundaries, the choir reaches out to everyone. Audiences are inspired — and perhaps even humbled — by what they hear. And the choir has been doing this for more than a century.
There have been many milestones in the rich history of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, and the latest comes next weekend when the choir joins the Orchestra at Temple Square to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the "Music and the Spoken Word" broadcasts.
The occasion will be celebrated with a gala concert in the LDS Conference Center on Saturday and a special "Music and the Spoken Word" broadcast the next day.
The weekly radio program, which is now transmitted to more than 20 countries through television and satellite, has been on the air continuously since July 15, 1929. That makes it the longest-running radio program in history.
And for 73 of its 75 years, "Music and the Spoken Word" has been carried by the CBS Radio Network. "When you look back on it, 75 years of continued broadcasts on national radio is absolutely unbelievable," choir president Mac Christensen said.
"There's nothing like it," said Gordon B. Hinckley, president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in an e-mail response to an inquiry from the Deseret Morning News. "It's a miracle.
"You've seen them come and go — the artists, the performers. Over the years, to think that that choir has been on the air for 75 years says something that's tremendous. What a great organization it is, and what a tremendous service it has performed.
"And it's better today that it's ever been. It is, I believe the greatest choir in the world. And one of the reasons for that is, they're volunteers. They're not singing for money. They're singing out of their hearts. And what a great contribution they make."
Music director Craig Jessop said he feels fortunate to be able to celebrate the historic event with the choir. "It's just a great honor for me," Jessop said. "I'm a Utah boy. I grew up listening to the choir and being a part of all this is an honor. It represents my love of music, my pioneering ancestry and my religious faith."
Christensen said that the choir is looking forward to the gala. "They're all excited about it. And knowing what a dedicated and magnificent group this is, the concert is going to be fantastic."
Special guest for Saturday's concert and Sunday's broadcast will be noted CBS personality Charles Osgood. "He has had a long friendship with the choir," said Jessop. "It was also a natural choice to have Charles Osgood be part of the celebration, because both he and the choir have been associated with CBS for so long."
Osgood has been the CBS News Sunday morning anchor since 1994, and he continues with his long-running "The Osgood File," a daily news commentary program on CBS Radio.
A year ago, when the choir was on its highly successful East Coast tour, Osgood was the choir's special guest when it performed in Lincoln Center for a concert that inaugurated the yearlong tribute to the 75th anniversary of "Music and the Spoken Word." "We invited him to both events—to kick off the celebration in New York and to conclude it at our gala concert in Utah," Jessop said.
Osgood is also no stranger when it comes to orchestras. In the past, he's played piano and banjo with the New York Pops and the Boston Pops, although he's admitted that his musical talents are limited. For Saturday's concert, however, Osgood will narrate and leave his instruments at home.
The gala will feature Jessop and the choir's associate director Mack Wilberg. There will also be special appearances by Jerold Ottley, conducting the choir he led from 1974-99 in the "Hallelujah Chorus" from Beethoven's oratorio "Christ on the Mount of Olives."
Donald Ripplinger, associate director from 1975-96, will also be there, conducting the choir in "Danny Boy." Igor Gruppman will conduct the Orchestra at Temple Square, and the Tabernacle's three organists—John Longhurst, Clay Christiansen and Richard Elliott—will also perform. Lloyd Newell will be the evening's announcer.
President Hinckley will be in attendance and will address the audience. "President Hinckley has been the adviser to the choir for 30 years," Christensen said, adding that the church president has been a tremendous advocate of the choir and of the work it does. "He has said, 'I don't want you to overwork them but let them get better.'"
Throughout the concert, two giant screens in the Conference Center will show clips from filmmaker Lee Groberg's newest documentary "America's Choir: The Story of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir." Written by screenwriter Heidi S. Swinton and narrated by Walter Cronkite, the film chronicles the history of the choir from its modest beginnings shortly after the pioneers entered the Salt Lake Valley in 1847 to the present day. The film has just been released on VHS and DVD, together with Swinton's companion book of the same name. The documentary will be broadcast nationally on PBS on Thanksgiving Day.
As part of the celebration, the choir has made a concerted effort to track down the oldest living former members, especially those who might have sung on the original "Music and the Spoken Word" broadcast in 1929. Anyone with information on former members can call the choir office at 240-4150. "We hope to have them at the concert," Jessop said. "Among those we have been in contact with, we have yet to determine who is the oldest former member."
"We keep finding ones who are older," Christensen added. "We're at the point now where we have people who think, but don't remember, if they were in the choir."
All former choir members, regardless of age, have been invited to join the current choir at the concert for a special closing number. "The finale will feature everyone singing 'God Be With You Till We Meet Again' and 'The Battle Hymn of the Republic,' " Jessop said.
"The Battle Hymn of the Republic," of course, occupies a special place in the choir's history. "It has been one of the key songs of the choir for the last 40 years," Jessop said. "It earned a Grammy for the choir, and it was the beginning of the choir's relationship with Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra. Under the direction of Richard Condie, that was the golden age of the choir."
Christensen said that all of the tickets to the concert and to the "Music and the Spoken Word" broadcast have been distributed, but he said that shouldn't deter anyone from coming to the Conference Center anyway. "Anyone who wants to come, should.
"No one has ever been turned away, whether for General Conference or for any of the Christmas concerts. We'll get you in."
If you go
What: "Music and the Spoken Word" 75th Anniversary Gala Concert, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir , the Orchestra at Temple Square
Where: LDS Conference Center
When: Saturday, 7:30 p.m.
How much: Free (required tickets have all been distributed; standby admission available)
Phone: 240-0080
Web:www.lds.org
Also . . .
What: "Music and the Spoken Word"
Where: LDS Conference Center
When: July 18, 9:30 a.m.
How much: Free (first-come, first-served)
E-mail: ereichel@desnews.com