The Tabernacle Choir Commemorates 90 Years of Broadcasting

The Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square are commemorating 90 years of the weekly broadcast, “Music & the Spoken Word,” with a special worldwide broadcast. The pre-recorded program, “Music for a Summer Evening: Celebrating 90 Years of Broadcasting,” will first air on Saturday, July 18, 2020, at 7:00 p.m. Mountain Daylight Time (MDT).

The 60-minute broadcast will feature interviews and performances with renowned guest artists who have previously appeared with the Choir.

The Choir and Orchestra have selected special performances of their most beloved music under the baton of conductors Mack Wilberg and Ryan Murphy. In addition, the five Tabernacle organists will be featured with a virtual quintet of The William Tell Overture.

The concert will celebrate the impact and influence of the Choir’s weekly broadcasts — which span nearly the entire lifetime of radio — on audiences around the world.

“Music is an international language — sacred music in particular,” explained Bishop Gérald Caussé, Presiding Bishop of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and adviser to The Tabernacle Choir organization. “When the Choir sings, there is no language anymore. There are no borders. Music is a way for the Church to reach out to all the world, all people, and communicate with them from the heart.”

During the COVID-19 pandemic, weekly live broadcasts of the Choir and Orchestra have been replaced by selected encore episodes of “Music & the Spoken Word” on radio, television, cable and the internet.

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