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June 28, 2009

Mormon Tabernacle Choir

By Eric Dama

The Mormon Tabernacle Choir rolled through town Saturday night, hosting a concert at Lloyd Noble Center as part of its 2009 Central United States Tour.

Around 8,500 people were in attendance, the largest audience for the choir so far on its seven-city tour.

"It was very impressive. I really enjoyed it," said Larry Jefferson, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who drove from Lawton to see the concert.

Norman was the tour's sixth stop, with a concert in Denver Monday night being the choir's final show.

The consensus Saturday night seemed to be that while the choir is great to listen to on the radio, nothing beats seeing them in person.

"It was 100 percent better seeing them live," attendee Joyce Woodbury said. "On video you don't get to see the little nuances that they do during the songs. I loved it."

Because members of the choir are volunteers, the choir only plays outside of Salt Lake City every other year, giving members the ability to perform their regular jobs.

"We love going across the country and performing," said Scott Barrick, general manager of the choir, "but we can't because most everyone involved is a volunteer. These people love singing and doing it as often as possible."

One of the most well-known choirs in the world, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir has performed in many of the largest cities on Earth -- from London to Tokyo to New York City.

The choir received its largest audience in 2002 when it performed at the opening games of the Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City -- an estimated audience of around 3.5 billion tuned it to see the choir.

"I think people, especially in these times, resonate with the songs and hymns sung by the choir," says Mack Wilberg, music director. "There is something for everyone, from the classics to Broadway, from music of the world, to American folk hymns and spirituals."



Here's an idea for a box if there is room:



By the numbers:

Over its 15-day, seven-city tour, the choir travels something like a small army. Here's a look at what they carry with them.

Over 500 pieces of luggage

315 singers

65 orchestra members

40-50 volunteers helping with organization

11 buses

6 paid staff members

3 charter planes

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