The Mormon Tabernacle Choir performed Thursday, Feb. 25, for the American Choral Directors Association national conference and received more than just applause. The choir was inducted into the American Classical Music Hall of Fame before the concert began.
The association’s executive director Tim Sharp made the announcement at the request of the board of directors of the American Classical Music Hall of Fame, according to LDS Living. The induction honors the choir for more than 140 years of dedication to the choral arts and for its significant presence in the world of classical music.
Sharp told Mormon Newsroom, “This remarkable ensemble of 360 volunteers has inspired generations of choral conductors such as you and me through concerts, recordings, broadcasts, tours and prestigious appearances at World’s Fairs and U.S. presidential inaugurations. Together with the Orchestra at Temple Square, they continue to inspire us with their work.”
Centuries ago, Brigham Young noticed pioneer musicians and moved them to the advance parties coming west. A choir sang in the August 1847 LDS Church conference only one month after arriving in the Salt Lake Valley.
According to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir website, the choir is “dedicated to the universal language of music that has the power to bring joy, peace, and healing to its listeners.”
Complementing groups include The Orchestra at Temple Square, with 110 members; Bells on Temple Square, with 28 members; and the Temple Square Chorale, which trains singers for the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.
The Mormon Tabernacle Choir’s next performance, the American Choral Director’s Association Concert, begins Saturday, Feb. 28, at 8 p.m. Tickets are sold out, but standby seating is available the day of the concert.
The Temple Square Chorale Concert on April 17 and 18 will take place in the Tabernacle.
