After brief introduction by Ryan Murphy, the associate director of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, President Monson expressed his love for the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and described his role as adviser to the choir.
“As the adviser to the choir, I have the opportunity to work with these talented musicians in all of their musical endeavors, including the reason we are gathered here today,” President Monson said. “I am pleased to announce that the Mormon Tabernacle Choir is entering the world of social media with its own YouTube Channel. The incredible music of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir is now at your fingertips.”
This announcement was featured with video congratulations from many notable fans of the choir, including guest appearances from Donny and Marie Osmond, Jane Clayson Johnson, Edward Herrmann, Nathan Gunn, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Lindsey Sterling, the Piano Guys, Katherine Jenkins and even Tom Brokaw.
Those who attended and watched the live announcement were also treated to the exclusive release of a brand new Mormon Tabernacle video before it was put on the YouTube Channel. The video featured Alex Boye and showed clips of Cape Castle in Ghana, the launching point of many slave ships from Africa going to America. Alex Boye sang “I want Jesus to Walk with Me.”
The YouTube Channel currently features 30 videos of the choir, with many more videos expected to be posted in the near future. Mac Wilberg, Director of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, also announced that the choir’s Music and the Spoken Word program will be be posted weekly on the YouTube Channel.
Wilberg briefly described the history of the choir, mentioning that the choir has come a long way from recording with one microphone dangling from the ceiling to posting videos on the internet using social media.
“When we do a broadcast or a recording, we hope to take our listener on a journey with our music,” Wilberg said. “Now with this new YouTube Channel, the choir will be able to journey to the listener, and what a journey it will be.”
The choir hopes to reach even more people and inspire the lives of many across the globe with this new channel.
“For us, it’s not all about the bells and whistles,” Murphy said. “What really makes us happy in the end, is when we can touch people’s hearts and change people’s lives through our music.”
