Twenty thousand seats! You’d think that would be large enough for any audience, but there are still millions who miss out on the music of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir at the Conference Center in Salt Lake City each Sunday.
“We hope to take our listeners on a journey with music,” music director Mack Wilberg said at a press conference Tuesday.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is using the Internet as it never has before.
President Monson joined the conference via video and said, “The incredible music of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir is now at your fingertips.” It will literally be at your fingertips.
Joining the choir’s facebook page and twitter account is a new Youtube channel. “I’m so excited about this!” choir president Ron Jarrett said about the new announcement.
The announcement also included congratulations on video from musical luminaries like Donny Osmond, who welcomed the choir to the website.
Choir member and recording artist Alex Boye also expressed his excitement. “I’m most importantly excited to see the tabernacle choir get more hits than Justin Bieber,” said Boye.
High school and college students filled the theatre next to the Conference Center and sat in awe as they experienced samples of music videos like Alex Boye’s “I want Jesus to Walk With Me.”
Popular past performances are also available. However, Wilberg says the most important part of the new channel is “The Music and the Spoken Word,” the longest continuous broadcast in the world.
“Music and the Spoken word will be available to audiences whenever they like,” Wilberg said.
The program will be in arm’s reach of anywhere with Internet access.
For years, Wilberg has taken his listeners on a journey with music. Now, with this new Youtube channel, “the choir will journey to the listener.”
This is a journey that he says will touch hearts and change lives.
