A Global Choir for a Global Church
Newly appointed president of The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, Michael Leavitt, summarized the current happenings of the Choir when he recently said, “A global church needs a global choir.”
Welcoming Global Singers into the Fold
January 2024
The Choir launched one of three new pilot programs outlined for 2023 by welcoming participants from around the world to perform with the Choir and Orchestra during April and October general conferences. The program reflects how global The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has become, with singers coming from countries and territories like Ecuador, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand, the Philippines, Puerto Rico, South Africa, and South Korea.
One of the international participants, Denisse Elorza Avalos of Tijuana, Mexico, explains that Choir members are called to be ambassadors for the Church in addition to sharing their faith through song. “When they told me . . . that I’m going to be like a missionary for the choir, I [felt] so humble because I always wanted to serve a mission,” says Elorza Avalos. “Now it’s like two dreams in one—be part of the choir and serve like a missionary.”
Tubo-Oreriba Joseph Elisha, another international participant from Accra, Ghana, says, “Growing up as a young man in the Church, it has always been my dream to sing with [The Tabernacle Choir]. I never imagined how that was going to be possible. I thought maybe someday . . . but not something that could happen in 2023.”
Despite coming from different parts of the world and speaking various languages, these participants have come together with the Choir to share their love of music and bear testimony through song to all who listen.
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