This summer, the Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square are commemorating 90 years of the weekly Music and the Spoken Word broadcast. To celebrate the longest running national radio program’s 90th year of broadcasting, the Choir will host a special worldwide broadcast, “Music for a Summer Evening: Celebrating 90 Years of Broadcasting.”
The pre-recorded 90-minute program will air on Saturday, 18 July 2020, at 7:00 pm Mountain Daylight time (MDT) – 9:00 pm EST, 8:00 pm CST, and 6:00 pm PST. The program will be broadcast on multiple channels, including the Choirs official broadcast and internet sites, including their YouTube channel. It will feature interviews and performances with renowned guest artists who have previously appeared with the Choir.
For the special broadcast, the Choir and Orchestra have selected special performances of their most beloved music under the batons of Mack Wilberg and Ryan Murphy. The five Tabernacle organists will also be featured with a virtual quintet of The William Tell Overture.
The pre-recorded program was originally planned because the Choir and Orchestra anticipated being on tour in July 2020. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the special broadcast will replace the annual July concert that is usually held in conjunction with Pioneer Day celebrations, which have also been cancelled. During the pandemic, weekly live broadcasts of the Choir and Orchestra have been replaced by selected encore episodes of Music and the Spoken Word on radio, television, cable, and the internet.
The commemorative concert will be available worldwide on the following broadcast and internet channels: TheTabernacleChoir.org, The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square YouTube channel, Broadcasts.ChurchofJesusChrist.org and Latter-day Saint Channel. It will also be available to those using the Alexa Choir skill for Amazon devices. In addition, fans can watch the concert on BYUtv, BYUtv.org and the BYUtv app on Sunday, 19 July 2020, at 5:00 pm MDT.
Once the current health restrictions end, the weekly tradition of broadcasting Music and the Spoken Word live to a global audience will resume. The 2021 Heritage Tour will take place in the same cities and countries as originally planned for 2020.
Bishop Gérald Caussé, Presiding Bishop of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and adviser to The Tabernacle Choir organization, has said, “Music is an international language — sacred music in particular. When the Choir sings, there is no language anymore. There are no borders. Music is a way for the Church to reach out to all the world, all people, and communicate with them from the heart.”
