Mormon Tabernacle Choir Appears on Three U.S. National Programs

The Mormon Tabernacle Choir appeared on three U.S. national television programs during the month of December: the CBS TV news magazine 60 Minutes II, a PBS Christmas Eve special, and the CBS weekly series Touched by an Angel.

The choir was featured on 60 Minutes II’s 19 December program. The report included scenes from the choir’s 2001 Christmas concert in the Conference Center and an interview with actress Angela Lansbury, who performed as a guest artist during the concert. The segment also included interviews with director Craig Jessop, choir president Mac Christensen, and four choir members.

“For more than a century and a half, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir has performed in more than 60 countries before tens of millions of people, including nine U.S. presidents,” said news correspondent Charlie Rose on the program. “They’ve recorded more than 150 albums, and their weekly radio and television broadcast has been on the air, uninterrupted, since 1929. They were there on 11 September to soothe a grieving nation, and they’ll be there to celebrate when the Olympics come to Salt Lake City.”

On Christmas Eve, the Utah Symphony and Tabernacle Choir performed together for a PBS holiday special, “The Gift of Music,” a 90-minute concert taped during a live performance under the direction of Keith Lockhart, symphony conductor. The concert featured soloists Henriette Schellenberg, Robert Breault, and Robert Honeysucker.

The choir sang “Battle Hymn of the Republic” in a closing scene of a special Christmas episode of Touched by an Angel broadcast on 16 December.

The Tabernacle Choir and the Utah Symphony Orchestra, directed by Keith Lockhart, perform together for a PBS holiday special. (Photo by Jay Borowczyk.)