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Mesa Easter Pageant Teaches of Christ

Each year the Mesa Arizona Easter Pageant draws more than 100,000 people, who watch the story of Christ’s life, mission, and Resurrection unfold through speech, music, dance, and drama played out on a 9,600-square-foot (890 square meter) stage.

Many who attended this year’s performances April 13–16 and 19–23, 2011, as well as the nearly 1,000 cast and crew members, say that the pageant brought them closer to the Savior.

“I know that the people who come to our pageant leave with a peace and a hope in their heart that maybe wasn’t there when they came,” said Nanci Wudel, who has directed the pageant for nine years. “We want so much to bring to the heart of every person sitting in the audience [the message that] there is peace, there is hope, because Jesus lives and He loves them.”

Tabernacle Organists Share Talents to Bless Church, World

The pipes of the Tabernacle organ on Temple Square almost have become an icon for the Church; they’re easily recognizable, both by their sheer size and by their rich sound.

But what of the people behind those pipes, the ones producing that sound?

In April, Church News and Events featured a three-part series about the Temple Square organists: Clay Christiansen, Richard Elliott, and Andrew Unsworth. To read the stories of how these three men came to be full-time organists on Temple Square, visit news.lds.org and use the keyword “organist” in the search box. (Be sure to use the search box for News and Events, located just above the Global Church Events box, rather than the LDS.org search box in the top right corner.)

Orchestra at Temple Square Musicians Dedicate Time, Talent

Anyone who has watched and listened to a professional orchestra would agree that a performance is quite an undertaking. From the harmony of the music itself to the unison of movement among the strings to the aesthetics of the stage, orchestral concerts take a lot of work.

Which makes the Orchestra at Temple Square all the more remarkable.

The orchestra—which was first assembled in 1999—operates in a way that no professional orchestra does, from the scheduling of events to the dedication of performers. News and Events includes an April article about all the people—musicians, librarians, staging crew, and others—who devote their time and talent to the orchestra and its mission. Find the story at news.lds.org.

Participants in the Mesa Arizona Easter Pageant portray the story of Jesus Christ’s life, mission, and Resurrection.