The Tabernacle Choir & its 5,000th Music & the Spoken Word

The Tabernacle Choir performs its 5,000th episode of Music & the Spoken Word on July 13, 2025!  What an incredible milestone.

When asked how she feels about being a part of the 5,000th episode of Music & the Spoken Word, choir member Cheryl Utrera (Soprano) excitedly told me:

I just stand here and think, “How did I get here?!” It’s humbling because you’re one piece in this big, giant mosiac, and it’s a special thing to be a part of. I feel that way a lot, but especially right now.

It’s just exciting and a humbling thing to be a part of this big historical moment. It’s an honor to be a part of something that’s so meaningful to so many people. You feel the excitement of honoring those who have made this program what it is, and it’s thrilling to have the opportunity to have a moment to honor what it has become. [The broadcasts] started as such a small thing and now are seen throughout the world. There have been so many great musicians, conductors, sound engineers, and people that make it all possible.

 

And Robert Brantley (Tenor #86) shared his thoughtful perspective with me:

As the tallest tenor in the Tabernacle Choir, my assigned seat is always on very back row. From that vantage point, and with the enormous organ always resounding just over my right shoulder, I can always hear and witness the sound and majesty of The Choir stretching out in front of me. The experience is always inspiring, but over the past few weeks—as we continue to prepare for our upcoming 5,000th broadcast of Music & the Spoken Word—there has been a heightened feeling of excitement and celebration in the air. I think we all recognize and appreciate this amazing milestone and the rare opportunity we have to be a part of it.

As musical missionaries for the Lord Jesus Christ and for His Church, we always sing for Him—for His work and glory. But this coming Sunday we will also be singing for the many thousands of Latter-day Saints whose voices filled the loft before us. And perhaps even more for the tens of thousands who would eagerly take our places if given the opportunity. After 96 years of Music & the Spoken Word, I pray that all those who tune in this coming Sunday at 9:30 a.m. Mountain Time will feel the love, gratitude, and testimony that fills our hearts and inspires us to keep singing.

Fast Facts

Celebrating this momentous occasion, here’s a quick run-down of some accomplishments of the Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square:

From humble beginnings to a world-renowned choir

The 360-member Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square hosts the longest-running (ever!) live network broadcast.  But the Choir did not begin as a world-renowned, Grammy and Emmy Award-winning, Billboard #1 album national mainstay. The growth and reach from the Choir’s humble beginning in radio is a testament to its members’ fortitude and determination.

On July 15, 1929, a small radio broadcast on KZN in Salt Lake City began with one microphone attached to the ceiling and a wire running a city block back to the control room. For each song, Ted Kimball, the nineteen-year-old son of organist Edward P. Kimball, climbed a 15-foot-tall step ladder and announced the titles, including pieces by Wagner and Mendelssohn. For the entire 30-minute broadcast, Ted stayed on the ladder, pointing the microphone toward each section as they sung their parts. The broadcast was not flawless with tapping of the conductor’s baton and shuffling feet heard, but it received a rousing response from the president of NBC—which KZN was an affiliate of—saying he was “Eagerly awaiting your next.”

That original broadcast reached 30 radio stations.

Technological advances helped project the choir’s broadcasts.  In 1939, the choir added four more microphones—one microphone covered the organ, and four other microphones covered the four vocal sections.

The advent of television brought television cameras and additional microphones.

Executive producer Edward J. Payne commented that the new camera angles added in 1983

improve the pacing of the show and makes it more interesting to watch. We now employ robotic cameras that enable one operator to run two cameras at the same time.

The technology of 2025 enables each episode to stream worldwide.   Embracing technological opportunities certainly enhances the impact of The Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square. Through their free streaming app or YouTube, etc, I can invite the choir and orchestra into my home at any time, any day of the week.

The Tabernacle Choir’s power to provide peace, solace, and aspirations

In 1929, shortly before the onset of the Great Depression, weekly episodes of Music & the Spoken Word began. The choir offered peace and hope to the nation during those times of deep despair and, in expanding to a global following, provides a balm for the soul during the upheavals and hecticness of our modern age.

“Music & the Spoken Word is a gift to the people of the world, to any who are looking for peace and solace in a world that is growing increasingly busy. It allows for a moment of peace and stillness that we all need,” said Derrick Porter, executive producer, principal writer and presenter of Music & the Spoken Word.

“The broadcast is a representation of America’s own image,” explains J. Spencer Kinard, who assumed the narration responsibility following [the original announcer, Richard L.] Evans’ passing in 1971. “It is a reflection of national moods, needs and aspirations. To many listeners, the weekly Music & the Spoken Word is like coming home.”

Lloyd Newell [announcer from 1991-2024] suggests the program “serves to inspire and motivate and yet not make you feel discouraged. The message comes from the heart.”

Choir President Michael O. Leavitt said, “The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square performs music that inspires people throughout the world to draw closer to the divine and feel God’s love for His children.” We are grateful that Music & the Spoken Word has brought hope and peace to millions around the world each week and look forward to continuing that legacy for many years to come.”

A quick look at the Tabernacle Choir from 1847 to 2025

Latter-day Saint pioneers formed the choir in August 1847—only 29 days after entering the Salt Lake Valley—to sing at the first conference held in Utah on August 22, 1847. In 1867, the pioneers completed the Salt Lake Tabernacle, with its incredible acoustics and organ. The Tabernacle became the home and namesake of the choir.

One of the earliest pictures of the Tabernacle Choir in the 1800s

The choir first toured the United States in 1893 and has since toured the United States many times and visited 30 countries.

In 1929, Music & the Spoken Word began, broadcasting on 30 stations.  Now, Music & the Spoken Word reaches over 2,000 radio and television stations, as well as a streaming audience.

Sound engineer Stanley D. Rees reminisced that

In the beginning, all we had was a little cubbyhole down in the basement in the Tabernacle. Now, in those days, the Tabernacle had not been excavated underneath. The floors were supported right from the dirt floor by posts throughout the whole Tabernacle. And so we just had a little cubbyhole there, and we had a single microphone.

As I recall the first broadcasts, the microphone had to be so high that the announcer couldn’t reach it, so he had to climb up on a step ladder in front of the microphone to make announcements. All we had in that cubbyhole was a switch that would turn on a green light and ring a bell as a signal to the Choir upstairs. When the cue came, we would flip the switch to the other side, which would turn on a red light, and that was their signal to begin the braodcast. It all went out over just a single microphone to KSL.

In 1999, the 200-member, totally volunteer symphony Orchestra at Temple Square joined the legendary organ in accompanying the choir and sharing their orchestral music.

In March 2005, the Bells at Temple Square became a part of the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square organization. The handbell choir, comprising 32 musicians, performs alongside the Choir and Orchestra in concerts and Music & the Spoken Word episodes throughout the year.

Significantly, the Organists at Temple Square have also expanded from playing exclusively on the Salt Lake Tabernacle’s organ—an incredible instrument of 11,623 pipes—to the Conference Center Organ, the Assembly Hall Organ, the Joseph Smith Memorial Building Organ, and practice organs. Three full-time and two part-time organists “carry on the more than 100-year-old tradition of daily recitals on Temple Square and support the Choir in its rehearsals and performances.”

The original organ was built by Joseph Ridges, an English convert to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who came to Salt Lake City by way of Australia. Ridges’ modest instrument, built with old-world craftsmanship and a liberal dose of pioneer ingenuity, was constructed of materials native to the region as far as possible. Though the organ has been rebuilt and enlarged several times during its 135-year history, the original casework and some of Ridges’ pipes still remain in the organ today.

I’m always excited when principal organist Richard Elliott plays during Music & the Spoken Word and general conference.  I learned organ basics from him during a semester at Brigham Young University.

Fulfilling Its Purpose

President Russell M. Nelson shared a glimpse of the combined musicians’ continued purpose.

In November 2022, in a meeting with the entire choir membership, including the Tabernacle Choir, the Orchestra at Temple Square, the Bells at Temple Square and other volunteers and professional staff, President Russell M. Nelson, President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, shared his vision for the choir.

“The Church will continue to grow. It will fill the world. It will continue to bless more and more nations, tongues and people,” said President Nelson. “The Lord is hastening His work in the promised global gathering of Israel. You can be sure that the Tabernacle Choir, Orchestra and Bells at Temple Square will be a pivotal part of that era.”

With a glorious future ahead and a stunning past under its belt, the Lord has certainly magnified that small and talented choir of 1847!  While receiving quantifiable awards and honors, the true breadth and impact of the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square are truly unquantifiable. How do you quantify the impact on countless souls? Especially since the Orchestra joined the Choir, their music has profoundly touched my heart, serving as a soundtrack of rejoicing worship, carrying me through dark days, and witnessing truth to my soul.

What an honor it is to celebrate the Tabernacle Choir’s incredible milestone!

Watch this historic 5000th episode online, Sunday, July 13, 2025 (9:30 am MDT,) on YouTube by clicking the link below: