Up Close with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Part I by Julie Keyser

Many a writer has put their spin on the different workings of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, and what makes it so distinguishable from all others in the world.   I decided to take a different approach. In my next few posts on LDSMU we’ll be highlighting stories from a few of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra members.  Some of them are well known, but most will be among the many unknowns whose voices and instruments blend to give the choir its unmistakable sound.

I’ve asked them to give us a glimpse of one of their most memorable moments serving with the choir.  I hope you enjoy these stories as much as I do and gain a greater appreciation for not just the professionalism of each of these members, but their dedication and personal sacrifice working with the greatest choir in the World.

Our first interview is with Brittany Gardner, a cellist with the Orchestra on Temple Square.  Her story, like so many, is one of awe and joy at having the opportunity to serve the Lord’s Kingdom in this capacity.  I feel in awe at the opportunity to share these marvelous up close and personal stories with you.  Enjoy.
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BRITTANY GARDNER-Cellist for the Orchestra at Temple Square

I will always remember my first rehearsal with the Orchestra at Temple Square and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir in the summer of 2006.  I was nervous to attend this first rehearsal, wondering if I’d played well enough and if I’d get along with the people around me.  I was immediately struck by the genuine friendliness and kindness of those around me.  Everyone from administrators to stage crew members and all people in between were welcoming and genuinely valued me and the contribution I was bringing to the organization, however small I felt it was. 
I knew at once I had found a home, a place I was meant to be, and a place I felt welcomed.  My membership in OTS has taught me much about what it means to be a Zion people: to sacrifice and to give, to uplift and support one another.  If we truly do our best, which sometimes is more than we think we can do, the Lord will fill in what is lacking and use it for His purposes.  I have learned that when you serve without murmuring, the Lord will consecrate your service and bless all areas of your life for it.  I give up time with my family in order to serve Him by performing with OTS, and I truly believe that He makes the time I have with my family sweeter for it.

Nothing compares to the first time I played in the Orchestra as the Choir sang with us.  I’d heard the Choir in person before, and I had always appreciated the beauty of their sound and their musicianship, but to play with them, to actually make music with them that first time was amazing.  I can still hear the downbeat of that first piece I played with them; it was as if the veil was rent, the heavens were opened, and a heavenly host was singing with us!  I couldn’t believe the sheer mass of that sound. 

I think the most powerful experience I’ve had with the Orchestra at Temple Square was performing on my first set of Christmas Concerts; this was with Sissel in 2006.  We had rehearsed some of the music beforehand, but since I’d never been part of this particular set of concerts, I didn’t know quite what to expect.

As we began the dress rehearsal prior to the run of the concerts, I looked around me and I saw a culmination of thousands of hours and an infinite variety of talents come together to celebrate the birth of the Savior.  Dancers had learned choreography, stage crew had set up the stage, singers and instrumentalists had rehearsed their music, designers had made costumes and stage decorations, conductors had instructed and improved performers, administrators had organized the guest artist’s schedule and accommodations…I mean the list just goes on and on.  And as that first piece of the dress rehearsal began (it was a processional dance to the piece “Bring a Torch, Jeanette Isabella”) I was overcome with the realization that we were all bringing our best gifts to the manger, to Him.  And there was place in that celebration for any and every talent and gift; He will accept anything from us, as long as it is our best.  His birth may have been two thousand years ago, but I can still bring my best to Him, in any area of my life.  And as I bring my best to Him, I can invite others to do the same, and we can all rejoice in the good news of our Savior’s birth.

A gathering place for LDS Musicians

I have thought often about the series of events, or coincidences that led me to study music and choose it as my career.  I feel blessed to be a teacher, to be a performer, and to contribute to my community by my participation in the arts.  But I am convinced that all of my training was part of a higher purpose, to lead me to be a missionary and ambassador for the Church and for the Savior Himself through my membership in the Orchestra at Temple Square.  As we perform, be it at a large concert or one of the weekly broadcasts, I am often reminded of the phrase that Brother Craig Jessop used to sometimes say, that “somewhere somebody needs to hear this.”  This opportunity to share the Spirit of Christ and His love through music to the world is one of the greatest blessings in my life.