Harmony & Unity: The Tabernacle Choir Hope World Tour
The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square is a 360-member chorus of men and women. The choir originated in Salt Lake City, Utah. The Choir has performed at World Fair’s, expositions, inaugurations of U.S. presidents, concert halls across the globe, and television broadcasts. The choir received a Grammy in 1959 for “Battle Hymn of the Republic”. Their mission is to spread hope, joy, light, faith, and love through music.
Spelman and Morehouse Glee Club's performance with the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square
On September 11th at the State Farm Arena, The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square performed alongside Spelman and Morehouse’s Glee Clubs. The concert was conducted by Dr. Kevin Johnson, director of the Spelman College Glee Club and professor of music at Spelman College. Alongside, Dr. David E. Morrow, director of the Morehouse College Glee Club and professor of music at Morehouse College.
Performances
The introduction of the Glee Clubs created a sense of pride and hope for Spelman College and Morehouse College but unity created with the Tabernacle Choir as well. The opening piece sung by Morehouse’s Glee Club “Great and Glorious” evoked power through the playing of the organ and the range of voices in harmony. The song “I Ain’t Got Weary Yet”, was a personal favorite of mine as it was truly inspiring, from the different tones of voice, to the solos, the call and responses, and the strong emotions seen on their faces. The opening piece sung by Spelman’s Glee Club “Wade In The Water”, was my favorite piece. The angelic rendition of the soloist followed by the church-like echoes of the choir created this unique twist of this song. It was extremely powerful seeing my sisters perform this song and to be able to engage in this dynamic performance. The performance of “Children Go Wherever I Sent Thee”, was extremely engaging, I liked the upbeat tempo mixed with African instrumentals and piano. As the performers danced and a soloist rapped, it provided rhythmic and melodic tone. The soloists in the song “A Choice to Change the World” evoked power, resilience, and inspiration. Kristin Chenoweth’s performance of “Angels Among Us” was touching and created this heartfelt tone for the audience. The ending song of “Georgia On My Mind”, expressed a symphonic and a light tone. The elements of Jazz music were incorporated to provide a southern swing as the choir sung in a melodic tone. I like how the performance ended off with this piece to show a sense of pride and hopefulness for the future.
Conclusion
To conclude, this performance was incredible to engage with. At times, it felt like I was apart of the audience at the State Farm Arena. I liked the different fusions of cultures, sounds, and movement that provided unity between the Tabernacle Choir and the Glee Clubs. This was a beautiful and inspirational performance and I enjoyed witnessing this momentous experience for my brothers and sisters of Spelman and Morehouse College.
