In the Spirit of Christmas, I thought I’d mention a well-known choir whose purpose is to sing the glory of Jesus Christ.

I grew up listening to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. I remember, as a child, I found them to be very boring, because all I was interested in were things like the X-Men, with action and heroes and villains, and explosions! My tastes have matured just a little bit, though I do still have that fondness for action and adventure. Boys will be boys, ya know? 😉

What I mean to say is, I did not appreciate the Choir until a little later in my life. All I knew, at first, was that they were a large group of people who sang hymns (“church songs” as my juvenile self called them). I’ve heard, from people who know more about music than myself, that the Choir members aren’t even that good, by which they mean there are no pop stars, opera singers, soloists, people with professional/classical training and experience, etc. Yet, the more I’ve grown, the more I’ve enjoyed their music.

Now, one can easily argue that this is partially due to the relatively new inclusion of the Orchestra at Temple Square. When you have such a massive body vocalizing hymns, a couple of kids with cans and an accordion is simply not sufficient accompaniment. (no offense intended!) But now they have a friend in form of a proper orchestra. While there isn’t anything wrong with the Choir alone, I particularly love it when they include the Orchestra!

(hmmm, I was working on a random analogy comparing adding the Orchestra to the Choir like adding meat to spaghetti sauce, which makes it sooooo much more enjoyable, though there isn’t anything wrong with the meatless sauce, but then I caught myself thinking, “yes, there is!” :p so the analogy kind of fell apart before I finished writing it, LOL)

One can also appreciate the little nuance of “flavor” that guest artists, actors, and celebrities bring when they perform with the Choir. These include some pretty notable names, such as Lindsey Stirling, David Archuleta, Sissel, Renée Fleming, Edward K. Herrmann, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Liriel Domiciano, and many, many more.

(ah! cheese! adding the Orchestra to the Choir is like adding good cheese to the spaghetti with meat sauce! which makes it better, but there’s nothing wrong with the meal without the cheese! …dangit, now I’m hungry!)

Yet, even alone, the Choir is perfectly capable of singing such magnificent praises to the Almighty that they have become known the world over. I believe it was Ronald Reagan who had them sing at his inauguration, dubbing them “America’s Choir,” and they sang for all the world to hear in the opening ceremonies of the 2002 Winter Olympics. I still remember the thrill I felt when they sang “Call of the Champions,” whose only lyrics are “Citius, Altius, Fortius,” meaning “Faster, Higher, Stronger.”

Not bad for a large collection of people who, while capable of holding a note (which I am perfectly incapable of doing), are, for the most part, just your ordinary, average, run of the mill vocalists. Nothing special, yet, together, they are extraordinary.

Much like all of us. Alone, we’re not much. But together, in selfless service to our God and our fellow man, we can be amazing.

So, go visit their YouTube channel, here! 🙂

And a playlist of their Christmas music, here!