Tabernacle Choir President Mike Leavitt and Director of Member Support Karmel Newell on the future of the choir and the power of music at Christmas
Church News
Church News
4.9 • 782 Ratings
🗓️ 12 December 2023
⏱️ 28 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Many members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints look forward to holiday music as an important part of Christmas celebrations, including the Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square’s annual Christmas concert. This episode of the Church News podcast features Tabernacle Choir President Mike Leavitt and Karmel Newell, the choir director of member support, discussing the music of the Tabernacle Choir during Christmas and year-round. They also talk about choir priorities and future efforts. Following a successful year, the choir looks forward to a visit to the Phillippines in February 2024 and the expansion of its Global Participant initiative.
The Church News Podcast is a weekly podcast that invites listeners to make a journey of connection with members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints across the globe. Host Sarah Jane Weaver, reporter and editor for The Church News for a quarter-century, shares a unique view of the stories, events, and most important people who form this international faith. With each episode, listeners are asked to embark on a journey to learn from one another and ponder, “What do I know now?” because of the experience. Produced by KellieAnn Halvorsen.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | An unexpected pleasure of being called to be choir president is that during Christmas season, my life is filled with the most glorious Christmas music you can imagine. |
| 0:22.3 | Music allows me to feel and to sense my life in the context of something that's eternal. |
| 0:31.9 | And I actually think that's what President Nelson means when he says, think celestial. |
| 0:44.0 | I think it's about living our lives in a context that's what President Nelson means when he says, think celestial. I think it's about living our lives in a context that's bigger than today. |
| 0:52.4 | And listening to sacred music and serving in the tabernacle choir has been a constant reminder of that for me. |
| 1:02.5 | This is Sarah Jane Weaver, executive editor of the Church News, welcoming you to the Church News podcast. |
| 1:04.1 | We are taking you on a journey of connection as we discuss news and events of the Church |
| 1:08.9 | of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. |
| 1:16.2 | Thank you. discuss news and events of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. So many of us look forward to holiday music as an important part of our annual |
| 1:20.3 | Christmas celebrations. This includes, of course, the Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra |
| 1:25.5 | at Temple Square's annual Christmas concert. Today on the |
| 1:29.2 | Church News podcast, we discuss the music of the tabernacle choir during the Christmas season and year-round |
| 1:36.0 | with Tabernacle Choir President Mike Levitt and Carmel Newell, Tabernacle Choir Director of |
| 1:42.1 | Member Support. Welcome both of you to the Church News podcast. |
| 1:45.9 | Thank you. Thank you. It's so nice to have you with us, especially during this time of year when everyone |
| 1:51.1 | thinks about Christmas music and, of course, then their thoughts go directly to the Tabernacle Choir. |
| 1:57.0 | President Leibbitt, why don't we just start with you and have you talk to us about how music can be such an important part of celebrations and when we think about the birth of the Savior, how music can take us there as well. |
| 2:10.1 | An unexpected pleasure of being called to be choir president is that during Christmas season, multiple days a week, my life is filled |
| 2:21.0 | with the most glorious Christmas music you can imagine. |
| 2:25.1 | And it is the Christmas season to me. |
| 2:28.3 | I find myself feeling a sense of both inspiration and a sense of gratitude listening to music, and I know I'm not |
| 2:38.0 | alone. |
... |
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