Salt Lake City’s historic and world-famous Tabernacle Choir is going on tour, stopping in Atlanta and joining forces with some of the city’s finest glee club voices.
First, the Tabernacle Choir will perform a private concert at Morehouse College’s Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel on Sept. 8, then present a concert open to the public at State Farm Arena on Sept. 11, with guest singing from the Morehouse and Spelman College Glee Clubs.
Tabernacle Choir president Michael O. Leavitt recently joined Lois Reitzes on “City Lights” to discuss the Choir’s “Hope Tour” and upcoming performances.
Leavitt has worn a variety of hats throughout his career, at one point serving three terms as governor of Utah and then as the administrator of the EPA before being called to preside over the Tabernacle Choir in Salt Lake City. Leavitt didn’t receive his calling to the role without previous musical experience, though. He shared with Reitzes that he plays “French horn as my primary instrument, and… other brass instruments” in his own time.
The Choir has existed for more than 177 years, formed as part of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints when it moved to Salt Lake City in 1847. According to Leavitt, the Choir is comprised of “more than 350 singers and a grand orchestra of [around] 110 players” who tour with the outfit around the world. At their core, they are a group that focuses on sacred music, but they also branch out into other genres.
