Tributes

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SALT LAKE CITY 11 March 2009

“I didn’t realize that I was going to be hit by this extraordinary spirit! It’s quite unique to see people doing something just for the love of it, for the love of joining together, and expressing their sense of feelings about life.”
“You’re simply drenched in the power and the spirit and the warmth. This is unforgettable.”
“It just fills your heart to hear [the choir] sing.”
-Angela Lansbury, Guest Artist, 2001 Christmas concert

“You make me very proud to be a member of the human race and one of God’s children. I didn’t know people were capable of producing such beauty.”
“Yes, they can sing in tune. Yes, technically they’re a wonderful choir. But I think the bedrock of that is their belief.”
“What a fabulous honor it was to sing with you at the Opening Ceremony of the Olympics. If I could’ve given you all a hug, believe me I would have. God bless you all.”
-Sting, Performer, 2002 Winter Olympics

“It’s thrilling to stand in front of [the Choir] and be able to direct them and just imbibe that sound that comes over us when we hear it. It’s been very beautiful and very exciting, a thrilling thing.”
-John Williams, Conductor, 2002 Winter Olympics 

“Divine. One of the greatest emotional experiences! This Choir undoubtedly has an importance greater than entertaining or even momentarily uplifting an audience.”
“It has a lasting influence on America.”
“There’s no question that this Choir has made a difference. I think that people do not listen to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir just for the music, but for the actual inspiration that it transmits through the magic of music.”
-Walter Cronkite, Guest Artist, 2002 Christmas concert  

“The longevity of the Choir is extraordinary. I think the concept on which it’s founded is extraordinary and I think the fact that the Choir makes this gift of their song is an extraordinary fact that I’m not sure everyone is aware of, and I think it’s remarkable.”
“It’s amazing! I can’t quite believe how they make these amazing sounds ... and do it with such heart and soul! It’s part of our heritage as Americans to know about this wonderful choir.”
“There are certain wonderful landmarks that one has in one’s career—sort of the brass ring—and I’d say one of the top brass rings is to be able to sing with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.”
“I can’t believe what they’ve done. … In today’s world, that’s amazing.” 
-Frederica von Stade, Guest Artist, 2002 Cultural Olympiad and 2003 Christmas Concert  

“The most amazing thing about the choir… is the sound that they produce. It’s an amazingly well-blended sound that comes from a lack of egos, really—360 people who are committed to singing together and a large enough body that no one has to force to be heard. So the sound is enveloping—it’s all-surrounding and frankly, it’s wonderful to be in the middle of when you’re conducting it.”
-Keith Lockhart, Director, Boston Pops, after the Choir performed with the Pops on the Esplanade, July 4. 2003. Almost 600,000 people were in attendance on the Charles River.

“The pure enjoyment just flows from that height in the hall down through the orchestra, past the conductor, past the soloists and into the audience. That’s what music making is all about.”
-Bryn Terfel, Guest Artist, 2003 Christmas Concert

“Even if you’re not a Mormon, not a member of the LDS Church, you can appreciate the beauty of their sound and beauty of their music and spirituality … and the incredible message that they’re broadcasting throughout the world.”
“What moved me most about the choir is the singularity of sound. It sounds like one voice, one multifaceted voice. And so to … be enveloped by that sound is miraculous, it really is. This is going to be an experience that I will have in my heart for the rest of my life.”
-Audra McDonald, Guest Artist, 2004 Christmas Concert

“When they sing the hymns I think anyone who’s within hearing distance of that cannot help but be moved.” It’s a powerful, powerful tool, that choir.”
-Peter Graves, Guest Artist, 2004 Christmas Concert

“The quality of the orchestra is also terrific in that everybody volunteers—that’s obviously unique. Nothing else like this exists in the world.”
-Renee Fleming, Guest Artist, 2005 Christmas Concert

“I’ve never met with such warmth and kindness and generosity. And you take that away with you. I’ll take away with me the sound of that wonderful choir and great expertise and elegant kindness of Craig and the whole experience of having been here. It is very much another world. And I think one always takes something away. Everything feeds everything else in your life. And this will certainly remain with me as a most beautiful experience—really beautiful.”
-Claire Bloom, Guest Artist, Guest Artist 2005 Christmas Concert

“For me, to sing with Placido Domingo one day and then to sing with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, it’s the same level.”
-Sissel Kyrkjebø, Guest Artist 2006 Christmas Concert

“We sing with many choirs around the world and actually quite a few choirs in America, but for a choir of this size, I have never seen anything so disciplined, and that is a real pleasure for us because we come from a background where choral discipline is important. It is unbelievable that three hundred and sixty voices can be so together…We just feel like we want to keep coming back.”
-Philip Lawson, The King’s Singers, Guest Artists 2007 Christmas Concert

“There is an element here that you are working for something other than just making beautiful music. There is a spiritual element here that is wonderful to have.”
-Edward Herrmann, Guest Artist 2008 Christmas Concert

“I can’t think of a better Choir in the world to sing with, it’s magical. I wish all of you could have the experience of standing up there and being surrounded by these heavenly voices. They are all just incredible artists individually, and collectively, it makes the most beautiful sound.”
-Brian Stokes Mitchell, Guest Artist 2008 Christmas Concert