The O.C. Tanner Gift of Music is a series of free concerts presented in

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...

by the Utah Symphony and the

Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, formerly known as the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, is an American choir, acting as part of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). It has performed in the Salt Lake Tabernacle for ov ...

, with soloists, conductors and other choirs as guests. The concerts have been hosted by

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...

(LDS Church) on Temple Square since 1983. The thirtieth anniversary gala concerts were held September 6 and 7, 2013.

Origins

In the 1970s two neighbors

Obert C. Tanner Obert Clark Tanner (September 20, 1904 – October 14, 1993) was a University of Utah professor of philosophy, philanthropist, and founder of O.C. Tanner Co. Early life and education Tanner was born in Farmington, Utah to Joseph Marion Tanner ...

, founder of the O.C. Tanner company and

Gordon B. Hinckley Gordon Bitner Hinckley (June 23, 1910 – January 27, 2008) was an American religious leader and author who served as the 15th President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from March 1995 until his death in January 200 ...

, a member of the First Presidency of the LDS Church, worked together to foster unity in the growing community of the

Wasatch Front The Wasatch Front is a metropolitan region in the north-central part of the U.S. state of Utah. It consists of a chain of contiguous cities and towns stretched along the Wasatch Range from approximately Provo in the south to Logan in the north ...

. They included the president of the Utah Symphony, Wendell Ashton, and the president of the

Mormon Tabernacle Choir The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, formerly known as the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, is an American choir, acting as part of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). It has performed in the Salt Lake Tabernacle for ov ...

, Oakley Evans in these efforts. Their intent was to create a series of free concerts funded by an endowment from Obert and his wife Grace. These concerts would feature the combined talents of the world-famous Choir and the Symphony. Adding famed soloists, conductors and other choirs as guest artists would make these world class concerts.

Gifts Of Music

1983–89

1983: Verdi ''Requiem''

Friday, September 16, 1983 The

Salt Lake Tabernacle The Salt Lake Tabernacle, also known as the Mormon Tabernacle, is located on Temple Square in Salt Lake City, in the U.S. state of Utah. The Tabernacle was built from 1863 to 1875 to house meetings for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Sa ...

* Mormon Tabernacle Choir * Utah Symphony ---

Stanislaw Skrowaczewski Stanislav and variants may refer to: People *Stanislav (given name), a Slavic given name with many spelling variations (Stanislaus, Stanislas, Stanisław, etc.) Places * Stanislav, a coastal village in Kherson, Ukraine * Stanislaus County, Cali ...

, ''conductor'' * Kristine Ciesinski, ''soloist'' *

Katherine Ciesinski Katherine Ciesinski (born October 13, 1950) is an American mezzo-soprano, stage director, and voice professor. Ciesinski was born to Delaware Sports Hall of Famer Roman Ciesinski and Katherine Hansen Ciesinski. She is the sister of opera singer ...

, ''soloist'' *

Arnold Voketaitis Arnold and Nijole Voketaitis. Arnold Voketaitis (born May 11, 1930, New Haven, Connecticut) is an American bass-baritone of Lithuanian descent who had an active singing career performing in operas, concerts, and recitals from the late 1950s thr ...

, ''soloist'' * Dana Talley, ''soloist''

1985: Americana

* Mormon Tabernacle Choir * Utah Symphony ---

Michael Tilson Thomas Michael Tilson Thomas (born December 21, 1944) is an American conductor, pianist and composer. He is Artistic Director Laureate of the New World Symphony, an American orchestral academy based in Miami Beach, Florida, Music Director Laureate of ...

, ''conductor and soloist''

1987: Mendelssohn ''Elijah''

* Mormon Tabernacle Choir * Utah Symphony ---

Jerold Ottley Jerold Don Ottley (April 7, 1934February 19, 2021) was an American music director and choral conductor. He served as the director of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir (Choir) from 1974 to 1999. During his tenure, he established the Choir's annual Chris ...

, ''conductor''
Audrey Luna
''soloist''

1989: operatic and concert selections

Friday & Saturday, February 24 and 25, 1989

* Mormon Tabernacle Choir * Utah Symphony --- Julius Rudel, ''conductor'' *

Kiri Te Kanawa Dame Kiri Jeanette Claire Te Kanawa , (; born Claire Mary Teresa Rawstron, 6 March 1944) is a retired New Zealand opera singer. She had a full lyric soprano voice, which has been described as "mellow yet vibrant, warm, ample and unforced". Te ...

, ''soloist''

1991–99

1991: operatic and concert selections

Friday and Saturday, November 8 and 9, 1991

* Mormon Tabernacle Choir * Utah Symphony ---

Joseph Silverstein Joseph Harry Silverstein (March 21, 1932 – November 21, 2015) was an American violinist and conductor. Known to family, friends and colleagues as "Joey", Silverstein was born in Detroit. As a youth, Silverstein studied with his father, Bernard ...

, ''conductor'' *

Frederica von Stade Frederica von Stade OAL (born June 1, 1945) is a semi-retired American opera singer. Since her Metropolitan Opera debut in 1970, she has performed in operas, musicals, concerts and recitals in venues throughout the world, including La Scala, th ...

, ''soloist''

1994: Berlioz ''Requiem''

Friday and Saturday, April 22 and 23, 1994

* Mormon Tabernacle Choir * Utah Symphony --- Robert Shaw, ''conductor'' *

Stanford Olsen Stanford Olsen (born 1960) is an American tenor who has had an active international career in operas and concerts since 1983. He has sung with several of the world's leading opera companies, including the Deutsche Oper Berlin, La Scala and the Roya ...

, ''soloist''

1996: DeMars ''
An American Requiem An American Requiem is a choral work by composer James DeMars.Trey Graham, "The Washington Post," August 5, 1995. Following the 1992 Los Angeles riots subsequent to the Rodney King trial, Dr. James DeMars, a professor of Music Composition at A ...

/h3>
Friday and Saturday, November 1 and 2, 1996
Salt Lake Tabernacle The Salt Lake Tabernacle, also known as the Mormon Tabernacle, is located on Temple Square in Salt Lake City, in the U.S. state of Utah. The Tabernacle was built from 1863 to 1875 to house meetings for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Sa ...
* Mormon Tabernacle Choir * Utah Symphony --
James DeMars
composer & ''conductor''
Audrey Luna
''soloist''

', soloist'' *
Robert Breault Robert Breault (born 1963) is an American operatic tenor. Born in Michigan, he holds a B.M. degree (magna cum laude) from St. Norbert College (1985) from which he received a distinguished alumni award in 1997. In addition, he holds a M.M. (1987 ...
'', soloist'' *
Simon Estes Simon Estes (born March 2, 1938) is an operatic bass-baritone of African-American descent who had a major international opera career beginning in the 1960s. He has sung at most of the world's major opera houses as well as in front of presiden ...
'', soloist''

1998: an Atlantic bridge

Friday and Saturday, November 13 and 14, 1998

* Mormon Tabernacle Choir * Utah Symphony ---

Craig Jessop Craig D. Jessop (born 1949) is an American academic, musician and singer best known for his tenure as the music director of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir (Choir) from 1999 to 2008. Biography A native of Millville, Utah, Jessop has been a lifelong ...

, ''conductor'' * The King's Singers, ''soloists''

1999: Brahms ''Requiem''

Saturday, February 13, 1999

* Mormon Tabernacle Choir * Utah Symphony ---

, ''conductor''
Janice Chandler Eteme
''soloist'' *

Nathan Gunn Nathan T. Gunn (born November 26, 1970, in South Bend, Indiana) is an American operatic baritone who performs regularly around the world. He is an alumnus of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where he is currently a professor of vo ...

, ''soloist''

2000–09

2000: Vaughan Williams ''Hodie''

Friday & Saturday, November 3 and 4, 2000

* Mormon Tabernacle Choir * Utah Symphony --- Keith Lockhart, ''conductor''
Henriette Schellenberg
''soloist'' *

Robert Breault Robert Breault (born 1963) is an American operatic tenor. Born in Michigan, he holds a B.M. degree (magna cum laude) from St. Norbert College (1985) from which he received a distinguished alumni award in 1997. In addition, he holds a M.M. (1987 ...

, ''soloist'' * Robert Honeysucker, ''soloist''
International Children's Choir
''guest'' * Temple Square Chorale, ''guest'' * SUU Concert Choir, ''guest''

2002: Mahler Symphony no. 8

Friday and Saturday, November 15 and 16, 2002

* Mormon Tabernacle Choir * Utah Symphony --- Keith Lockhart, ''conductor''
Bridgett Hooks
''soloist''
Indra Thomas
''soloist'' *

Mary Ellen Callahan Mary Ellen Callahan is an American attorney serving as the Assistant Secretary for the DHS Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction (CWMD) Office since August 2023. She was previously the chief of staff to DHS Deputy Secretary John Tien in the Unite ...

, ''soloist''
Barbara Rearjck
''soloist''
Rebekah Ambosini
''soloist''
John Daniecki
''soloist''
Clayton Brainerd
''soloist'' * Les Young, ''soloist'' * Utah Symphony Chorus, ''guest'' * Choristers of the Madeleine Choir School, ''guest''
International Children's Choir
''guest''
Salt Lake Children's Choir
''guest'' * SUU Concert Choir, ''guest''

2005: a Celtic celebration

Friday & Saturday, October 21 and 22, 2005 Conference Center * Mormon Tabernacle Choir * Utah Symphony ---

Mack Wilberg Mack J. Wilberg (born February 20, 1955) is an American composer, Arrangement, arranger, Conducting, conductor, and choral clinician who has been the music director of the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square (Choir) since 2008. Early life and educ ...

, ''conductors'' * Ronan Tynan, ''soloist'' * Leahy, ''soloist''
Wasatch & District Pipe Band
''guests''

2008: an American songbook

George M. Cohan, Richard Rodgers, John Williams, Woody Guthrie, Irving Berlin and other American composers Friday & Saturday, September 19 and 20, 2008 Conference Center * Mormon Tabernacle Choir * Utah Symphony ---

Erich Kunzel Erich Kunzel, Jr. (March 21, 1935 – September 1, 2009) was an American orchestra conductor. Called the "Prince of Pops" by the ''Chicago Tribune'', he performed with a number of leading pops and symphony orchestras, especially the Cincinnati ...

, ''guest conductor'' * Denyce Graves, ''soloist'' *

Brian Stokes Mitchell Brian Stokes Mitchell (born October 31, 1957) is an American actor and singer. A powerful baritone, he has been one of the central leading men of the Broadway theater since the 1990s. He won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical in 2000 for ...

, ''soloist''

2009: Mahler Symphony no. 2

Friday and Saturday, November 20 and 21, 2009

* Mormon Tabernacle Choir * Utah Symphony --- Keith Lockhart, ''conductor''
Janice Chandler Eteme
''soloist'' *

Nancy Maultsby Nancy Maultsby (Burlington, North Carolina) is an American operatic mezzo-soprano. She has performed often with Lyric Opera of Chicago, where she appeared as Erda in Das Rheingold and Siegfried, as well as the First Norn and Waltraute in Götterd ...

, ''soloist''

2011–present

2011: Berlioz ''Requiem''

Friday & Saturday, September 16 and 17, 2011

* Mormon Tabernacle Choir * Utah Symphony --- Thierry Fischer, ''conductor''

2013: 30th anniversary gala

Friday & Saturday, September 6 and 7, 2013 Conference CenterArtist James Taylor to Perform With Tabernacle Choir
churchofjesuschrist.org, September 8, 2013 * Mormon Tabernacle Choir * Utah Symphony ---

, ''conductor'' *

James Taylor James Vernon Taylor (born March 12, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A six-time Grammy Award winner, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. He is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, havi ...

, ''Special Guest''

2019: Golden Spike 150th Anniversary

Friday, May 10th, 2019 * Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square * Utah Symphony * Brian Stokes Mitchell, Megan Hilty ''special guests''

References

{{Reflist Tabernacle Choir Music of Utah