Members of The Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square are onboard a flight to Mexico City on June 13, 2023. (Photo: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)
The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square has kicked off the first leg of its world tour, returning to the heart of Mexico for the first time in over 50 years. Leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints said the Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square is performing three concerts this week in Mexico City with the theme of “Hope.”
Choir director Mack Wilburg said ahead of the tour, “We feel the greatest gift our music can give the world at this time is hope. That’s what I want people to feel from our music.”
Choir and orchestra members arrived in Mexico City on Tuesday afternoon. The more than 400 singers and musicians were greeted by a traditional Mariachi band.
The first performance is scheduled for Thursday evening with a special concert at the Cathedral of Toluca (Catedral de Toluca) which will showcase a spiritual repertoire. Then, the Choir will return to the Auditorio Nacional (National Auditorium), where it performed during its 1972 tour, with two performances on Saturday and Sunday.
The concerts in Mexico City will feature not only the Choir but guest artists from Mexico, with a selection that reflects, in part, the musicality of the culture.
Throughout the week the Choir and orchestra members will also participate in service projects and cultural activities, and they will record a music video at various landmarks that will air during the concerts.
For the first time, admission tickets were distributed free of charge as part of the Choir’s expanded mission to “reach and inspire people throughout the world.” Watch parties are also happening throughout the country at the Church’s meetinghouses and the Saturday evening performance will be available on the Choir’s YouTube channel.
The concerts in Mexico City are the first time the Choir will perform outside the United States since 2019. Leaders said, future world tour dates and locations will be announced at a later time.
The Choir has launched new pilot programs, which include producing a weekly broadcast of “Music & the Spoken Word” in Spanish and Portuguese.
Music & the Spoken Word is broadcast weekly on News Talk KVNU, Sunday’s at 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. The Spanish broadcast is set to premiere June 25 on 97.3 Juan FM.