Choir conductors Anton Armstrong and Mack Wilberg have been friends for 25 years.
Little wonder, then, that they are bringing their prestigious singing troupes together when the Wilberg-led Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square — the premier performing group of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — gives its weekly “Music & the Spoken Word” concert on Sunday.
It will follow the Saturday performance of Armstrong’s group, the St. Olaf Choir, a 75-member ensemble based out of a Lutheran school, St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minn., and comprised of student musicians.
“The St. Olaf Choir is hailed as one of the nation’s premier a cappella ensembles,” according to a news release, “renowned for its artistry and beauty of sound.”
The singers will perform Saturday at Salt Lake City’s First Presbyterian Church at 3 p.m. Tickets are $30 for adults and $10 for students, and are available online at bit.ly/3OGZt3B.
The show is part of the choir’s nine-city tour, its first since the COVID-19 pandemic struck in 2020.
The next day, the St. Olaf Choir will join the renowned Tabernacle Choir at the Salt Lake Tabernacle on Temple Square at 9:30 a.m. No tickets are required; the doors will open at 8:30 a.m. The performance also will be livestreamed at thetabernaclechoir.org.
“These two choirs [will] come together,” Armstrong said, “and share their gifts as an offering to others.”
(Provided by the St. Olaf Choir) Anton Armstrong is the conductor of the St. Olaf Choir, which will perform with The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square on May 1 at the Salt Lake Tabernacle. This will follow the St. Olaf Choir's April 30 performance at the First Presbyterian Church of Salt Lake City.
What the choir will sing
Though Armstrong has guest-conducted the Tabernacle Choir several times, Saturday will be the first time in his 32 years of leading St. Olaf that his ensemble will perform in Salt Lake City.
One of the pieces on the choir’s program, “Light Dawns on a Weary World,” was even commissioned by the St. Olaf Choir from Wilberg six years ago.
Saturday’s concert will feature sacred and secular works from a variety of composers, including Adolphus Hailstork, Felix Mendelssohn, J.S. Bach and choir founder F. Melius Christiansen.
Performing is especially meaningful to the choir now, Armstrong said, after being unable to do so during the height of the pandemic.
“The very fact that [we’re] taking live music making into halls where people haven’t been able to do that,” he said, “I think it’s an amazing thing.”
One piece that packs personal significance for Armstrong is “When Memory Fades,” which honors those who suffer from memory loss diseases such as Alzheimer’s and dementia. Armstrong said he has lost loved ones to these conditions.
Although the song was composed with a specific cause in mind, Armstrong said, its lyrics can apply to a variety of other difficulties, such as the war in Ukraine.
“Great art happens like that,” he said. “It’s created maybe for one situation, yet it has relevance beyond.”
‘More than a blessing’ to sing with Tab Choir
(Chris Samuels | The Salt Lake Tribune) The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square performs during General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City in April 2022. The group will sing with St. Olaf Choir on Sunday.
“When Memory Fades” is also a favorite of soprano choir member Shae Lime.
“It’s so saturated with accuracy,” she said. “If you’ve ever dealt with Alzheimer’s in your life … it hits all the marks. It hits all the heartstrings in every way.”
Lime, who hails from Florida and is a senior at St. Olaf College, is studying vocal performance and creative writing. She also is a student choir manager who has been accepted into several vocal performance graduate programs.
Saturday’s concert will be her first time in Salt Lake City. And while it is always exciting to travel and share music anywhere, Lime looks forward to singing in a place where choral music is so valued.
“To be performing with the Tabernacle Choir, it’s a whole other thing,” she said. “It’s more than a blessing.”
Armstrong pointed to the dedication of St. Olaf Choir members, who devote much time and energy to the group despite not receiving academic credit for it. About 35% to 40% are not even music majors.
And with choir rehearsals happening 90 minutes a day, five days a week, Armstrong added, “it’s a big sacrifice. ... But, that being said, it’s also a great blessing.”
He also vouched for the skill of his young performers.
“Yes, [they] are a choir of singers of 19 to 22 years old,” Armstrong said, “but they have beautiful voices.”
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