Broadway performer Laura Osnes appeared with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square for the annual Pioneer Day concert Friday evening. The 75-minute concert, featuring a pioneer salute and Broadway music, was conducted by Mack Wilberg, the choir’s music director, and Ryan Murphy, associate music director.
This is Osnes’s first time performing with the choir. She is an award-winning actress with a long list of credits from the New York stage and the Hollywood screen. She may be best known for her award-winning role in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Cinderella,” where she performed the title role on Broadway. In that role she played opposite last year’s Pioneer Day concert guest artist, Santino Fontana, who played Prince Charming.
"Thank you so much for this opportunity," Osnes told the large audience. "This truly has become a lovely night." Osnes said she called Fontana for "a little pep talk" after seeing the size of the hall.
Osnes will repeat her performance Saturday, July 18, at the Conference Center in Salt Lake City.
Complimentary tickets were distributed prior to the event. Standby tickets will not be issued. However, patrons are invited to stand by for last-minute seating. The standby line will form at the north gate on Temple Square.
BYUtv will air the program on Saturday, July 18, at 8:00 p.m.; Sunday, July 19, at 5:00 p.m.; and Friday, July 24, at 5:30 p.m.
The concert will also be live streamed on the Mormon Tabernacle Choir website on Saturday at 8:00 p.m. It will also be available on the choir's YouTube channel and on the Mormon Channel's website and YouTube channel.
The summer concerts coincide with community Pioneer Day celebrations to commemorate the arrival of Mormon pioneers to the Salt Lake Valley in July 1847.
Read more about the Pioneer Day concert on the choir's website or in the Church News.