A recent invitation from the Mormon Tabernacle Choir to join a virtual “Hallelujah” chorus resulted in hundreds of YouTube entries of singing fans and groups. The final product , which features a virtual grid of uploaded fan videos singing above the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, YouTube musicians Peter and Evynne Hollens, and scores of in-person volunteer voices, created the largest and first-of-its-kind virtual “Hallelujah” chorus video.
An exploration of the hashtag #Hallelujah on YouTube produces fan submissions of more than 2,000 individuals and groups eager to fulfill their dream of singing with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. YouTube entries include videos from an elderly woman bravely trying out new technology to sing along, an ambitious young man singing all four parts in one combined video, professional artists nailing their notes, a young mother following along with a babe in arms and many more. The final video is powerful and unifying, combining different faces, ages, nationalities and experience levels all joining together to sing the well-known and powerful oratorio.
YouTube musician Peter Hollens, who collaborated with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir to conceptualize and produce the virtual chorus, said the project provided an opportunity to use the power of technology to unify people instead of to distract or separate them.
“I feel like this kind of project brings back who we are as people,” said Hollens, a YouTube singer/songwriter with more than 1.3 million followers. “It gets us to use technology for the better to come together instead of to separate us. I love that.”
Hollens, who recently worked with the Church on the “12 Days of Social” Christmas initiative, created the “Hallelujah” chorus sing-along videos for each part with his wife, Evynne, and encouraged their YouTube fan base to participate in the virtual chorus. Hollens said he always wanted to sing with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and helping to create a virtual chorus was “incredibly memorable.”
“We were so honored to take part. It’s such an historic thing. It’s just so epic being in the Tabernacle, singing with the choir. … It’s kind of unreal.”
Daniel Lima, a freshman at BYU from Chicago, Illinois, learned about the virtual chorus and recorded a video at his home, uploading it to YouTube with the hashtag #Hallelujah. Coincidentally, Lima said he attended the choir’s weekly broadcast, “Music and the Spoken Word,” on Temple Square in Salt Lake City with his parents on Sunday, March 13, and remarked to his mom how “cool” it would be to sing with the choir someday. He said he was surprised to see the final virtual chorus video posted on YouTube later that afternoon with his own submission centered on the virtual grid above the Tabernacle organ and featured repeatedly.
“I never actually thought [my video] would be chosen or that it would be featured so prominently in the final video. … It was just such an honor to be able to sing with them.”
Lima, who has sung the “Hallelujah” chorus before with a school choir, said while it’s a challenging piece, he views singing it as an opportunity to give glory to God.
“I’ve always thought it’s a beautiful song, but I think it’s just a very powerful piece about our Savior and all that He’s done.”
Hollens and Lima are joined by hosts of other virtual singers from across the world, including videos from Kiribati, Mexico, Canada, Honduras, Romania, El Salvador, Russia, Chile, Germany, Brazil and England. The Australia Mormon Newsroom tells the story of lyric soprano Alexandra Dalman from Sydney who submitted a video entry. Dalman, who recently conducted a performance of Handel's Messiah in Sydney, said she “has always dreamed of singing with the choir.”
The Pacific Mormon Newsroom shows videos uploaded by siblings Traci Tuimaseve and Alieta Uelese from Flaxmere, New Zealand, who both love to sing and say the choir has always inspired them. Other notable names and faces such as Utah Governor Gary Herbert, Alex Boyé, BYU’s Vocal Point, Donny Osmond and other YouTube musicians and bloggers can also be spotted throughout the video.
Mormon Tabernacle Choir fans will have another opportunity to sing with the world-renowned choir and celebrate Easter by joining the live-stream “Messiah” Sing on Friday, March 25, 2016. Community, music and church groups around the world will sing along with the choir using the Internet to celebrate the birth, life, death and Resurrection of Christ with all Christians of the world. For live stream instructions and more information, visit https://www.mormontabernaclechoir.org/messiah/messiah-sing.html.