Sissel, the world-renowned vocalist known for her ethereal arias throughout the Oscar-winning film Titanic, will join the Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square at the 2019 Pioneer Day concerts. The concerts will be held in conjunction with communitywide celebrations at 8 p.m. mountain daylight time on July 19 and 20 in the Conference Center. The concerts will be conducted by Mack Wilberg, music director of the Choir, and Ryan Murphy, associate music director.
Choir fans will remember Sissel’s performances at the 2006 Christmas concerts on Temple Square. The subsequent CD, Spirit of the Season (2007), was No. 1 on Billboard’s classical chart for nine weeks and was nominated for two Grammy Awards: best classical crossover album and best engineered classical album.
“We are honored to have Sissel perform with us again,” Wilberg said. “The sincerity and purity of her voice captivates everyone who hears it. We first met her when she appeared with the Choir on Music and the Spoken Word in 2005, celebrating Norway’s 100th anniversary. We count her as one of the Choir’s closest friends.”
In addition to the Spirit of the Season CD, Sissel can also be found on two other Choir and Orchestra recordings: Homeward Bound with Bryn Terfel (2013) and Mormon Tabernacle Choir & Friends (2017).
Sissel’s rich and varied career has spanned more than 30 years. Her musical style ranges from pop recordings and folk songs to classical vocals and operatic arias. Music critics have described her voice as “exquisite,” “crystalline,” and “captivating.” It is famously heard throughout the movie Titanic, including the famous “I’m flying” scene. The film’s soundtrack was the highest-selling orchestral film score in history.
Tickets for the Pioneer Day concerts are free but required. Additional information on ticket distribution will be available in mid-June. Admission to this event is limited to those ages 8 and older. Those without tickets are invited to use the standby line each evening for seating, which is often available. The standby line will form at 6:30 p.m. each day at the north gate on Temple Square.
The concert will be streamed on thetabernaclechoir.org at 8 p.m. July 20. It also will be carried live over the Church satellite system and aired on BYU Television. Additional information on viewing times and places will be available at a later date.
Sissel also will appear on the July 21 Music and the Spoken Word broadcast. No tickets are required for that event, which will be held in the Conference Center at 9:30 a.m. Patrons should be in their seats by 9:15 a.m.
These summer concerts featuring music by The Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square have been a long-standing tradition. Recent guest artists have included Matthew Morrison and Laura Michelle Kelly (2018), Alex Boyé (2017), The King’s Singers (2016), Laura Osnes (2015), Santino Fontana (2014), Nathan Pacheco and Lindsey Stirling (2013), Katherine Jenkins (2012), and Linda Eder and Brian Stokes Mitchell (2011). Prior concerts have been filmed and later rebroadcast on BYU Television. The summer concert of 2012 with Katherine Jenkins won the Choir its third Emmy Award. (The Choir has since added a fourth Emmy Award for its Tanner Gift of Music concert with James Taylor.)