A Ministry of Hope: The Tabernacle Choir’s Inspiring Tour Through Florida and Georgia

The Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square concluded their tour in the Southeastern United States with a final performance in Atlanta, Georgia, on Wednesday, September 11, 2024.

The Choir shared the stage again with the Morehouse and Spelman College Glee Clubs. They received several standing ovations for their performances of songs such as, “Children, Go Where I Send Thee,” “A Choice to Change the World” and “I Ain’t Got Weary Yet.”

“We do think that [this visit to Florida and Georgia] has had the effect that we desired, which is to let people feel a sense of the divine, to feel a sense of healing, to feel a sense of peace and joy in the world needs that,” said Tabernacle Choir President Michael O. Leavitt.

Spelman College Provost Pamela Scott-Johnson said she is proud of her institution and its glee club for sharing a message of hope.

“It’s a joy to be a part of this. I think we can call it a ministry because it is a ministry,” said Scott-Johnson.

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Reconnecting with her friends from The Tabernacle Choir after their time singing together in Utah in October 2023 was a historic moment for Madison Brown, Spelman College Glee Club president.

“We are making history by combining our cultures, combining our experiences and sharing the stage together,” Brown said. “It’s more than just singing. We’re making this a movement, we’re making change, we’re trying to tell a story.”

“This collaboration, if it is to take off, it has to be nurtured,” noted Morehouse College Glee Club Music Director David Morrow. “It has to be repeated genuinely, and other people will see that it is something that can be done.”

Quoting a song from his childhood to sum up the experience of the glee clubs and The Tabernacle Choir performing together, Amos Brown, pastor of Third Baptist Church of San Francisco, said, “The more we get together, the happier we will be. Your song would be my song, and my song would be your song.”

“This sound of music gives hope for people in a world that is not harmonious but embodies dissonance. We need hope in the midst of all of these wars going on,” he added. “We need hope in this nation because there’s too much division. The singing together that we will hear tonight will be a statement that needs to be broadcast around the world.”

The crowd was also treated to a surprise performance by Broadway star Kristin Chenoweth. She sang "Angels Among Us," "How Great Thou Art," and joined the Choir in the encore, “Georgia on My Mind.”

Chenoweth is a longtime friend of The Tabernacle Choir. They first performed together at the Choir’s 2018 Christmas concert, which she said was “one of the best moments of my life.”

Enjoy the full performance here.

9/11 Performance at State Capitol

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp and his wife, Marty Kemp, invited The Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square to perform at the State Capitol as part of the state’s 9/11 commemoration.

“I thought it’d be a great opportunity for us to get them to the Capitol on such a special day for our country,” said Gov. Kemp. “As you heard today, there’s something about this building when you have a choir and an orchestra playing here, it is just heavenly.”

L. Whitney Clayton of The Tabernacle Choir Presidency said the performance at the Capitol enriched the tour.

“The opportunity to sing patriotic songs, to sing in praise of God and the Savior, to bring that message of hope right here to the Capitol in Georgia is a wonderful addition to the Hope tour,” said Clayton.

The event was attended by first responders, local elected leaders and officials, constitutional officers, members of the Georgia Supreme Court and Court of Appeals, and former Georgia governors.

“Everyone has said how they really felt the Spirit in their own way,” said Ian Caraway, policy director for the governor’s office. “This building was glowing on the inside today. We truly had messengers from the Lord here.”

The Choir was honored by the Georgia State Senate on February 22, 2024, for “95 years of unwavering dedication to spreading peace, hope and inspiration through Music & the Spoken Word.”

Bilingual Performance in Florida

The Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square began this “Songs of Hope” tour with a performance in English and Spanish on Saturday, September 7, 2024.

“I’m so glad we have so many friends join us from Florida, from all kinds of cultures and backgrounds,” said Gérald Caussé, Presiding Bishop of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. “And we feel that sense of unity thanks to music and the strength of the Lord.”

The Choir was joined by Florida native Adassa, voice of Dolores in the Disney animated film “Encanto.”

“I love music because it bridges the gap between understanding and feeling and really gives you a sense of deep connection with people and with yourself,” Adassa said before the performance. “I’m excited to share this message of hope and to blur the lines of language and just have a great time.”

Alex Melecio, one of the hosts of the Spanish “Music and the Spoken Word,” hosted the concert and sang with the Choir.

“It’s become more evident and clear in my mind and in my heart that Christ is the source of hope,” said Melecio, who is from Mexico. “It is my hope that everybody feels that whatever the trials, whatever the situations, they walk away [from the concert] feeling the love of our Savior for them, feeling lighter in terms of recognizing that God is there.”

Six youth and young adults from southern Florida also participated in the performance. They narrated biblical stories of Jesus Christ calming the storms and walking on water.

Father Reginald Jean-Mary from the Archdiocese of Miami felt the Choir’s message of hope was what the community needed to hear. He left the concert uplifted.

“We are living under the dictatorship of despair, and to convey that message of hope is something very encouraging,” Jean-Mary said. “It really recharged my battery to go and convey that message of hope as a minister and bear witness the hope of God in what I do and in the person that I am.”

Elder Ahmad S. Corbitt, a member of the North America Southeast Area Presidency, said the concert was powerful from beginning to end.

“There was an undeniable sense of the divine in their music tonight,” he said.

Enjoy the full performance here.